What is singing and what are its benefits?

Singing is a form of expression that uses the voice to produce sounds. Songs can be sung solo or in groups, and often accompany other activities such as dancing, clapping, or playing musical instruments. Although singing is often considered to be a leisure activity, it can also have physical, mental, and social benefits. For example, singing has been shown to improve breathing and cardiovascular health, boost immunity, reduce stress levels, and promote social bonding. In addition, singing can also be used as a form of therapy to help people recover from trauma or cope with chronic conditions such as anxiety or depression. Whether used for fun or for health reasons, singing is an activity that offers numerous benefits.

How do you sing and what techniques can you use to improve your voice quality?

Anyone can sing–the human voice is one of the most versatile instruments. However, not everyone can sing well. To become a good singer, you need to learn proper technique and practice regularly. The first step is to develop good breath control. When you breathe deeply from your diaphragm, you will be able to control your vocal cords more effectively and produce a stronger sound. As you practice, pay attention to your posture and make sure you are standing or sitting up straight. This will help you to project your voice more effectively. Finally, experiment with different techniques and find what works best for you. By taking the time to learn proper technique and experiment with different sounds, you can develop your own unique style and improve your singing voice quality.

Are some people born with better singing voices than others, or can anyone learn to sing if they put in the effort?

The question of whether some people are born with better singing voices than others is a controversial one. Some people believe that everyone is born with the same ability to sing and that it is simply a matter of practice and effort. Others believe that some people are born with better natural abilities, which give them an advantage when it comes to learning to sing. There is no definitive answer, but there is evidence to support both sides of the argument. For example, research has shown that some people have a higher natural pitch than others, which gives them an advantage when it comes to singing in tune. On the other hand, practice does appear to play a role in singing ability, as those who receive formal training tend to outperform those who do not. Ultimately, the answer may depend on the individual. Some people may find it easier to learn to sing than others, but anyone can become a good singer if they are willing to put in the work.

What should you do if you’re not happy with your singing voice or think you need help improving it?

If you’re unhappy with your singing voice or think you need help improving it, the best thing to do is seek out a professional vocal coach. A good vocal coach will be able to help you identify and correct any issues you may have with your technique, and they can also give you specific exercises to help improve your range, power, and tone. They will also be able to offer guidance on how to warm up properly before singing, how to take care of your voice, and how to avoid damaging your vocal cords. While it may seem like a big investment, working with a professional vocal coach can make a world of difference in terms of the quality of your singing voice.

Can professional singers teach us how to sing better or is it something that we have to learn on our own through experimentation and practice?”

Many people believe that professional singers have a natural gift that cannot be taught. However, the reality is that singing is a skill that can be learned through proper instruction and practice. Just as athletes have coaches to help them improve their technique, singers can benefit from working with a professional vocal coach. A good coach will be able to identify any weaknesses in a singer’s technique and provide specific exercises to help improve their range, breath control, and tone. In addition, a coach can offer guidance on how to properly warm up the voice and avoid strain. With the help of a professional coach, anyone can learn to sing better. Feel free to book in a free 10 minute call with John Rouvas so he can help you achieve your singing goals.

What are some of the best exercises for improving your singing voice?”

Vocal exercises are an important part of keeping your singing voice healthy and strong. While there are many different exercises that can be beneficial, some are more effective than others. For example, humming is a great way to warm up your vocal cords and improve breath control. Lip rolls and tongue twisters can also help to improve muscle control and increase flexibility. In addition, practicing scales can help to build stamina and range. By incorporating these exercises into your regular routine, you can keep your singing voice in top form.

Singing is a great way to improve your overall health and well-being. It’s also a fun way to express yourself and connect with others. If you’re interested in learning how to sing, or want to improve your singing voice, there are plenty of techniques and exercises you can use. With some practice and patience, anyone can learn to sing like a pro!

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https://rouvasacademyofsinging.com.au/blog/the-biggest-music-tours-of-2019-heres-to-looking-forward-to-looking-back-by-the-singing-teacher/ They say rock’n’roll is a young person’s game, but clearly the major acts coming our way next year didn’t get the memo. There are so many golden oldies touring in 2019 that in years to come, we’ll probably look back at this as the golden age of nostalgia.

Pop princess Kylie Minogue is planning to go all out with celebrations for her 50th birthday

Phil Collins will get the ball rolling in January with a tour in which he professes to be Not Dead Yet (fans in the UK were so unsure how long that promise would hold they allegedly snapped up the tickets for five London dates in 15 seconds). In April, those old smoothies Air Supply will be mellowing out audiences with the help of an orchestra. BYO air supply.

The godfather of punk, 71-year-old Iggy Pop, will be writhing his still-lithe (but indisputably lined) form across our stages in April as part of Bluesfest, with sideshow gigs in Sydney and Melbourne. It’ll be a fun house for sure.

Just to prove nostalgia isn’t solely the preserve of the over-65s, in March the Happy Mondays will be performing their 1990 album Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches in its entirety (or at least the bits Shaun Ryder can still remember the words to). Grab your baggy pants and bucket hat and step on, ravers.

Here are a few more of what we suspect will be the most interesting tours of the first half of the year ahead.

The Eagles
There’ll be no Glenn Frey on this March tour (he died in January 2016), but his son Deacon joins the line-up, alongside Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit from the classic line-up of the band that checked out long ago, but never really left. Vince Gill completes the main ensemble and there’s also a horn and string section to flesh out that mellow West Coast sound. A perch in the Eagles’ nest will set you back anything from a low of $199 to a high of $399.

Kylie Minogue
Our Kylie’s latest Vegas-style extravaganza is named not for the most famous pair of hot pants in music, but rather for her age: inconceivable as it seems, Charlene is now 50 (until May at least). Her music career alone is now 31, and while her debut single I Should Be So Lucky doesn’t make the cut, the set list on this career-spanning, genre-hopping spectacular – divided into six change-of-costume-defined acts, plus encore – reportedly covers pretty much everything else the fans might hope for, all the way from The Loco-Motion at one end to Golden at the other, via Confide in Me, Spinning Around, Can’t Get You Out of my Head and a whole lot more. Sydney, Melbourne, Mt Cotton in Queensland, Perth, Adelaide and the Hunter Valley in March.

The Monkees
It’s not the full Prefab Four – Peter Tork is not in great health, and Davy Jones is long dead – but this is the Monkees line-up fans thought they’d never see, with Micky Dolenz joined onstage by Mike Nesmith for the first time in Australia since 1968. In fact, it’s the first time Nez has played in Australia since 1977, when he toured at the height of his Rio fame. If you’re really a Believer, you’ll have to fork out $599 for the full VIP package in June.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Five years after they were last here as part of The Big Day Out, and 12 years since they last headlined a tour of Australia, Melbourne-born bass legend Flea and his bandmates – including co-founder and singer Anthony Kiedis, long-time drummer Chad Smith, and relative new boy Josh Klinghoffer on guitar (he’s been with the band since 2007) – play a series of stadium and winery gigs, including a first visit to Tasmania. Promising plenty of funk for young and old, it kicks off in Hobart on February 17 and rolls through 10 shows in six states before finishing up in Perth on March 5.

Lily Allen
Given her tabloid life and confessional lyrics, it was probably inevitable that Lily Allen would turn to the memoir, even if, at 33, she’s a touch on the young side for such things. Then again, she’s been on the public radar since becoming one of the first artists to emerge via social media in late 2005 (on My Space – remember that?) so why not. She’s unlikely to be reading excerpts from My Thoughts Exactly on her No Shame tour in February, but it promises to be an intimate affair all the same – just the diminutive singer (and her stack heels) and two synth players, and a catalogue that trawls the wreckage of a failed marriage while all the while keeping “one foot in the rave” (her words, but we like them).

Ozzy Osbourne
The former Black Sabbath frontman has been touring for 50 years but this jaunt around the world – which started in 2017 and isn’t slated to end until 2020 – will be his last. Or so he says. “The thing about music is it’s got no age limit,” he told this paper in October. “If you’re good, you’re good and if you’re having fun, have fun.” Osbourne is one of the biggest names at Download, the heavy rock/metal festival that has its second Melbourne outing, and its first in Sydney, in March. Also on the line-up are Judas Priest, Alice in Chains, Slayer and Rise Against. Rock on, headbangers.

Lauryn Hill
It’s billed as the 20th anniversary tour of her solo debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and fans of the ex-Fugees singer can probably expect her to play the album in full when she tours in February. But given it’s her only studio album to date, when could they not expect the same? Hill regularly divides audiences by remixing her songs (hey, just because she’s playing the album, don’t go expecting it to sound like the album, OK?) and turning up late, but she still delivers a hell of a show. Just make sure the babysitter doesn’t have to be home by 10.

Nick Cave
Typically, a Cave visit home each summer comes complete with a Bad Seeds tour. This year, it’s the singer-songwriter-screenwriter-sometime-actor solo at a piano, armed with that extensive catalogue of songs and a willingness to take questions from the audience and a promise to answer them with as much good humour, grace and honesty as he can muster. It started in May in New York, when Cave took to the stage for the first of four such dates with the confession that “I have absolutely no idea what I’m really doing here”. By the time he opens the Australian leg in his childhood hometown of Wangaratta on January 3, he’ll presumably have it figured out.

John Mayer
The blues-folk-rock singer-guitarist is perhaps as well known for his string of celebrity ex-girlfriends – Taylor Swift, Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian and Renee Zellweger among them – as he is for his music. You can see him in the semi-intimate surrounds of the mid-sized stadiums in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in March from a mere $132 (as of time of writing – the tickets are dynamically priced), but to get seriously up close and personal you might want to lob for the $509 Premium package. No word on whether that includes him asking for your number, though.

Read full article here: https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/the-biggest-music-tours-of-2019-here-s-to-looking-forward-to-looking-back-20181228-p50ond.html

For more information contact us at Rouvas (0404) 044 823

https://rouvasacademyofsinging.com.au/

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Radio X has the perfect playlist for 2019 with Great X-Pectations. As each New Year dawns, we hand pick a choice selection of the bands, artists and singer-songwriters that we think you’ll be hearing more of over the next twelve months.

In previous years, Radio X has tipped The 1975, Royal Blood, Pale Waves, Catfish And The Bottlemen, CHVRCHES, Blossoms, Wolf Alice and more.

Find out more about the best new music for 2019, plus listen to our pick of the acts right here…

1. Another Sky
London-based progressive pop quartet fronted by versatile singer Catrin Vincent, who released their debut EP, Forget Yourself, in January 2018. They head out on a huge UK tour in February 2019. Watch a beautiful, exclusive live version of their song Tree right here.

Official website: www.underneathanothersky.com

2. Anteros
Taking their name from the Greek god of requited love, this London quartet is fronted by Laura Hayden, boast influences from Blondie to Brandon Flowers, and describe their sound as “disco with a side of rock”. Debut album When We Land arrives in March 2019 – take a listen to the opening track, Call Your Mother here.

Official website: www.anterosofficial.com
3. APRE
APRE. Picture: Polydor Records

Charlie Brown and Jules Konieczny met at a chess club in Ealing, West London and their collaboration started out as a side project for two busy musicians, before they decided to focus on APRE. Touting themselves as intelligent, alternative pop, the duo’s latest single Backstreet was released in December 2018 and they have live dates lined up for 2019, including London’s Omeara on 3 April. Watch them perform an exclusive live version of Without Your Love alfresco, especially for Radio X.

Official Facebook: www.facebook.com/apreband

 
4. Jade Bird
Raised in South Wales, 21-year-old Jade Bird recorded her first EP, Something American, in Woodstock, New York State and was signed to Glassnote, home to Mumford And Sons. With a voice that recalls Patti Smith and Alanis Morrisette and a sound that mixes Americana and indie pop, Jade’s excellent singles Uh Huh and Love Has All Been Done Before have received daytime airplay on Radio X. She will be heading out on tour with Hozier in March 2019. See Jade perform live at Radio X’s Great X-Pectations gig here.

Official website: www.jade-bird.com
5. Áine Cahill
Hailing from County Cavan, Ireland, Aine Cahill counts Lana Del Rey, Marina And The Diamonds and classic jazz as influences. She released her debut EP, Paper Crown, independently in 2014. Now signed to Warners, 2018 saw Aine play The Great Escape and Neighbourhood Festivals – you can watch the video for latest single Water Into Wine here.

Official website: www.ainecahill.com
6. Cassia
Exuberant indie pop with a touch of Vampire Weekend and Foals, 2018 saw this Macclesfield trio get shortlisted for Best Live Act at the AIM Awards, before selling out the O2 Ritz in Manchester and The Garage in London. 2019 will see them release their debut album, but until then, watch the video to recent single, Loosen Up here.
7. Chappaqua Wrestling
Charlie Woods and Jake Mac have been writing songs together since the age of 14, this Brighton-born, Manchester-based duo name diverse influences such as The Beach Boys and Teenage Fanclub, and claim their music is “sweet-Americana with an electronic swooning twist”. They have an appearance at The Great Escape lined up for 2019 and you can hear their latest single Plant Trees here.

Official Facebook: www.facebook.com/chappaquawrestling
8. Easy Life
Easy Life. Picture: Island Records

Beautifully honest lyrics and laid-back beats are the speciality of this Leicester collective, fronted by Murray, whose freewheeling vocals recall Jamie T. Formed in late 2017, the band have toured heavily across the past year, with their debut single Pockets becoming a huge favourite with crowds up and down the country – as you can see from this exclusive glimpse from their show at Think Tank Underground in Newcastle last November!
9. Sam Fender
Born in North Shields, Tyneside, Fender came to the attention of Ben Howard’s manager in 2013 and signed to major label Polydor in the summer of 2018. Sam’s debut single was Play God in March 2017, which was streamed over a million times on Spotify. This was followed by the moving Dead Boys and its accompanying EP at the end of the year and the announcement that the singer-songwriter had won the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award. 2019 will see Sam play Manchester’s Gorilla on 25 February, Electric Brixton on 28 February and Neighbourhood Weekender in Warrington on 26 May.

Official website: www.samfender.com
10. Fuzzy Sun
Stockport five-piece who dabble in psychedelica-tinged glossy indie pop. 2019 is looking very nice – June sees them perform on the bill at Blossom’s massive Edgeley Park homecoming show and in July they’re playing Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl with The Wombats. Take a listen to their latest track, Heavy, featuring a video shot on their most recent tour.

Official website: www.fuzzysunband.com
11. Indoor Pets
Formerly known as Get Inuit, the name change doesn’t appear to have had any effect on the trajectory of this Kent-based quartet who perform – as they call it – “dirty pop”. Their debut album, Be Content, comes out on 8 March 2019 via Wichita Records – take a listen to their latest, Being Strange, here.

Official website: www.indoorpets.club
12. The Mysterines
The Wirral-based garage rock trio of Lia Metcalfe (lead guitar) George Favager (bass) and Chrissy Moore (drums) formed in 2016 and gained an influential fan in the form of The Coral’s James Skelly, who produced their debut single Hormone. The band have supported Miles Kane on his tour earlier this year and they will be special guests of the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets in February 2019. Hear their single Hormone here.

Official Instagram: www.instagram.com/themysterines
13. Sea Girls
Having gained a reputation for their frantic live performances and epic guitar rock sound, Sea Girls have been plying their trade throughout 2018 and released their latest single All I Want To Hear You Say in September. They head out on a major headline tour at the end of February 2019 – but you can get a taste of their amazing live show with this exclusive clip, showcasing the band’s appearances with appearances at Truck, Citadel, All Points East and Leeds festivals across the summer.

Official website: www.seagirls.net
14. The Snuts
West Lothian’s The Snuts have been creating a buzz throughout 2018, capping off the year with a run of sold out dates. They issued their Manhattan Project single in September and have already lined up shows at SXSW and Mad Cool festival for 2019. Take a look at them in action at Edinburgh’s La Belle Angele in October.

Official website: www.thesnuts.co.uk
15. Sophie And The Giants
Fronted by the distinctive voice of Sophie Scott, this Sheffield-based guitar-pop four-piece met at music college in Spring 2017 and released their debut EP, Adolescence, in October. Tom Grennan was so impressed by the band, he had them as support on his European tour last Autumn. The band have just announced their frist headline UK tour, which includes a show at Camden Assembly on 28 March.

Official website: www.sophieandthegiants.com
16. Sports Team
Harlsden’s Sports Team released their debut EP Winter Nets in January 2018 and have since been building up a word-of-mouth buzz across the year, supporting The Magic Gang, Hinds and Rat Boy. Their recent single, Margate, was recorded with Courtney Barnett and they have a stack of live dates lined up for 2019, including a show at London’s Electric Ballroom on 22 March. You can see how they’ve been getting on via this boisterous tour diary here…

Official Facebook: www.facebook.com/sportsteamband
17. Ten Tonnes
Known to his mum as Ethan Barnett, this 21-year-old from Hertford comes from a musical family and has been mentored by Hugo White of The Maccabees. He released his debut EP Lucy independently, but was quickly snapped up by major Warner Bros. Having toured with Stereophonics and Tom Grennan in 2018, he’s set to release his debut album in April. Get a taste of the track Better Than Me – along with a peek into Ethan’s massive year – via this exclusive clip.

Official website: tentonnes.com
18. Whenyoung
Chiming guitar pop trio from Limerick, Ireland, whose latest EP Given Up dropped in November. Aoife Power (vocals/ bass), Niall Burns (guitar), Andrew Flood (drums) have released singles such as Heaven On Earth and a cover of the Cranberries classic Dreams, and supported The Vaccines and Blossoms acroos the year. They’ve just dropped an incredible new track called Never Let Go and play Manchester’s Deaf Institute on 10 February and Electrowerkz in London on 13 February.

Official Facebook: www.facebook.com/whenyoungband
19. Yonaka
Brighton four-piece Yonaka create dark, distorted, beats-heavy guitar rock, fronted by the charismatic Theresa Jarvis. 2018 saw them tour with Bring Me The Horizon, with their latest EP Creature being released in November – the title track quickly found a place on the Radio X playlist.

Official website: weareyonaka.com
20. Zuzu
This Liverpool singer is also a producer, director, actor and comic book illustrator – and her anthemic songwriting got her a support slot on Courteeners’ recent UK tour.

Official website: www.thisiszuzuofficial.com

Read full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/arts/music/artists-to-watch-2019.html

For more information contact us at Rouvas (0404) 044 823

https://rouvasacademyofsinging.com.au/

The post The Singing Teacher: The Best New Music, Artists And Bands For 2019 appeared first on Singing Teacher.

Our pop music critics are keeping an eye on Billie Eilish, Nakhane and Nicola Cruz this year.CreditCreditFrom left: Roger Kisby for The New York Times; Tarryn Hatchett; Hanna Quevedo

Jade Bird – “Love Has All Been Done Before”

When she’s gently strumming an acoustic guitar and singing about love in her reedy, tremulous mezzo-soprano, the 21-year-old Jade Bird might seem to fit a soothing, long-established singer-songwriter mold on “Love Has All Been Done Before.” But that’s only until she gets riled. Then her rock band kicks in, her voice gets rough and her words turn pointed and pitiless. And when full fury takes over, she starts spitting lines at rap speed. She’s no pushover. Her debut album is due April 19. JON PARELES

Blueface

This Los Angeles rapper has a quixotic, charismatic flow, spilling words past the end of lines with a pinched, tart voice that recalls the earliest Los Angeles gangster rap. On the recent mixtape “Famous Cryp,” he’s vibrant but protean, still figuring out the boundaries of his skill. But songs like “DM,” “Bleed It” and “Thotiana” are terse, bawdy and infectious. JON CARAMANICA

Nicola Cruz

Nicola Cruz is an electronic musician, producer and D.J. from Ecuador who has already made a reputation on the international club circuit. Instead of putting electronic sounds in the foreground, he builds tracks from loops and improvisations that are likely to come from ancient instruments, particularly Andean ones like wood flutes, percussion and small guitars — though he might also try a sitar. The artificial pieces he constructs sound oddly natural. His second album, “Siku” — named after an Andean panpipe — comes out Jan. 25. PARELES

Billie Eilish – “you should see me in a crown”

Billie Eilish’s debut album is likely to appear this year, and while she’s only 17, she is no unknown. Since her initial SoundCloud postings in 2015, her online releases have drawn hundreds of millions of Spotify streams and have made her a tour headliner. The songs she writes with her brother and producer, Finneas O’Connell, are usually hushed ballads that glance back at Lana Del Rey and Lorde. Her voice is whispery and sweetly tearful with a steely undercurrent, and it stakes out a particular persona: passionate and vulnerable but also vindictive and treacherous. Onstage, she gets thousands of voices singing along. PARELES

Lauren Jenkins

In current country, Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles loom as large as Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn once did. Lauren Jenkins writes and sings about disappointment, disillusion, drinking and holding on despite it all with a Stevie Nicks rasp in her voice. Her debut album, “No Saint,” is set for March 15, and it surrounds her most bitter tidings with gleaming guitars and bright harmonies. PARELES

LeeBrian

LeeBrian, a young Puerto Rican rapper, is the first artist signed to the label of Sky, the producer responsible for hits by J Balvin (and others). LeeBrian is a nimble, flexible vocalist — sometimes agitated, sometimes preternaturally relaxed, and often toggling between both, like on the whimsical “Goku Sin El Ki.” CARAMANICA

Lil Tjay

Lil Tjay is an exuberant, sweet-voiced singer-rapper from the Bronx with an easy instinct for melody. What helps him stand out from the current overstuffed class of artists with similar aesthetic approaches is his comfort moving between both light and dark subject matter, as on the hit “Brothers” and “Long Time.” CARAMANICA

Heather Morgan
Over the past few years, this Texas native has found success in Nashville as a songwriter for Brett Eldredge among others. But listening to her recent debut album, the soothing and lovely “Borrowed Heart” — some of which was written with Lori McKenna — that work for others sounds superfluous. She’s got a sturdy, rich voice, and a way of bending a song toward sadness, where she sounds right at home. CARAMANICA
The South African songwriter Nakhane Touré is also a novelist and actor whose works deal with a fraught upbringing: He broke away from conservative Christian “conversion therapy” to prize his identity as a gay man. The songs on his album “You Will Not Die” — released in Europe last year and due Feb. 22 in the United States — delve into both trauma and redemption. They ponder faith, pleasure, exile and belonging; they traverse hymns, neo-soul, South African pop and electronic dance music, and Nakhane’s voice crests in a vibrant, androgynous falsetto. Tenacity carries him toward joy. PARELES

YBN Cordae
Of all the members of the YBN hip-hop collective, none shows more promise than YBN Cordae, a North Carolina rapper who specializes in thoughtful, emotionally eloquent and lyrically complex music. On songs like “Kung Fu,” he’s impressively dexterous, and of all the rappers who’ve taken swipes at J. Cole recently, only he handed any blows. CARAMANICA

Read full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/arts/music/artists-to-watch-2019.html

For more information contact us at Rouvas (0404) 044 823

https://rouvasacademyofsinging.com.au/

The post 10 Artists to Watch in 2019 by The Singing Teacher appeared first on Singing Teacher.

This week’s debut earned 9.2 million viewers in the US to easily sweep its timeslot and make it the network’s highest-rating reality TV premiere since The X Factor launched in 2011.

A singing contest with a twist, the show features 12 mysterious celebrities – including Grammy winners, Broadway stars, and Hollywood Walk of Famers – performing radio hits while disguised in wacky animal costumes.

A judging panel, featuring celebrities Robin Thicke, Nicole Scherzinger, Jenny McCarthy and Ken Jeong, are tasked with picking the best and worst performers and revealing their secret identities.

Perhaps more significantly for local networks, the show has quickly captured that oft-elusive water-cooler buzz, as TV critics fawn over the bizarre concept and viewers speculate over the personalities hidden beneath the nutty costumes.

A review in Vanity Fair described the series as “the show we deserve in 2019”.

“In a broadcast landscape rife with reality-competition shows that recycle the same format over and over again, The Masked Singer feels less like a straightforward take on the genre – and more like a corner of Weird Twitter brought to life by some unholy Hollywood ritual,” the publication wrote.

Other reviews have seen the show labelled “the weirdest and most wonderful show on television”, and “the craziest reality show of our time”.

The series is based on a hit South Korean format, King of Mask Singer, that debuted in 2015, and is produced in the US by Endemol Shine, whose local arm is responsible for shows including Married at First Sight, Australian Ninja Warrior, Australian Survivor and All Together Now.

Read full article here: https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/show-we-deserve-in-2019-bizarre-singing-show-becomes-us-tv-s-biggest-reality-hit-20190104-p50pl4.html

For more information contact us at Rouvas (0404) 044 823

https://rouvasacademyofsinging.com.au/

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Justin Timberlake has postponed another show on his “Man of the Woods” tour as his struggle with bruised vocal cords continues. The latest date to be postponed is tonight’s show at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, although as with the other bumped concerts, promoter Live Nation immediately announced a rescheduled date, this one on March 15 at the same venue.

The postponements began when the singer bumped his Oct. 24 date at Madison Square Garden in New York, saying on social media:

“Hey guys, I’m sorry to announce I have to postpone the show at MSG tonight on doctor’s orders. My vocal cords are severely bruised. I’m gonna make this up to you and the new show will be on my birthday, January 31. More info to come. Again, I’m so sorry to do this, but excited to see you soon. Love, J”

He’d successfully sung his way through a gig at the venue two nights earlier, doing his usual two-hour, 26-song set. Ironically, Monday’s show was a make-up gig itself, following the postponement of a March concert scheduled for Madison Square Garden that Timberlake had put off due to a Nor’Easter.

But a series of postponements have followed, in Buffalo, N.Y.; Tacoma, Wash.; Los Angeles; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Fresno, Calif.; and Portland, OR, along with Oakland.

At press time no announcement had been made on the status of the next date, scheduled for Saturday in Omaha, although a rep for the singer said a statement is expected later today. Timberlake has a total of eight concerts scheduled before the end of the year, with the tour slated to kick off again on Jan. 4 in Washington, DC.

Read full article here:  https://variety.com/2018/music/news/justin-timberlake-postpones-another-concert-vocal-problems-1203080830/

For more information contact us at Rouvas (0404) 044 823

https://rouvasacademyofsinging.com.au/

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Nancy Wilson performing in 1964 at the Hollywood Palace in Los Angeles. A forerunner of the modern female empowerment singer, she could infuse even the saddest song with a sense of strength.  Credit: https://downbeat.com

Nancy Wilson, whose skilled and flexible approach to singing provided a key bridge between the sophisticated jazz-pop vocalists of the 1950s and the powerhouse pop-soul singers of the 1960s and ’70s, died Dec 13, 2018 at her home in Pioneertown, Calif. She was 81.

Her death was confirmed by her manager, Devra Hall Levy, who said Ms. Wilson had been ill for some time; she gave no other details.

In a long and celebrated career, Ms. Wilson performed American standards, jazz ballads, Broadway show tunes, R&B torch songs and middle-of-the-road pop pieces, all delivered with a heightened sense of a song’s narrative.

“I have a gift for telling stories, making them seem larger than life,” she told The Los Angeles Times in 1993. “I love the vignette, the plays within the song.”

Some of Ms. Wilson’s best-known recordings told tales of heartbreak, with attitude. A forerunner of the modern female empowerment singer, with the brassy inflections and biting inflections to fuel it, Ms. Wilson could infuse even the saddest song with a sense of strength.

“Face It Girl,” an epic soul blowout, became one of Ms. Wilson’s biggest chart scores, making the Top 30 of Billboard’s pop chart and Top 15 on its R&B list.

Her biggest hit came in 1964, when “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” (Jimmy Williams and Larry Harrison), a rapturous R&B ballad delivered with panache, reached No. 11 on Billboard’s pop chart.

Three years later she became one of the few African-Americans of her day to host a TV program, the Emmy-winning “Nancy Wilson Show,” on NBC.

A hardworking and highly efficient singer, Ms. Wilson released more than 70 albums in a five-decade recording career. She won three Grammy Awards, one for best rhythm and blues recording for the 1964 album “How Glad I Am,” and two for best jazz vocal album, in 2005 and 2007. In 2004, she was honored as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Nancy Sue Wilson was born on Feb. 20, 1937, in Chillicothe, Ohio, the first of six children of Olden Wilson, a supervisor at an iron foundry, and Lillian (Ryan) Wilson, a maid. Her father introduced her to records by mainly male artists, like Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine and Jimmy Scott, when he sang with Lionel Hampton’s Big Band. “Much of my phrasing is so similar to Jimmy Scott’s,” Ms. Wilson told the The Los Angeles Times.

At 15, while she was still a student at West High School in Columbus, Ohio, Ms. Wilson entered a talent contest held by the local television station WTVN; it led to regular appearances twice a week on its show “Skyline Melodies.” Until her graduation, she sang at nightclubs, sometimes with Sir Raleigh Randolph and His Sultans of Swing, an 18-piece band.

Ms. Wilson arrived in New York in 1959 with three goals: to be signed by the influential jazz manager John Levy, who worked with the saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and the British pianist George Shearing; to be signed by Capitol Records, the home of singers like Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee; and to record her first album with the producer David Cavanaugh, who worked with those singers.

Within five months she fulfilled all three goals, even while holding down a day job as a secretary at the New York Institute of Technology. A high-profile gig at the Blue Morocco club led to the contract with Mr. Levy, who got her the label deal, which connected her with Mr. Cavanaugh to produce her debut album in 1960, “Like in Love,” with splashy arrangements by Billy May.

Live performances, particularly in intimate nightclubs, where audiences could see her gestures, became a hallmark. “Audiences want to see a song as well as hear it,” Ms. Wilson told Jazz Wax. “Part of what I do is in my body language, my hands, my arms. You miss a lot by just hearing my voice.”

At the same time, Ms. Wilson worked tirelessly in the studio, releasing three albums in a single year during her prime. She also made many guest appearances on television, singing on variety shows like “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Tonight Show,” and acting in hit series (“I Spy” and “Room 222”).

She used her prominence to break down racial stereotypes. “That’s what I loved about doing ‘The Carol Burnett Show,’ ” she said. “I didn’t have to play ‘black characters.’ I could just do comedy, which I loved.”

Ms. Wilson’s music moved with the times. She cut songs written by the Beatles and Stevie Wonder on her 1966 album “A Touch of Today,” and later incorporated disco and R&B styles before moving back to jazz on her later albums, culminating in “Turned to Blue” in 2006.

Ms. Wilson’s marriage in 1960 to the drummer Kenny Dennis ended in divorce a decade later. In 1973, she married Wiley Burton, a Presbyterian minister, and remained with him until his death in 2008.

She is survived by her three children, Kacy Dennis, Sheryl Burton and Samantha Burton; two sisters, Karen Davis and Brenda Vann; and five grandchildren.

Ms. Wilson remained proud of her holistic approach to music, preferring to call herself a “song stylist” rather than a follower of any genre. “I don’t put labels on it, I just sing,” she told The Los Angeles Times. “It’s all in the ear of the listener. Let them decide.”

Read full article here:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/14/obituaries/nancy-wilson-dead-jazz-singer.html

For more information contact us at Rouvas (0404) 044 823

https://rouvasacademyofsinging.com.au/

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Anyway, this is actually no laughing matter. It’s genuinely a place where we don’t want to be if we’re a singer. Especially one who relies on singing for their income. We may actually find ourselves here at some point during our career though, so hopefully this article can help you make the decision that dodges a vocal injury.

The scenario – who’s at risk?

I’ve actually got two scenarios for you. Here we go:

1. Scenario 1 – you’re an amateur rock singer on the weekend with a regular job during the week. Your musical colleagues might describe you as someone with ‘cracking pipes’ or ‘a right belter’ because you really give those songs 110% every Friday and Saturday night. You’ve taken a few voice lessons here and there, but generally you don’t think about or practice technique much at all. Your voice is a little rough after the weekend, but it returns back to normal after a day, or two… or three. You quite like a drink and a chat after each show. You’ve been feeling a little ‘coldy’ over the last 24hrs and you’ve got a gig tomorrow.
2. Scenario 2 – you’re a professional singer with around 3 to 4 gigs per week. They are a challenge, but you’ve got it mostly covered because you’ve been taking lessons for years and know how to warm up and save your voice on those bad nights. You suffer from reflux because your diet might not be up to scratch. To make some extra cash you’ve taken a job as a singing teacher for children and you start on Monday.

I’ve made those up admittedly, but there will still be a lot of singers who relate to their scenarios because they are very common. Hell, they are even scenarios I have been in myself. However, both of these singers are in what we call ‘The Danger Zone’.

In danger of what?

Vocal injury. A vocal injury could be anything from chronic swelling and vocal fold stiffening to polyps, cysts and nodules.  Both singers are overlapping several ‘red flags’ at once and are leaving themselves more vulnerable. Here’s a few of the main red flag areas:

Technique and vocal load

For scenario 1, we all know someone who cracks it out every weekend in a pub with rubbish sound. I’ve been in bands with those people. They are usually a bit rough after a night or two but then they recover. In singing, reduced vocal load (amount of voice use essentially) can forgive holes in technique because you get plenty of time to recover from it between gigs, speaking from experience. You could go on like this for eternity, and many casual singers do without too much issue. The singer in scenario 2 may not be able to approach their voice in the same way because there’s less time to recover and more gigs each week, i.e. a higher vocal load. And her load is about to increase with her new appointment, which is a red flag. Technique for this singer would be a huge cushion to offset a vocal injury.

Lifestyle

It’s quite possible that, with nothing else changing, they could keep their current approach to singing and vocal load and be fine. Not a vocal injury in sight. However, life isn’t always that forgiving. Especially a social life. Scenario 1 loves a drink and a chat, both of which are likely to have negative effects on vocal health because they encourage even more vocal load. That singer could already have an approach that tires them out enough to require several days recovery. If we put a rum-fuelled evening laughing loudly in a noisy bar with a cheeky fag half way through then we’re overlapping several damaging areas. The likelihood of your voice being ‘goosed’ the next day goes up.

Health

Let’s say scenario 1 can just about squeeze out those high notes with a hangover each week. It’s not ideal, but it still just about works (honestly, the amount of personal experience in here is embarrassing). What happens if that cold develops? If you’re used to late nights and alcohol then you might not have the immune system to fend off the inevitable inflammation. This would leave us at very high risk of a vocal injury again, and that means an upgrade from a disgruntled face to a very, VERY sad one (see below).

Scenario 2 is usually forced into a more careful approach to singing because of the professional nature of their career, but they are about to experience the world of controlling children on top of their singing career. That’s much more vocal load and can easily cause a vocal injury all by itself. However, the straw that could break the camels back here is reflux. If we’re dicing with overloading the voice from both the gigs and the kids, the inflammation caused by reflux a few times per week is leaving this singer in the danger zone. There’ll be tears before sunset.

What can I do about about it?

This could be a long paragraph, but I’ll hold back. Technique of some kind is crucial. Even if it’s just a few well placed pointers from a vocal coach. Trained singers can create powerful sounds with a lot less lung pressure and effort which hugely reduces their chances of injury in any situation. Especially if they are overlapping with another issue, like a lifestyle or health issue. For health, anything that inflames the larynx and vocal folds must be dealt with or rested until gone. Loud singing + inflammation is a fatal pairing, so please drop the gig if you don’t absolutely have to do it.

Even though you can reduce your chance of injury with better volume control and technique, you’ll still risk a decline over time if you don’t address the underlying cause of inflammation. If you’re worried about your continued vocal state, a trip to a laryngologist for an exam will hopefully provide a diagnosis and quick treatment.

For lifestyle, we have to make choices when we’re pro. We go out less  and try to keep our bodies healthy enough to fight infection and inflammation. Smoking is also a big one for lifestyle. Many casual singers are frequently overlapping smoking with vocal overload and illness. That’s a killer combo right there.

If you’re overlapping several issues, try not to be all Maverick when making the decision to do a gig and ask yourself: “am I going to tip myself over the edge with this one?”.

Read full article here: https://www.thenakedvocalist.com/the-danger-zone/

For more information contact us at Rouvas (0404) 044 823

https://rouvasacademyofsinging.com.au/

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Vocal juggernaut. Social activist. Artistic collaborator. Diva.

As Aretha Franklin is laid to rest, the Queen of Soul will deservedly be remembered in an array of tributes reflecting the immense legacy of her life and music.

Her voice is ingrained in the canon of American music, and she’s had a number of staggering accomplishments. But to me, one period of her career stands out as the most significant: the years after she left the world of gospel music.

Her jump to mainstream music meant a move into a segment of the industry that was dominated by men who had very specific assumptions about how a woman should sing – and what she should sing about.

Franklin’s ability to assert control over her career was a watershed moment for female artists seeking to find and maintain their own artistic voice.

Columbia tries to mold a starlet

Aretha Franklin began her career in Detroit singing gospel under the tutelage of her father, C.L. Franklin. As a teenage mother of two in the mid-1950s, sticking with gospel would have been a sensible path for the young singer.

During the 1950s, a number of gospel singers began successfully transitioning into secular music, including notables such as Sam Cooke and Willie Mae Thornton. The ambitious Franklin followed suit and left Detroit for New York City.

In 1960, Aretha Franklin signed a contract with Columbia Records after being pursued by John Hammond, a talent executive who, earlier in his career, had signed Billie Holiday.

At Columbia, Franklin recorded her first non-gospel album, “Aretha: With the Ray Bryant Combo,” which was released in February 1961. Reviews were mixed. It wasn’t so much the quality of the record as it was the hodgepodge nature of its tracks.

The album opens with “Won’t Be Long,” a song written by John Leslie McFarland, who penned a number of hits for 1950s rockers like Bill Haley and Elvis Presley.

The track is a streamlined piece of R&B with a tinge of rock ‘n’ roll thrown in for good measure. Franklin’s role on the song – and the album – is entirely as a vocalist. The keyboard playing and song arrangements – two of Franklin’s particular strengths – were left to her male backing ensemble and production crew.

As much as the song rocks, it plays into the same male fantasy of girls pining away for boys who have run off.

“I get so lonesome since the man has been gone,” she sings, echoing a tired trope. Despite the message, it’s Franklin’s voice – jubilant and strong – that takes over. By the end, the meaning no longer matters. What’s left is Franklin, who clearly doesn’t seem all that bothered about the idea of her man staying or leaving.

After “Won’t Be Long,” things get truly odd. The energy of the opening fizzles as Franklin’s cover of “Over the Rainbow” begins. The juxtaposition of these two songs epitomizes the confusing nature of her first album. It’s almost as if the executives at Columbia couldn’t decide which silo of “feminine popular singer” Franklin should occupy, so they tried a bit of everything.

The rest of the album sustains the same random vibe; Franklin covers standards from Gershwin to Meredith Wilson, with an overdose of McFarland tunes in between.

The album didn’t generate much traction, and her career at Columbia can only be described as frustrating, with her artistic impulses continually suppressed by a company that seemingly wanted to mold a starlet rather than an artist.

Setting Franklin free

Franklin became exasperated with a label that didn’t understand or support the music she was trying to create. By 1966, after nine albums, Columbia and Aretha Franklin parted ways.

Enter Jerry Wexler, the R&B pioneer and Atlantic Records executive who’d been closely following Franklin’s career. Now free of Columbia, Franklin signed with Atlantic Records, which was known as one of the best R&B labels in America.

Wexler’s strategy with Franklin was simple. Rather than attempting to adhere to older standards – as Columbia’s producers were prone to do – Wexler would simply stay out of Franklin’s way, giving her a freedom that led to her creating some of the most exciting and forward-thinking soul music of the era.

A key moment came when Wexler arranged a recording session at the legendary FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

That session produced the song “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You,” which was recorded live at the studio. Thematically, “I Never Loved a Man” isn’t all that different from the Columbia release of “Won’t Be Long” – it essentially plays into same male fantasy trope.

But the music is clearly about Franklin.

Utilizing musicians from Muscle Shoals and Memphis’ Stax Records, the song contains a grit and energy that isn’t on the Columbia recordings. With punctuating horns and bluesy guitar fills, the band expertly supports Franklin without overstepping.

While “I Never Loved a Man” may have been the first song released and the title of the album, it was the album’s opening track that truly launched Franklin’s star.

Drop the needle on the album, and you’ll hear horns and a spunky guitar riff. As Franklin sets in to the opening lyric – “What you want, baby I got it” – her piano can be heard hitting like a second drum kit, adding a percussive boom to the entire song.

According to Wexler, the idea to cover “Respect” and the arrangement were Franklin’s. Upon hearing the song that many now herald as a feminist anthem – rather than a song about a relationship – Otis Redding, who wrote the tune, infamously told Jerry Wexler, “That little gal done took my song.”

The rest is history.

Read The Article Here: https://theconversation.com/how-aretha-franklin-found-her-voice-101708

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Ali Tennant, who works on The Voice, says unless singers take care of their voices, the damage can be irreparable.

It’s after the likes of Justin Young from The Vaccines and Nathan Sykes from The Wanted damaged their vocal cords singing.

“Most pop stars start off with problems with their voices because they are thrust into the limelight,” said Ali Tennant.

“Or they are working the live circuit and they haven’t had vocal lessons before and they get opportunities they have to take.

“They have problems because they don’t know how to breathe and they can do irreparable damage.”

Nathan Sykes’ voice is back to full strength now but for a while he didn’t know if he’d ever return to The Wanted.

He said: “It was strange, the surgeon sitting me down and saying, ‘You have got to contemplate never singing again. Try and stay positive but if it does go wrong prepare to be devastated’.”

Collapsed lung

His bandmate Jay McGuiness believes it was down to working too much.

“I think it was a case of when our song went big in America we had just come off a huge promo tour and doing loads of gigs, then we had to travel a lot,” he said.

“I don’t think our record labels saw eye to eye on our scheduling, so I think we were just worked pretty hard.”

“I’ve had sore throats and a collapsed lung,” the frontman said. “I’ve had the doctor say, ‘You’ll never sing again.’ It’s terrifying.”
Janet Wilson, an ear, throat and nose consultant in Newcastle, says they see a lot of singers working in pubs and clubs who haven’t had much training.
“That is a recipe for disaster for the voice particularly as they become more successful,” she said.

“If we sing at the wrong pitch and really stretch the front end of that vocal cord, then that can cause problems.”

Tours only get bigger as artists become more successful.

Combining that with the amount of interviews singers have to do and there is often little time to rest their voice.

Vocal coach Ali Tennant says there are ways artists can protect their voice with exercises and being disciplined.

“A lot of young artists nowadays don’t have any [discipline] because of the nature of how they come to be,” he explained.
“Whether they came off The X Factor or The Voice, they don’t have the time to learn.

“They audition and then they’re on a concert tour.”

Read The Article Here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/23188122/touring-and-poor-technique-damaging-singers-voices

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