Healthy Crossover Singing By David Jones There is an increasing interest in ‘crossover’ singing today, or the ability to cross from one genre of music to another. Perhaps it is because many opera companies are feeling the need to incorporate more musical theater into their seasons in order to survive financially, attracting a larger audience. Even though I started voice lessons at age 14 (too young), I always had an interest in popular music ‘crooners’ like Jack Jones, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, and Nat King Cole. Of course, I had no awareness that they were lyric baritones, which was my true vocal fach. Many of us are greatly influenced by our early exposure musical performances and/or recordings. I loved the sound of Kate Smith singing big-voiced ballads with a full orchestra behind her. I loved her voice and I loved her interpretation. But perhaps I was
attracted to ballads because I grew up in a household filled with classical music, having two sisters who played classical piano and one sister (my sister Sarah Sulka) who sang with a beautiful soprano voice. I remember hearing her practicing her singing of operetta arias and I loved her sound. I would sit in my bedroom with the door open so I could hear her practice. I think this early experience influenced my later development as a singer and teacher. My early training was more toward the tenor fach, which came very close to ruining my voice. Choral directors inherently needed tenors and if you were a lyric baritone in those days and had a few good high notes, then you were stuck in the tenor section. My voice developed later and dropped later due to singing a tessitura that was too high. My laryngeal squeeze was almost 20 years old when I got to
Dixie Neill, who took me down to my true vocal fach, lyric baritone. She had the tools that helped me to release my laryngeal muscles and begin my vocal recovery. I had always had an interest in vocal technique after graduation from university, mainly because I got no concrete concepts in my training there. I never saw a picture of a larynx, never heard the word larynx, never knew about jaw position or tongue position or how to breathe and engage the body properly. I basically just learned repertoire, which helped me to develop musicianship but did not teach me how to sing or use my instrument properly. At age 23, I was given a copy of the Lindquest vocalises from my friend Martha Rosacker. At that time I was teaching in the theater department at Texas Christian University and my students began to develop very quickly, winning voice scholarships that assisted in paying their tuition. It was a thrilling experience for me to help these young singers develop in a way that I had not. I got my first taste of what if felt like to help a singer achieve a higher level of healthy vocalism and THAT my friends is what drew me deeper and deeper into teaching. A few years later, I began to compose ballads as a hobby, which turned into quite a side profession. I moved to
New York in 1978, after having received a letter of interest from a famous New York composer of pop music. Singing ballads with a gentle approach to singing was much easier than approaching classical music with a high larynx. The idea that I might be a baritone never entered my mind until I met Dixie Neill in 1983. I always wanted to enjoy classical vocal music, but it was always hard on my throat. My teacher Evelyn Reynolds started her career in 1936 singing with big bands in Birmingham, Alabama. She would often describe to me how there would be 3 or 4 soloists, usually young women, who would wear evening gowns and sing the latest popular love songs while people would dance on the dance floor. It was a time when melody and beauty of tone was still a part of our popular music culture. Sadly much of this has been lost along the way and hopefully, it will come back into fashion. Once in a while, you will still hear a beautifully ballad, but not so often as decades ago. I remember Evelyn and I once had a discussion about WHAT physically created the difference between singing pop and Broadway music, lieder, and operatic sound. What does a singer have to do in order to change styles? I loved her explanation. She said, “Pop or Broadway singing is
more conversational and uses the nasopharynx or the soft palate space. Lieder and a great deal of other recital literature requires the opening of the naso and oropharyngeal space. Operatic sound requires that the singer learn to fully release the larynx lower and wider in order for maximum resonance to develop, offering the singer the ability to carry over the orchestra.” I loved her explanation. It gave a physical explanation of what we do to change styles. When singers ask me, “Can I sing all styles?” My answer is, “Yes, but you will always train full classical operatic sound to fully protect your voice!” Phoebe Snow was a student of mine until she died about 2 years ago. We constantly worked on classical arias to strengthen her pop voice. Elaine Paige, the great British theater singer ALWAYS warmed up in her head voice using a classical sound before going onstage. Her teacher encouraged and taught her to do this. So NO the throat is not as open singing musical theater, pop, or rock
music. It is more open singing recital repertoire because some fuller music needs a near-operatic sound. But in my experience, every singer needs to develop his/her full operatic sound in order to acquire what I call ‘damage control’. I have a tenor who sang “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway for years. By the time he came to my studio, he had developed a loss of high range and a large vocal wobble. After we trained him in his full operatic sound, he could sing any musical theater he wanted without any problems. I compare it to modern dancers who take a ballet class to keep their ‘chops up’. Singers need to consider the same idea. I remember I met Shirley Emmons years and years ago. She once told me, “I ruined my voice going from style to style, not knowing what I was doing with my throat!” Thank you, Evelyn Reynolds, for giving me a clear physical explanation of the physical differences between singing different styles of music.
David Jones is a Vocal Pedagogue. “An Introductory Voice Lesson with David Jones” is out now
voiceteacher.com
An Interview with
Tiffany Desrosiers By Natasha Barbieri According to your biography, you started out doing dancing and acting before deciding to focus on music. What was it about singing that captured you? When I was 8 years old, I took acting lessons and was naturally envious of the other girls in the class who sang because they received all of the roles and attention. Around the same time, my grandma encouraged my mom to enroll me in singing lessons and I would bring Celine Dion songs to my teacher to learn. As my teacher’s forte was teaching classical singing, she never dappled in pop style of songs with me as she wasn’t comfortable
teaching it, so I started to experiment with pop vocalization myself. I was so fascinated with Celine Dion’s voice that it was a real challenge for me to try to learn how she produced her timbre. It was when I attended an N’Sync concert at age 13 and was so enthralled with the caliber of the production and talent that I decided that performing was what I wanted to do. So basically it was a combination of these three events that catapulted me toward singing as a career. You have a beautiful warmth and depth to your voice and most of your music centers in the medium to low range of your voice, so I was quite
surprised to come across your version of Mozart’s ‘Queen of the Night’ aria! Have you always had such a wide range? Or was it something you discovered with classical training? Oh why thank you!! That is such a compliment. I’ve always had a wider range but my range has definitely stretched as I learned the proper technique of how to sing coloratura notes. It was actually something that I discovered with Seth Riggs/SpeechLevel-Singing technique which crosses all genres of music, but my classical teachers helped me refine it and after further exploring my voice type, challenged me to be able to sing a high F live on stage, which I never thought I would have been capable of. One of your unique qualities is that you are able to sing both classical arias and pop vocals. Do you find it an easy transition to make? Also, what do you do to maintain a healthy vocal function in both of these different styles? I do find it a relatively easy transition to make, however, when I have a classical concert or competition coming up, I try to sing as little pop music as possible, because using too much of a pop tone can add weight to my voice when I need it to be as bright and light as possible. I try not to overcompensate vocally if I can’t
hear myself properly, whether I’m using monitors or am in a venue where it’s hard to hear myself, and also I make sure that in sound check everything is balanced so I don’t feel the need to push vocally. Technically I also make sure to ‘cover’ and narrow the back of my throat in both styles, but make sure to give enough lift in the soft palate for classical, whereas for pop my soft palate is still lifted but it feels a lot more ‘straight out the mouth.’ I also try to use my natural resonators so I don’t have to work so hard vocally. I used to really monitor the foods I’d eat before a show but I don’t worry too much about it anymore, except for avoiding dairy in general. You have done a bit of experimentation with dance music. What other genres would you like to explore? Naturally, I love adding classical elements into the pop songs I sing, whether with an infusion of strings or a classical touch like at the end of “Fearless.” It would be interesting to explore gospel music more, and I’ve been told my voice could suit country so I’d be open to trying those styles out. On the classical side, which do you prefer more; singing art songs or operatic arias?
Operatic arias! They are so vocally challenging and emotionally driven. Who has been your favorite artist, composer, or producer you have collaborated with so far? I find value in everyone I work with and it’s so hard to pick someone! One of my very favorites though I think was the former Canadian Tenors who transformed into Destino because I was 18 and just starting out professionally when I had a chance to work with them. I really admired them and it was such a compliment and a great confidence booster to be included in shows and go on tour with them. You are a member of the new classical crossover group Vivace. Tell us about how you became involved and what you love most about singing in an ensemble. About three years ago, I was asked to be a part of a new popera group that was being created and they asked who I would recommend. I had met Marc on Myspace about five years prior and he immediately popped into my mind. DJ and I attended the University of British Columbia together and Melody and DJ were in the Vancouver Opera together. We first performed together at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Eventually, we re-branded as Vivace and into the
group we are now. What I love most is touring and visiting new places and I really enjoy sharing the stage with the other members and interacting with them on stage. They are some of my best friends and are very smart, talented performers. Visuals are very important to popular music and are starting to be much more important in classical music. Do you feel any pressure to maintain a certain image or do you think the work should stand for itself? I don’t feel a lot of pressure. I used to worry about it but as soon as I stopped worrying, I became comfortable with my figure. I definitely think it’s important to take care of yourself, but I think in the past there has been way too much emphasis on image and am very happy that this has started to transform in pop music and that artists can now be seen as real people and not as inhuman with perfect figures. In classical music, I have never felt pressure about image, but more so pressure to be perfect vocally. Once you have established yourself as a singer, do you think you’d like to try any crossover attempts with acting and singing, like Glee or Smash? I would absolutely LOVE to be involved in a show like that. I don’t
like to box myself in a particular genre because I tend to get bored, so am always open to experimenting with elements of different styles.
I’ve always been drawn to the melody. The hooks and shape of a song can draw you in and keep you coming back to hear it again.
Which elements move you more, melody or rhythm?
Learn more about Tiffany at
tiffanydesrosiers.com
A Conversation with
Stefanie Rose Your Facebook page tells a cute story about you being expelled twice in high school. Can you share it with us? I was suspended a few times in high school for not being there – I did do a lot of traveling for singing so some of the time was legitimately missed, but mostly I just wanted to drink coffee in the music room and write arrangements with the school accompanist. I attended the Fine Arts program at my particular school but would often sneak off to a school downtown and attend their music history classes with a few of my friends there. The teacher praised my participation despite not being enrolled!
You obviously have a deep connection to nature, and your voice itself has a very ‘earthy’ quality to it. Have you ever thought of experimenting with nature sounds in your music? Science and nature are my spirituality, and yes I suppose that I draw a lot from both in my interpretations. I once used the sound of a rainstorm in a recording I did of Faure’s Automne, but I’ve done more in the way of taking natural metaphors into my lyrics writing. Have you ever experienced any anxiety about performing live? And if so, how did you cope with it? Very truthfully, I’ve never
experienced stage fright. Okay, my VERY first time singing publicly I was a bit shaky, but never again since then. It’s always been such a great payoff for me, I know how wonderful I feel stepping out onto the stage. In fact, I feel that the energy of the audience and of the venue elevate my performance tremendously – I’m only ever able to get 50% of my best effort in rehearsal. I’ve had worries about my voice cooperating, especially when tackling difficult operatic repertoire, but when I’m outside of such rigidity my vocal interpretation just sort of takes over and manages to work with whatever comes out. Your version of ‘Poor Wayfaring Stranger’ is quite raw both vocally and emotionally, do you feel like you have a personal connection to the lyrics? Poor wayfaring stranger was recorded for the soundtrack of a very dark, violent and gritty film about Philadelphia. I knew a number of the actors and had seen the film a few times before I recorded the track, which I wanted to infuse with that raw quality of the story. I remember seeing something about you visiting Asia/Middle East, how
have your travels influenced your sound? I’ve sung in Thailand, Korea, and Oman and I absolutely adore the far east. I don’t know that it’s influenced my sound a great deal, although I love using the vocal breaking technique found in traditional middle eastern singing. And, okay, I do write arrangements of songs using eastern beats and incorporating Asian instruments when I can. So I guess it has influenced the sound that I aim to create. What has your vocal training experience been like? I’ve had the opportunity to work with a handful of very famous teachers, all of whom had big careers in opera or Broadway, and they’ve each influenced my voice in their own way. However each seemed to try and pigeonhole my voice in a way that contradicted the last, and in the end, I broke away. At this stage, I’ve taken the foundation of technique that I was given and created something strange and personal with it. My authentic sound is something that I haven’t had the opportunity to record yet, but I hope to in the future. My love of classical music and yet my attraction
to the alternative created a desire to experiment both in a performance sense and in my own vocal delivery. I intend to tell stories and create an atmosphere, and by using a deep opera-esque timbre with a speechlike, casual delivery, I feel I can accomplish that in an unaffected way. Give me your top 5 songs to perform. Honestly, I couldn’t just rattle off 5 songs and call them my favorite. My tastes change with my mood. Sometimes I’m eager to reinvent Bach, sometimes I want to run a show of coloratura arias next to gritty Alt-J covers. There’s so much excellent music out there, and too much fun to be had with it for me to choose 5 or even 50 top songs. If you were given the chance to a) record an album with an unlimited budget, b) perform a live show at any
venue you chose or c) premiere a new work, classical or Broadway, which would you choose? I think I’d definitely want to do a big live show. I have a number of avantgarde productions up my sleeve that I’ll continue to work on in the future, but I’d sure love a big budget to produce them with! What is the most important thing for you to accomplish as an artist? I don’t know what’s most important to me to accomplish as an artist. I know that I want my son to grow up and see that part of myself alongside my real career, but I don’t really give being an “Artist” much thought these days. I think being an artist just means to play. It’s fulfilling and enjoyable and makes life colorful. But family and friends are the canvas. Art just fills in the pigment.
Keep up to date with Stefanie
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The Up and comer
Caroline Braga Tell us a little bit about yourself! Where are you from and when did you first become interested in opera?
I am originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil and moved to the US when I was 3 years old. I now live in New York City and attend the Manhattan School of Music Conservatory. I first became interested in opera/classical music when I was nine years old. My choir teacher took interest in my voice and dedication to choir and introduced me to this amazing genre of music. I fell in love ever since. You have undergone vocal studies at the Manhattan School of Music. How did you choose this school and
what was the audition experience like? In choosing a school, I believe it is extremely, extremely important to make sure you connect with a voice teacher teaching at the school. I not only chose my school based on its credentials and location, but a major part in the decision process was also the voice studio I was placed in. I love, love, love my teacher Marlena Malas and it was a perfect fit vocally and personality wise. What has been your favorite part of your educational experience so far? One of my favorite parts of my educational experience so far is getting to perform and work with such
talented, dedicated and passionate people every day. I get to work with highly talented colleagues and worldrenowned teachers like Catherine Malfitano. If you could perform at any venue in the future where would you choose? There are so many dream venues in my list of dream venues hahaha!!! But if I were given the opportunity to perform in any venue in the future it would definitely be the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. I have been going there for years now and every time I go I can envision myself on that amazing stage, singing with that extraordinary orchestra. It would be a dream come true! How important do you think movement (gestures, choreography) is to music performance? I think every performance should come naturally; every performance should be different. We are not the same person every day, so why should our characters be? On the other hand, you should always be prepared and know everything about your character. Would my character walk like this? Would he/she talk like this? Stand like this? I don’t think movement and gestures should be overused and unintentional but if you have an intention and direction,
movement and gestures will become an extension of your emotions. Do you do anything special to keep your voice in pristine condition? (tea, sprays, cough drops, etc?) I try to stay healthy as much as I can. My body is my instrument so I have to take good care of it. I drink a lot of water every day and take my daily vitamins. Do you sing any non-classical music? If not, is this something you would like to do in the future? I do not sing non-classical music. I prefer to stay in the classical music direction but hey, if I were asked to sing Christine in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, I wouldn’t say no! If you could have any great composer write an opera based on any modern-day novel or drama, what would you want it to be? The composer would definitely have to be Puccini. I LOVE Puccini. The story would have to be “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s not very modern but I am fascinated by the 1920s and the storyline is just fabulous. On your twitter, you appear to be a bit of a fashionista. How does your
performance style compare to your personal style off-stage? My style, in general, varies from day to day. I dress based on how I feel. Some days I feel like “Tosca” and some days I feel like “Carmen”! In general, my performance and everyday style tend to have a classic and timeless feel. I do think that I tend to take more risks with my everyday wear rather than with my performance wear. I am not afraid to try something new or something that is “different”. When performing, I like to feel comfortable, classy and elegant on stage and tend to choose the gowns that have a timeless and elegant feel to them. What’s the best bit of advice you’ve been given so far?
The best advice I have received in my career so far has been to always give your all (emotionally and vocally) in a performance. Singing is a great part of your performance but acting is also a major part. You have to not only act like your character but you have to BE your character. You also never know who is watching you, so whether you are performing in your local church or at Lincoln Center, you have to always give 110%. I express myself through music and I pour my heart and soul onto the stage; while remembering to support of course! What are your plans for the future? My plans for the future are to go to grad school, join a young artist program and start performing all over the world!
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Cover Story
Yulia Russian artist Yulia Townsend was discovered singing on a local television program by Gray Bartlett and soon afterward signed with Sony music. Yulia’s sincere delivery and rich voice took her straight to the top of the NZ charts with her albums, “Into the West” and “Montage.” Yulia has performed with classical crossover stars like Russell Watson and Paul Potts and recently made her US debut on the PBS special “Divinas.”
I found it very interesting that you have a mission statement about your music. Can you tell us about it and why this mission is so important to you? Our family mission statement is to inspire, encourage and empower people to greater self-love and the love of others. We hold the practical view that as Christians, the example of our lives may be the only Bible
some people ever read. So we try to live with grace, wherever possible adding something positive to the people immediately around us. Our music label ‘Oikos’ has a name which is the Greek word for the economy of the household. We originally had a vision for a classical crossover Motown. Berry Gordy started Motown with a simple vision too. We see artists as messengers that are born to inspire the world. The way we are manifesting our vision is to learn the
kinds of help that artists need to get their message out. We have been doing this for some time now. And at one time, Glyn owned New Zealand’s largest privately owned music school so we have always had an interest in educating and helping others. We are using state of the art ‘cloud’ technology to help artists around the world through training and mentoring sessions. We also coach artists in critically important ‘soft skills’ like project management, time management, negotiation and how to apply emotional intelligence to succeed in the music industry. We think that it is important to be of practical help and to live our mission statement. We want to help artists to find their voice and to reach their audience to inspire, encourage and empower through their own messages. You have had an incredible vocal journey from being told you sang ‘like a bear,’ to being discovered on a local TV talent show by Gray Bartlett and consequently signed to Sony. Instead of resting on your laurels, you have chosen to continue to develop your talent through rigorous training. What motivates you to work so hard? Philosophy can help us to understand mastery. Here is a great quote from Bruce Lee about mastery, “If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will
spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” The beginning of mastery is to understand and respect our incompetence and to begin to learn how to learn. When I teach other artists, the first step is to help the artist to understand that the artist does not know, what they do not know. Anyone with mastery goes through a cycle of awareness in order to grow. This growth cycle naturally includes the reinvention of self as we grow over time. Artists must find their voice, not just for the age they are, but throughout their ages. Who you are as an artist now will vary from who you are at a later stage, to some degree. And developing as a musician is the natural fruit of being inherently creative. If it’s just a job, then it is hard work. If you are creative, then you are simply being who you are, which is not work. It is living deliberately as the person you are. Part of your development as a singer has been the expansion of your range from contralto to coloratura mezzo repertoire. Did you ever imagine you would be singing in your current range and were you at all nervous about the change? I call my singing training ‘Find My Voice’ and this is because each artist has their own unique voice based on their physiology, personality, and
spirituality. One of the challenges that we face as singers is that people immediately want to define who you are as a singer. What genre you are. Are you classical or Pop? Are you high or low? Then you are told, “This is the kind of singer you are and so this is what you must do.” From then on, you are caged into serving these limitations, even if they are untrue. Bruce Lee faced the same dilemma in martial arts. The classical styles wanted to define and control him, eventually creating limitations that in fact removed some of the beauty of the art form. Bruce Lee took on and defeated all challengers. To a degree, I have done the same thing. The most authentic recognition of my development as an artist is to battle it out in front of audiences. In my last concert in Wellington, NZ last month I received two standing ovations. If the audience validates my performance, then my voice has all the recognition it needs. Creating carbon copies that all sound like each other is not the path to develop artistry, but it is important to have a mastery of technique. We are often being told to fit into the limitations of teachers who want to direct us into a particular method for their own simplicity. And while this might be an authentic approach, this approach does tend to often funnel singers into the wrong channel for their voice. From a physical perspective, my voice has always been broader than coloratura mezzo-
soprano. I have a 4.5-octave range. However, there is a ‘sweet spot’ in the voice where the voice sounds particularly more resonant and beautiful and this is a physiological thing as much as it is a training thing. This range from D3 to D5 is in the Contralto range. The sweetness of my voice in this register is partly why Sony had chosen ballads with melodies in this note range. I had always been able to sing across the extended range but I had never been trained. We invested in my total immersion in Russian/Italian Opera methods to make sure that I developed the richness of tone and the perfection of technique to improve the beauty and power of my voice for the enrichment of audiences. My motivation has always been to be the best storyteller I can and vocal training is an extension of this passion. If you are being authentic then you should never be afraid of becoming who you really are. Charity has been a very important part of your life and so far you have raised over $1,400,000(NZ). How did you choose which projects or organizations to become involved with? Many of us have suffered sadness’s of one kind or another in our childhoods which become passions for us later in life. The influences I had as a child have become the passions of my adult
life. As musicians are messengers, we each have a story to tell. Once we know our values and have identified our message, it becomes clear who our audience is. I don’t favor one charity over another, but rather as we experience an area where we can help, then we try to act out of good stewardship and pay it forward. Since your first album was released, you have become a wife and mother. How do you think these changes have affected you as an artist? I have released several albums both before and during motherhood. In fact, we recorded Divinas Live at Chambord Castle in Paris with baby Leon in the green room hanging out with one of the managers for Celine Dion and the video producer for Andre Rieu. The most important thing is to put your family first, have the support of your family and learn how to be a family in the context of the music industry. There are some lovely people in the music industry but it’s not for the faint-hearted. The major impact of motherhood on me is that I have become completely disinterested with the machinations of the music industry in favor of loving my family. This means we choose how we engage in the music industry as a family and we don’t let the music industry define our success. We do it our own way.
You sing in a variety of different languages (French, Italian, Maori, Russian), which is your favorite and what was the most difficult to learn? Being born in Russian I already spoke Russian and Ukrainian fluently. However, I have since studied linguistics at university and have a teaching level of capability and mastery of English. Being a linguist by nature, I have applied the same learning techniques to other languages. Glyn hired language coaches in each of the languages I sing and we conducted a large amount of research into the musicology and histology of songs to discover their true story and meaning. I sing in Russian, Ukrainian, English, French, German, Hebrew, Maori, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. I don’t have a favorite language. Because I am a storyteller, my aim is to bring authenticity to the story of the song. So I will study the songwriter, the performers, the culture, the language and then aim to reinterpret the song so that I can share the beauty of the culture and story of the song with the audience. When I get it right, it doesn’t matter what language I sing in, audiences should hear the story in the emotive expression in the subtle inflections of my voice. Taking the time to master the language is also being respectful to the culture and the people behind the language.
Since you are so motivated to inspire others, do you think there will come a time when you would like to teach voice yourself? Funny you should ask. I have been teaching and mentoring singers for years! findmyvoice.co.nz and onlinemusicm entors.com and the Yulia & Friends concerts have been running for a long time. It’s only recently that technology has developed to the stage that I now give singing lessons and regularly mentor singers around the world online. Glyn has invested in state of the art technology so I am set up to help singers worldwide. It’s amazing being able to prepare a singer in London for a local concert or coach a singer in Wellington to prepare for a Christmas show. I love it. Because my husband is a brilliant trainer (he coached me!) and he is teaching me to use the kinds of technology and training methods that he has pioneered to transform the accounting industry in NZ and Australia. My aim is to further develop my training content so I can inspire, encourage and empower a generation of artists. And maybe we can sign a few to our label. On the fashion side, what is your favorite type of outfit to perform in? I love French fashion and prefer youthful, creative pieces. I don’t so
much go for ball gowns. When we entertain audiences it’s about putting on a costume and inhabiting the role to present an authenticity to the audience. Ultimately you wear the costume that fits the message of the show and how you want to express yourself as an artist. You have performed with orchestras and in more intimate settings with just a pianist or guitarist. Which of these do you like more and you feel better captures your essence? Music these days is typically overproduced, leaving little room for the voice to be the star. This is because most voices are recorded before they are well developed. Producers then hide the deficiencies of the voice in orchestration and in treatments like reverb and overdubs. I am very old fashioned and believe that an artist should be developed to their full potential and only recorded once the voice is good enough. Artists who push their music out too soon and end up failing only have their impatience to blame. For this reason, I develop myself through live shows, often performing songs live for months or even years before they are ever recorded. When I do get into the studio, the voice is developed to such a level that orchestration and production needs to be minimal and the voice can be the star of the show.
Your husband Glynn Mclean is also your manager. What’s that’s like? On the commercial side, Glyn is one of only a handful of people in the world that has launched an artist to an audience in the tens of millions. 51,000,000 people watched Divinas Live at Chambord Castle in USA and Canada via PBS and PBT TV. 9,000,000 Russians have heard and seen me through my win of the European Song Competition in Riga, Latvia. Glyn produces all my live shows. He is an exceptional live sound engineer, stage manager, producer, negotiator, and musician. On the family side, Glyn is my soul mate, the great love of my life and a wonderful husband and father. He has dedicated years of his life, never taking any income for his work on my career and has honored every promise he ever made to me. It’s like he is my gift from God.
Looking forward artistically, what would you like to accomplish in the next few years? Over the next two years, I am focusing on evolving my artistry and music business around family. I have established the relationships I need globally to create and distribute my music to large audiences and I don’t need to rush getting albums out. I have complete control of this. I aim to raise the money to invest in owning my own rights holding and then partner with record labels and producers globally. While I am doing this, I want to develop other artists and channel them through my networks. And I am going to further develop myself as an author, inspirational speaker, and educator to help artists find their voice.
For the latest information about Yulia visit
yulia.co.nz