Forums » Smalltalk » AMA: Professional Singer

Hello RPR!

Typically I do AMAs around my main occupation in human sciences (i.e., social work, mental health), but I decided to do an AMA on my 'night life self' I suppose. Which is a singer!

I regularly gig (almost every weekend) in bands and as a solo performer. Ranging from bars, casinos, to exclusive clubs and weddings. I sometimes am a stand-in singer as well for individuals who have developed tracks and need someone to add vocals for them.

(And before you ask for clips of me singing-- believe it or not, there's not a lot I have in good quality because it's often recorded live at a gig which is often cell-phone audio, and individual recordings are often done raw and not with an edit -- I should really get on that!)



Ask me anything!

1 // What has been your favorite gig so far?
2 // What do you sing? Original songs or covers?

1: My favourite gig was at a venue in my city; there was hundreds of people there -- many were dancing and having a blast. That always brings up the hype for us! Our hard work feels appreciated not through pay, but the energy of our crowd. It's also a rather classy venue, but I danced on a large speaker for most of it.

2: Both! I write my own songs when I am doing solo performances, but mostly I do covers. This is because that's the main audience in the city I live in.

Hiya Cass! Is singing a hobby you've had since you were a child? How did you get into it, and did you have any formal training?

What is the genre you gravitate towards the most?

What genre would you like to explore more?

How did you get into this?

Hi Claine! (I immediately followed that YouTube account you suggested on your ama)

Singing history: I’ve always loved singing and performing, I was the kid that burst into song and danced in front of people without a care lol. I used to sing at hockey games (halftime shows / singing the national anthem) when I was younger and participated in theatre and local singing groups for kids (choir or advanced singing.)

I had to stop for awhile when I moved to a more rural location (wasn’t a lot of music activity in rural areas) but when I came to the city I’m in now I noticed the band game was still strong here so I got involved.

Yes I am professionally trained! I am trained in classical, rock, and pop. I took lessons as a kid, a teen, and an adult (the adult teacher liked me so much I worked for him as a vocal coach!)

Hiya!

I really prefer indie / alternative / metal. I would sing Florence + The Machine, Greta Van Fleet , City and Colour and Lumineers all day everyday if I could. (There, I threw in some musicians I like) - Howweeevvverrrr.. that's not usually how a singing career works. At least not in-person. I'll elaborate.

With singing, you really have to cater to what the venues and participants of your shows actually want to hear. You have to know who your potential employers are, what their venues are all about, what their typical crowd is, etc and base your music off of that at times.

That isn't to say you couldn't focus on online musicianship and your audience anywhere could find you. The other alternative to this is if you're able to perform anything on the fly (some musicians do this) or street perform.

For example, a lot of bars here are for older crowds -- or young adults that would either know their 'parents music.' Older crowds also tend to run higher bar tabs. If you draw people in, and the bar is making money with you as entertainment - you'll probably be hired again. This means I often perform things from the 80s! Those classics you still here on the radio, but also unique enough that other bands aren't doing the exact same material. Other venue platforms such as weddings also have their other points to consider ofc.

That was a really long explanation, but essentially, you need to cater to your venues and I would love to do more Indie / Alternative if I could. I'm actually starting up another project that would allow me to do this. Because I think it's important to continue doing what you love.

It's sort of always been part of my life in a way. I've always loved it and wanted to be a musician / singer. Of course I got the whole parent talk of 'this isn't a proper career pick something else' and I stayed away from it for awhile. When I moved to this city I persued it again. In the city I live in now, it's definitely a labour of love - you won't be fairly compensated for all the work you put in. You have to go to bigger cities for that.

Logistically, I looked for other musicians on social media (i.e., facebook pages) and paired-up with others to start bands or projects.

Is there a way we can hear you sing?!

I don't do anything like streaming -- I have some audio here and there but it's not the greatest quality. I'm singing at a benefit later today, maybe I can get some recording. We'll see if I can post something soon!

I somehow had no idea you were a professional singer! That is so awesome. I was a choir geek as a kid and teenager and adored it.

My question for you is: Is there a specific song from when you were in choir in school that pops into your head at random times and you just find yourself singing?

Wellllll to be perfectly honest, I did not like choir! This could entirely be because of the instructors song choice or otherwise - but I always wanted to 'stand out' and so I would do different things with my voice. I was a choir director's nightmare because I didn't like being told 'how' to sing something or blend my voice in with others. So a director might have us try a part again and again and again because we got it wrong (because of me) and other students would get mad at me because I'd sing it how I wanted to (oops, little me was sassy - still kinda am ).

I remember the closest time I came to joining a choir was because it was a prerequisite to an advanced singing group and I wasn't allowed to join it unless I was in the choir first. It was fun learning techniques when I did join it and this vocal teacher kept it fun and engaging (i.e., while explaining the basic theory). I think I was a soprano back then.

tldr; I didn't like choir because I liked doing my own thing, if I had to pick ONE song - 'We Rise Again' was cool to sing as a soprano.