A Singer's Interview: 4 Preparation Tips for Doing It Right

When singers interview with the media, they might want to bear in mind that today's overly competitive entertainment market makes both what you say and the way you present yourself important. One simple miscalculated communication can have a lifelong affect on a singer's career. An entertainer better have a strategy and at least some kind of plan before taking on the mass media.

So, you might ask yourself, how does one prepare for a singer's interview? The answer is simple: decide what you want to accomplish during this interview and then practice until you get it right. If possible, spend time working with a professional media coach; a good one is well worth the money. If a media coach is not an option, there are four tips below that you can do on your own to prepare for media interviews of all types: print, radio, and television.

1. Plan carefully so you are certain to cover all the bases that are important to you during your interview. If you have a new single or album coming out or are going on tour, tell your host that you want to share the story behind the song, the album, or something that happened once when you were on tour. Use your imagination, be creative, plan these stories out, write them out in advance and practice telling them.

Ask if you can provide your interviewer with talking points or give your host producer a list of topics you wish to discuss, but don't believe for a minute the list will actually be followed. You never know when the host may have their own agenda.

2. If you are adept at improvisation, scan the local newspaper or local news stations of their city for a current or recent event that will help foster a dialog between you and your host. Your interview will be more engaging if you plan ahead and tell tried-and-true compelling stories, paint vivid pictures, make self-deprecating jokes. Practice in front of a video camera by getting a friend to help you do mock interviews. Prepare for the interview as you would any other performance -- because it is.

3. Know your vulnerabilities and plan your escape from difficult questions. Don't be surprised if that day you skipped class in third grade comes back around to haunt you, so make a record of everything you may not want to discuss. Write out your answers and rehearse them.

Keep practicing your responses until they become a believable part of who you are. When a model-thin friend of mine is asked about her weight, her response is always the same, "My father always told me that any woman who would tell the truth about her weight would lie about anything." By the time the interviewer has digested that paraprosdokian (occurs when latter part of the sentence is unexpected), the door has closed on the subject.

But, if you do get sandbagged by an embarrassing question, either maintain control and confront the issue or simply say, "I think that's one question I won't be answering today." And I cannot emphasize enough, that you should never say anything "off the record." There is no "off the record."

4. Rehearsing with your video camera will help you become aware of your body language so you can make corrections if necessary. Monitor your practice videos for unnecessary movement such as licking your lips, blinking your eyes excessively, or swinging your legs. Practice being fluid with your movements as you communicate, but be on guard for any tics that make you look nervous. If you look nervous people assume you are hiding something.

Practice makes perfect, so the more you work in front of a camera, the more confident you will feel and the better you will present yourself.

Nashville vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams helped make stars out of many top artists: Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Dixie Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Huey Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera...

Click Here to receive her free weekly video NewsLessons and PDF of "Answers to Singers' 7 Most Important Questions."

Author of "Voice Power" AMACOM (NY). She offers insider's information via on-line lessons at cybervoicestudio.com.

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Patsy Cline: A Singers' Singer and the Gift of Giving

Patsy Cline is without a doubt one of the most successful and respected female vocalists of the 20th century. Evidence of that is in her groundbreaking awards such as in 1973 becoming the first female solo artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Also in 2002, artists and members of country music voted her as Number One on CMT's The 40 Greatest Women of Country Music. She was also ranked 46th in the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine.

Patsy Cline was born on September 8, 1932 in Gore Virginia. Sadly at 30 years of age and at the height of her career she was killed in a plane crash in 1963.

Her first marriage was to a contractor named Gerald Cline in 1953 but it only lasted four years.

Her first performance on radio was in the Jimmy McCoy show. Her increasing appearances on local radio stations and events resulted in her attracting a large following.

In her early 20s Bill Peer, her manager at that time, got her signed to Four Star Records. By coincidence while at Four Star she met legendary producer Owen Bradley who worked for Decca Records. In 1960 Patsy signed on with Decca directly under the supervision of Owen. He had a reputation for working with and developing the careers of female country singers such as Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn and many more.

Owen felt that Patsy had a lot of potential and with the proper guidance would achieve higher successes. He felt that her voice would lend itself better to singing pop music although she did not seem that interested in it at the time.

In the mid 50s several important events happened to move her career along. In January of 1956 she made her network television debut on the Grand Ole Opry show. In the late fall of that year she auditioned for a television show broadcast in New York and she appeared on the show Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.

The producers of the show insisted that she sing a song that she had recorded titled "Walkin' After Midnight". Originally she was not keen on the song but Godfrey's staff eventually won out. They also insisted that she not wear the cowgirl outfits that she had traditionally worn and instead wear cocktail style dresses.

Viewers of Godfrey's show were so enthralled with Patsy that radio stations got many requests to play her records.

As fate would have it "Walkin' After Midnight" reached #2 on the Country chart and #12 on the pop chart making Patsy one of the first country singers to have a crossover pop hit. The mid 50s were also memorable in that she met Charley Dick her husband. In 1958 they had a daughter named Julie and the marriage lasted for the rest of her life.

The early 60s were memorable for more hits such as her first one for Decca Records, "I Fall To Pieces". She then recorded the song "Crazy" written by Willie Nelson. She also had hits with "She's Got You" and "Sweet Dreams."

And in 1961 she gave birth to a son named Randy.

Patsy's voice was one of the best commercial voices to ever hit the recording studios. Even though she couldn't read music and was basically self-taught she sang with perfect pitch. When she recorded a song she pretty much 'owned' it. This referred to the fact that when someone heard it, because it was so unique with her tone and phrasing that it would always be associated with her no matter how many other people recorded it.

Patsy was highly respected for her singing voice but even more so as a kind-hearted, good person who would help anyone in need. Honky Tonk pianist Del Wood said she would give anyone the skirt of her backside if they needed it. Loretta Lynn and Dottie West said that Cline always gave of herself to friends such as buying groceries and furniture for them when they were having difficulty making ends meet and even taking them on the road with her as wardrobe assistants. On occasion she would even pay a singer's rent for a time, enabling them to stay in Nashville and continue to pursue their dreams.

Another story of her goodness is when she was involved in a horrific car crash accident where she was thrown into the windshield nearly killing her. Upon arriving at the scene Dottie West picked pieces of glass from Patsy's hair and went with her in the ambulance. When the ambulance arrived at the hospital Patsy insisted that the driver of the other vehicle be treated first.

And so, not only was she a singers' singer but a kind woman who did so much for others.

She truly deserves legendary status for her singing the Patsy Cline sound that was so evident in her recordings.

I'm Paul Romaine and the host of http://singersandmusicianstalentsearchradio.com/. Our philosophy is to have a venue where singers and musicians can showcase their work. Rather than just having one winner from all of the applicants, there will be many applicants that get to have their work submitted and recognized permanently on our site.

Also feel free to visit me at my other Music site http://paulromaine.com/ where romantic music and ballads along with soft spoken romance is shown. There are podcasts and commentaries that are shown here and in iTunes.

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5 Tips for Singers That Don't Involve Singing

You may have noticed that some of the most useful tips for singing don't involve singing at all. Breath support, diaphragmatic breathing, raised palette, neutral larynx, posture, and staying relaxed are all concepts that are vital to singing but in and of themselves involve no sound production at all. This somewhat comical idea led me to consider what helpful advice may go unsaid, due to its somewhat "obvious" nature to some. Obvious or not, here is a list of 5 tips for singing that don't even involve singing.

1. Be Prepared.

Before practicing, (or a session of any sort), make sure you have what you need in front of you. It's better to have something and not use it, than to need it and not have it. There's nothing worse than interrupting the flow of a vocal practice session to stop and look for your notes from last time, or to grab a glass of water. You don't want to be stopping and starting again once you're warmed up and ready to go.

2. Be Relaxed.

This is one singers hear all the time in one form or another. "Don't tense," "stay loose" and "nice and easy" are some of the phrases repeated to singers as reminders to relax. But vocal tension isn't the only worry. Stress anywhere in your body can interfere with your vocals. Before singing, be sure you've taken the necessary precautions to be as relaxed and free of tension as possible. Stretching, foam rolling, a massage, warm bath or nap are a few ideas to help you calm and release. The more relaxed you are the better and more free your voice will respond.

3. Be Open.

Almost all singers are their worst critics, and can be unnecessarily hard on themselves. Try to embrace whatever happens when you're practicing. Learn from any missteps or imperfections. Valuable truths and lessons can be found in our mistakes. Instead of getting frustrated with a bad day, learn from it. Ask yourself if there's anything you learned that you can apply next time (or every time). Stay in tune with your body and allow for discovering. Don't force anything, let what happens happen, and grow from it.

4. Be Realistic.

It's very important, especially for beginning singers, to keep themselves in check. Getting too idealistic or too pessimistic is a danger that can negatively impact vocal performance. Know that learning to sing and becoming good at it takes time. Don't expect immediate and drastic results. The only thing that will come of such expectations is disappointment and tension. You will struggle at times. You should if you're pushing yourself to improve. You may never have great vibrato or a 5 octave vocal range, but you will get better if you practice, and you will always have a unique voice unlike anyone else, and that can't be taught.

5. Be Present.

While maybe the most obvious of all, being present is also one of the most important tips for singing there is. Those who have the most focus succeed fastest. Make it a point to be 100% concentrated when practicing. Don't just show up and go through the motions, but listen to your voice and your body. Every session is a learning opportunity. Pay attention for bad habits or tendencies. The more "in the zone" you are the more you will learn and the faster you will improve. Take notes, and refer to them between sessions.

While these tips for singing may be completely obvious to everyone, it's the obvious things that are the most often forgotten, or taken for granted. Before your next session, take a moment to reflect on this list and make sure you're prepared, relaxed, and open to the experience. Remember to keep a realistic outlook and always be present and focused and you will find yourself a better singer without even singing.

Tom writes for Tips For Singing where he has a passion for helping aspiring singers Learn How To Sing

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Zesty Marketing Ideas for Classical Singers

Claiming to be a classical singer is like putting a billboard in the driest part of the desert. Whether you specialize in singing recital music, operettas, or oratorios, the professional singing services you offer remain intangible until you give people something they can touch, see, move, and (most importantly) hear. Everyone knows that marketing is key. But it is not enough. What you need is professional singer marketing...with added zest!

Business cards. Keep business cards with you at all times no matter where you go. Enter the words "free business cards" into any search engine to find what you need. Then, improve the quality of your cards as you earn more money.

Add Zest: Spend your first $30 on double-sided business cards. All contact information goes on Side A, leaving whatever you want for Side B. Add copy that distinctly represents your voice. You can add a motto or saying, or feature some sort of performance discount for that special business card recipient.

Professional Photos. Prepare to spend at least $200 for one hour of studio time with unlimited snapshots and at least one touch-up. No matter what package you buy, opt for color photos. You can always change color photos to black-and-white.

Add Zest: Have duplicate 8.5" x 11" hard copies printed, and buy a small stapler little enough to tote around with you. That way, you can staple a business card onto the front of a sheet of paper, and a headshot onto the back of that same sheet of paper. What is the paper for? Your new resume!

Resume. Nothing compares to a flawless resume to get your foot in the door. Do not give anyone a reason to question your performance abilities--least of all a substandard resume. Use the tried and true sections of success, like Experience, Education, Awards & Achievements, etc.

Add Zest: Make your singing experience demand attention with high-quality resume paper. And don't just list what you sang. List each statement as an achievement! The PAR standard (problem, action, result) applies in the classical music industry as much as in any other industry. This approach will help to promote you as an experienced master singer. (Or the next up-and-comer to watch!)

Website. No one will take you seriously without a website. Enter the words "free website hosting" into any search engine to stake your claim on some virtual real estate. Then, improve the quality of your website as you land more paying gigs.

Add Zest: Grab some friends who are also singers, pool your funds and connections together, and create a network of individual websites that point to one another. This kind of cooperation creates the best synergy. Who knows? Four of you could end up singing in a solo quartet together!

Presence. Be seen online, like in classical music forums and blog post comments on other bloggers' websites. Also, be seen offline, like at contests, pay-to-sing events, etc. Finally, be seen in print, like in program notes and regional newsletters.

Add Zest: Be seen in locations and contexts where few dare to go. Upload a video of yourself on YouTube. Don't be afraid, don't be perfect. Be seen! Audition for that "impossible gig." Promote your services and talents--shamelessly.

For more outside-the-box self-promotion ideas, read George Sandow's blog. Much of what he discusses is written with symphony orchestras in mind, but most if not all of his suggestions apply to individual, professional vocalists as well. Do what you must in order to market yourself. You will find that little by little, each marketing activity harmonizes into a sonorous chord of success.

Joe Redd regularly performs as a tenor in a variety of classical singing projects in New York City. He wrote this article while discovering ways to make singing a fun, creative, and meaningful experience for all. You can find out more about him at http://www.joeredd.com/.

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