Received an email from an Australian up-and-coming Diva called Vanessa Elisha. Always one to try and shine a little light on new and independent talent, I thought it was only right that I make a post for her new EP, Don't Go.
With a dark Rnb sound that isn't dissimilar to that featured on Tinashe's excellent Reverie mixtape, Vanessa has compiled an EP of beautifully atmospheric tracks. With a voice that shares qualities with both Mya and JoJo, the vocals are kept breezy and light for most of this EP- which is actually respectful to the production. So don't expect your head to be blown off by big notes and crazy runs. But if you do want to hear Vanessa stretch her voice a little more, take a listen to the ad-libs on the closing track Blur. They hint at there still being more to come from this singer-songwriter.
I really love this era of music. No longer does an artist have to faff about with record labels to showcase their talent to a wider audience. Now a person, anywhere, can get on the net, upload their creations and the world is (potentially) their audience. The internet has effectively democratised music- and it's awesome! Keep doing your thing, Ms. Elisha!
Nice songs, nice voice but that tessitura is a bit high for my liking.
ReplyDeleteOkay music but can't say I'm bowled over.
ReplyDeleteShe kinda makes me wanna make a mix tape, though I have poor equipment and no money. Lol
ReplyDeleteShe sounds a lot like Jhene aiko
ReplyDeleteIt's not the first time I see you saying that you don't like sopranos, exactly why? I guess it's just personal taste but I was curious for if there was another reason
ReplyDeletePS: Did I build that last sentence properly? I'm spanish and it sounded kinda weir to me :S
Do it anyway!
ReplyDeleteOr ..start mowing those lawns and save the money for better equipment. You seem to be serious about the singing so that would be a wise investment...(I truly hope for you ;-D )
I'd go for " whether" instead of " for if there" myself. Or just " if" and leave off the " for" .
ReplyDeleteI also prefer mezzo and contraltos :P. I find their voice to have more character usually. Actually I usually like my males and females to have fachs close to each other (tenor/contralto/mezzo)
ReplyDeleteI'll revamp some of my old songs, change some keys here and change the color of my voice to my "signature" metallic tone. I'll do seven songs and upload them by the end of the summer. All my music though, dark dreary but lyrically I try to make people question who they are. Especially my songs about religion. Making people's head spin brings me joy.
ReplyDeleteBut thanks. I'll get to work.
Omg, I do to! It started when I was like 14 and my voice was changing, and I sounded just like Jasmine Sullivan. We have there exact same vocal range and everything though at this point, that is the only thing our voices have in common....and the rasp. Lol
ReplyDeleteIt s a long story. It started with my mom trying to emulate Mariah Carey for as long as I can remember...and I HATE MY MOMS VOICE...not only that, but I kinda built a negative association that every soprano will sound horrible like my mom (which is completely stupid) but I can't really help that. And boy, we get into some seriously hot arguments over singing, whether it be hour horrible nasal placement or me singing too much...lol one time I tried to record a duet with her and OMG, she didn't know how to change her tone so the harmonies sounded dissident and of course it was "my fault"... We argue about once every two days and they can get bad....she refuses to let me coach her, thinking she sings perfectly...
ReplyDeleteJust saying, 16 years of this crap none stop and you'd be bitter towards sopranos too...sorry to all sopranos who see this but...its my moms fault...blame her...-_-
haha, your story really made me laugh XD It reminded me of a friend who is sure that he's a vocal beast and uploads a lot of videos to youtube but he actually sings like a cat having an orgasm. I just had to stand his voice for a few months and I got sick of it so I underestand that 16 years of that bad singing makes you hate sopranos XD
ReplyDeleteThank you! ^^ I knew that I had put too much prepositions but I was thinking of katy perry singing "I'm curious for you" and then build the sentence from there xD
ReplyDeleteLOL I am afraid I never listened to Katy Perry in my life but if she sang that... it depends on what came after whether that would be grammatically correct. As far as I know.
ReplyDeleteNot really. It changes substantially at 12-16 and ripens at around 28ish for both sexes. Though how it ripens is as unique as each voice itself. Depending, on vocal type, lyric, dramatic so on. Generally the more fuller metallic sounding lyrics will develop into dramatics. The lighter less full sounding lyrics though are a mixed bag and anyone coming with a stereotype about that could be very wrong. Though, the general rule of thumb is that every voice darkens.
ReplyDeleteVoices will mature and change throughout your lifetime, it doesn't stop after puberty :)
ReplyDeleteThin, nasal voice. Sounds pleasant, IMO, but never does anything amazing. Maybe somewhere in the middle of the songs, she shows off her voice... but I haven't the patience to listen through the same-y songs. She should get stronger material ASAP.
ReplyDeleteThe age thing changes with vocal type, lower vocal fachs mature later on and hit there peaks later on as well.
ReplyDeleteBasses don't fully mature until the 50s, I think, can't remember off the top of my head. That's why true bass voices in opera are often sung by men in their 50s and onward.
not terrible at all :), she can sing there is no denying but its a big world full of people with the same gift so she should work on who she is,her style,tone and stage presence. youtubes a great way to get started by doing covers so she should try there.
ReplyDeletespeaking of emerging talent im quite a fan of leah mcfall from the voice uk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh7SAxaMpGE
That was a pain to my ears and sensibilities...that Leah. Brrrrrr
ReplyDelete@Black Robin & @Serendipity.- thank you both for the information! ^^ I asked that because when I did my voice change (Which happened really soon compared to my classmates') I had a very low and dark voice, even more than Michael Buble, and as the time went by I noticed on random recordings that my voice had got lighter. Then, I started to take singins lessons 3 months ago and my coach said that I was clearly a tenor, which got me suprised. I still don't know what happened to my voice to lose so much weight (I don't really care either, I wanna sing rock and tenors have more future there) but the thing is that I still keep the ability to hit low notes without much effort (Yesterday I hit an E2 without warming). I just wondered if there was any physical or psychological reason (I've been living for 3 years with just my sister and my mother, I don't know if it could have something to do with it :S)
ReplyDelete"People that invade your country every summer" you're sure German XDD The funny thing is that I live in Mallorca, which is the Mecca for every German in the world XD
ReplyDeleteI'm not too sure, honestly.
ReplyDeleteMy voice is similar, although my voice was a bit different.
I always had a lower set voice, but my voice was always tenor for the most part, just lower set. Before i developed a well established technique I did what every other poor singer does, try to chest my way up the scale, thankfully I corrected that and now my voice has reaped the benefits of doing so. Before I used to struggle with notes G4 and up (On good days I could somehow manage to sustain up to G5, unstrained. But notes were typically always shaky, and a gamble to access). But now I can comfortably sing in the soprano tessiratura for extended periods of time (A4-A5), and have even peaked at B5&C6. However, I still have my lower register, in fact that has only gotten stronger and expanded in range. Just the other day I was Singing down in the lower first octave for quite a while, practicing pieces done by basso profundos lol.
Your voice has probably lost weight (like mine) due to the fact that you're probably lightening up the voice and dropping the weight, which is (I'm assuming) giving you more ease? as it should.
I agree. I like the whistle though. Otherwise it's all bleak. She over did a simple song that was meant to be SIMPLE. I hate it when they do covers and overdo it. -_-
ReplyDeleteSerendipity, can I ask you something? It's a subject about vocals but I'd be comfortable to ask you personally. ;D
ReplyDeleteBy all means!
ReplyDeleteTo those wondering, my vocal range (in it's extremity) spans from B0 to C6 in lower chest and upper chest, up to E6 with head voice, and up to B6 with whistle register. Although on a day-to-day basis, it is more around G1 to A5, and up to C6 with head voice.
ReplyDeleteAnd the tessitura my voice is most comfortable in is from D2 to F5.
Heldentenor :)
Where can I do that? :D
ReplyDeleteI hate you. OMG. WTH. I HATE YOU. D:<
ReplyDeleteDo what? Sorry, I'm having a slow day :P
ReplyDeleteContact you. D: Not really comfortable asking you here on the blog. LOL
ReplyDeleteIt's okay. Everyone has those days... :o
I personally don't like having a big range, I try to stick to singing in the E2 to C5 range, but I usually get bored doing so.
ReplyDeleteSure, feel free to email me.
ReplyDeleteonlylegalinrussia@usa.com
(I'm going to edit this out in about 10 minutes)
Aren't most people quickly bored of that limited range? That's why most want to hit "new notes"
ReplyDeleteI'm done with it. Edit it now. ;D
ReplyDeleteSent the mail... no idea why I had to proclaim it here. :o
ReplyDeleteVery well put. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know about range but I'd be interested to hear you sing. Do you have something up on the net?
ReplyDeleteI think you are the only identified Helden type I have seen here. Very large range. I am from the other end of the vocal family, but I like diversity. Always good to hear new voices.
ReplyDeleteI don't at the moment, but I could record something and put it on this mp3 hosting site called picosong and link it to you (it will play on the site, no download required) :)
ReplyDeleteMy voice is odd, in the extremities my voice morphs quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteThe lower ends sounding like that of a profundo, and the top sounding like an electric guitar lol. But the core is that of a helden.
You are a countertenor correct?
Yes, you have it right and all the resonant spots are a bit like women so my placement is quite different. It's a warm, bright, clean voice with semi-androgynous qualities throughout the range. Top notes are like a violin and are very bright by nature as a result, body notes are a bit darker but not as strong as higher int he voice and nothing close to profundo. I don't dawdle too much below the third octave if you catch my drift. LOL.
ReplyDeleteWell, Germans don't usually go to the peninsula (Does that word exist in english?) but to Mallorca. I haven't seen many dutch people in here actually. Anyway, if you ever come to Spain, I can assure you that there are places 10 times more beautiful than Barcelona: Galicia and Asturias' meadows and forests are totally beautiful, and Balearics' beaches and cities are outstanding too ^^
ReplyDeletePD: I think I should get paid for this little touristic summary :P
Yeah, my vocal coach is teaching me to lighten my voice and it's actually working fine (In less than three months I've been able to hit the A4 with some quality, which for me is true milestone) but I still find myself more comfortable in the lower part of my rank, between F2 and C4 (Of course, my rank is muuuuuch more limited than yours. You must be awesome being able to hit 5 octaves o_O). The thing is that my voice started to become lighter like a year or two before I started to sing (I did my first voice change at 13 and at 15 it started to change again) so I still wonder what happened to it. Maybe it has to do with the fact that my eyes are getting greener too (Really, I used to have shit-coloured eyes and they're getting green as I grow, I don't underestand it ._.)
ReplyDeleteCool! Or you could just mail the MP3 to me directly if you want. :-)
ReplyDeleteLOL Perhaps you should be paid. Except I am not really sold. I'd be bored lying on beaches all day and am too " high Maintenance" for extended stays in nature. Reason I want to see Barcelona is it's particular art/architecture. :)
ReplyDeleteBut I have no doubt other Spanish cities have similar features appealing to my tastes. Spain does have that long artistic history. :)
i totally agree that she over sung , im putting it down to it being on a "talent" show however as it happens a lot . alot of girls i see on these show's when i can be bothered to watch them try to do big Christina auguilera runs and go over the top in order to impress people .
ReplyDeletePeninsula is a word that is used in English :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a boring old spinto...Lol. I don't have that much contrast in my voice and my tone is very cold and nasal by nature. My lower register is thin and that is what I envy about you. But I have a question, does your range change drastically after you warm up? Prior to me warming up, my range a#1-f5 but after I warm up my range is f#2-c#6. I'm curious.
ReplyDeleteI don't really warm up, which is a poor habit.
ReplyDeleteBut when I do I don't really notice much change in the extremity of my range, the only thing impacted is the middle of my voice, which comes off as more solid and rounded in sound.
I have more control over my voice after warming up, that's it.
And sometimes I can't access the whistle register after warming up, which doesn't bug me as it's not a register I like using. I use it on rare occasions or for fun.
I want it too!
ReplyDeleteI don't like WR. Another issue I have is that it takes so long to warm up. It has become more and more common that it takes anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours to warm up fully. Is that a trait of being a spinto?
ReplyDeleteAlright, also I'm having a bit of trouble with my email, issues with the password. But I should have that all sorted out by tomorrow, and will reply to your email promptly :)
ReplyDeleteIt just depends on person from person. Some people just need to do a few lip rolls and they're done in a minute, some take longer, it depends on the person.
ReplyDeleteOK, thanks
ReplyDeleteDamn.
ReplyDeletehow do you do whistle ugh. I want one so bad. I'm a lyric baritone ;
Then don't do a song like this. I don't get why people always want to ruin something simple. Are you trying to tell me that people who don't do runs a lot are worse than people who do runs?
ReplyDeleteThankyou!
ReplyDeleteI can't explain it really, I just think a pitch in the whistle register before I sing it and then "poof", out goes a whistle note. Sorry :/
ReplyDeleteSo what makes a heldentenor a heldentenor? I'm curious..... That name...sounds...utterly...awesome.
ReplyDeleteThink baritone with a dramatic upper extension in the tenor range, but not exactly. Also quite a large voice, it's the german equivalent to the italian dramatic tenor, but once again not exactly.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.voiceteacher.com/heldentenor.html
ReplyDeleteOh. So is the color metallic or anything similar? Are they like spintos and dramatics are aren't really required to belt over C5? What exactly is your tessitura? In FV, mine is C3-C5. Sorry, for the the questions. I'm studying this whole bel canto thingy and I'm really fascinated (Though i don't thing the german sub fachs are really meat the standards of this italian style of singing). Oh and one more question. Do you listen to Pakistani Folk music? Their music is utterly breathtaking. lol
ReplyDeleteOh thanks. I'm still reading it, but so far it seems the largest difference is that once the passagio in the upper part of the tenor tessitura is reached, a significant tonal change occurs that sperates the Heldentenor from that of the Italian dramatic tenor and lyric baritone. I gotta find some audio samples. I'll be on youtube all day searching for heldentenors. lol
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9wwA5ldjM8
ReplyDeleteOk, I see some difference. When he hits G4 and above, his vocal weight doesn't deduct much but the tone remains quite chesty. Though, I was surprised. I thought his voice would be totally encompassed with metal. The upper end was just steelier and chestier than what I'm used to hearing from a tenor. I'm still fascinated.
ReplyDeleteMy tessiratura is F2 to Bb4. And no, heldentenors don't really experience that shift in timbre like dramatics do. And no I do not, I tend to not like middle eastern music, it just doesn't appeal to me.
ReplyDeleteOh. My color is nasal in my mid voice and gets extremely bright when i belt especially the closer I get tot he fifth octave. The thing is that, my vocal weight stays the same up until about G4 unless I take some off. When i get to the fifth octave, I lose just about all my weight and it sounds fully androgynous. I wish, i could keep the masculine sound of my voice up the higher I go. I'll send you a link where I sound the most masculine when i belt. (I should re-record because I don't really sound like this any more. My voice settled to a darker color, deeper placement and less nasal color)
ReplyDeletesoundcloud.com/black-robin/montrez-rambo-take-me-down
I decided to whip together a quick sampler to show to you and the others, regarding my voice. I tried my best to do a quick showcase of my voice to show I was not lying about my voice :)
ReplyDeletehttps://soundcloud.com/serendipity-10/vocal-sampler
Opie Ever Sparklilu Ricky Yong Chin Yuan
I don't intend to keep this up long, and please keep in mind singing is only a hobby for me LOL. I also apologize for singing one bit in Russian, but I like the song.
Thanks for sharing Serendipity. I think you've got a pretty good voice. There WAS a high note for which I wish my volume had been a tad lower but that last note (E6?) wasn't the one. That was in fact beautiful. :-)
ReplyDeleteLove it. I like your tone. I think it's just enough for me to really like it. :D
ReplyDeleteThe E6 was the very loud and abrupt note that cut, I only included for the purpose of showing my full range lol. The last clip was a c6. Also, thank you Opie :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed, I truly appreciate your comment :)
ReplyDeleteYou're just very well rounded. Amazing lower register....amazing belts....amazing head tones. I only have belts going for me. Lol
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you feel good, I used to only have only about 1-2 octaves at my disposal lol, and I didn't use it well. Plus you're still young, you have plenty of time to build your voice, you haven't even hit your prime years yet, vocal wise.
Let me introduce you to Bonnie McKee. She started off as a songwriter and managed to write several #1-songs. I think her voice is amazing, i would like to hear something about it from you technical guys. I linked three videos, one is her brand new single, one is a live-medley of all the songs she has written and the other is 'Breaking Bonnie' where she introduces herself. Give it a shot!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNXA0YjJkgs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmcnkGRm7Xc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV9_NUaITU8
My brother suggested I might like this blog. He was entirely right.
ReplyDeleteThis post truly made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I had spent for this info!
Thanks!
Here is my blog; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to5aBH0X42s