Session Vocalist

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: There's honestly so many, but I would have to say a song called "Paradise." It was an old track I had laying around that I wanted to bring new life into, so I pitched it to DJ Xquizit who took it to the duo DoubleV and it was turned into summery future-bass inspired track that was eventually released with IHU Music Group and a Sony Music imprint.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on a revamped live performance rig that includes video and my new favorite piece of gear, the MiMU Gloves.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Unfortunately there isn't. Not because I don't believe there aren't recommend worthy people on here, but because I'm honestly not that interactive with other creators on here. Though I guess I should be!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: This is tough....but I'm gonna say digital. Analog has an undeniable tone and warmth that's very hard to replicate digitally, but we're getting there! Plus, I just don't have the space or finances to get my hands on every piece of analog gear that I want so I've decided to work almost exclusively in the digital space.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise to always deliver a high quality and mix ready performance in a timely and professional manner.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love that I get to be creative in news ways nearly everyday. As an independent artist I have the freedom to create in the ways that I see fit and am in full control of the artistic vision of my own projects, and that's something not a lot of people get to say they can do.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Most commonly I get asked if I can write a top-line. While technically the answer is yes, I currently am not my top-line services to clients via SoundBetter at this time.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That being a musician isn't a real job. I hear that way more often than I'd like to admit. Like who do you think makes all the guilty pleasure pop songs you like to listen to during your workout Brittany-Leigh?? It's people like me and we spend months to years working on the songs and albums for and with the artists you'd just "kill to see in person!"

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: First and foremost I like to ask to hear the song and what sound they're looking to achieve from their vocalist. Mostly because I have a sound that doesn't lend itself to every genre or project, so I like to make sure it's a project that I can give a performance that the client will enjoy. After that it's usually run of the mill things like deadlines, complexity of the vocal (how many layers/harmonies? big and loud or soft and intimate? etc.), and what the project will be used for.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Just reach out! I know that sounds so basic and dumb, but if you have an idea and think a certain creator would be perfect for it...talk to them! That's how a lot of my favorite and most surprising projects have come about.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: Ok....so. My MacBook Pro, Komplete Audio 6, Komplete Kontrol S61, Slate Digital ML-1, and my MiMU Gloves.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've been writing, recording, and performing music since I was 16...so over 10 years in total. But I've only been working as a true professional in the industry for 5 years, at least in my books.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Musically? I'd say eclectic, but that generally manifests in "radio-ready" songs...or so I've been told. I really don't like to put myself into categories because I honestly love to make music for fun and joy of it and I feel like categorizing myself ultimately leads to pressure to sound or perform a certain way.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Imogen Heap! She is a pioneer in so many ways, but I think it would be a BLAST to work with her on a song to gain new perspectives on word choices, MIDI programming, and sound design. Plus, she just seems so humble, warm, and down to earth.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Layer and align your vocals! I always get asked how I get my sound and that's my secret. Lots of layers that are individually recorded, sorry copy and paste fans, and my personal not-so-secret secret weapon...VocAlign.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I typically work on EDM and Pop/Electronic music. That takes up the bulk of my work both as a session vocalist and top-liner. However, I have do have a soft spot, and dare I knack for, rock music. I've worked as a producer and songwriter for a few rock outfits, most notably former Salt Lake City-based outfit "The Departure."

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: That's a tough one, but I'd probably choose a cop-out answer and say creativity. While I definitely have a system and "sound" in place to streamline my workflow, I'm no stranger to processing and mangling my vocals in ways that make them virtually unidentifiable as me. I love my voice, but we're in a modern era with so many fun plugins thats it's almost impossible for me to not want to play with them. Plus, who ever said my voice has to sound EXACTLY the same time? No one. Certainly not me, because I think that's boring. Don't let that scare you away though! Unless specifically requested, I keep my creative processing at bay for my SoundBetter clients so you can always get the sound you're after.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I like to think I bring a unique vocal sound as a male vocalist with large register (that includes some whistle tones) and higher tone. I also definitely bring a monster, but balanced, sound as I tend to vocals in a "wall of sound" technique.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: It honestly depends on the project! If the song is already written I generally choose what I believe will be the easiest starting point to ease my voice in before jumping to higher or more complicated sections. If I'm doing top-line work, I like to start by humming while listening to see what initial ideas pop out. From there I take a section that I'm really vibing with (usually a chorus), hit record, and then see what lyrics come out and refine from there. Generally I don't limit myself to lyrical concepts unless requested and I typically fall into either writing breakup/love songs or songs about abstract concepts (like dying in outer space [Dear Gravity] or doing shadow work to make yourself a better person [Empire of Our Own]).

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work out of a small, but mighty, project studio in my home. I'm currently running on an Apogee Element 24 interface and utilize either an Avantone Audio CV-12 large diaphragm tube condenser mic or my Slate Digital ML-1 large diaphragm mic depending on the project. Those are the most relevant details but if you want to deep dive my gear list is available at: blackwork.lnk.to/hvxlii-gear

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I'm inspired but a number of artists in the industry, but the ones that immediately come to mind are; Imogen Heap, FINNEAS, Sarah Hudson, Amy Lee, Max Martin, Dr. Luke (that one's controversial these days, but I'm separating art from artist here), BloodPop, Billie Eilish, Betty Who, Woodkid, and Sigrid.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: The most common ask I get is to be a session vocalist or to work as a top-liner (though this work is currently unavailable through SoundBetter).