Session Vocalist, Songwriter

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

A: My band Five Year Gap's most recent album is More Than Chemical. I wrote all of the songs and co-produced them with my brother, Brody, who is our band's drummer. The album is deeply personal to me, as it tells my story of battling anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. It's also the album where I believe we finally found our true sound as a band.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am currently working with a recurring client on writing and recording vocals for cheer and dance tracks for competitive cheer and dance competitions. I've written and recorded over 100 of these in the past two years, which has been great for honing my pop music songwriting and vocal production skills.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: If I'm by myself, digital. It's what I know. However, I love going to someone else's studio who works in analog. It's a great experience!

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

A: I promise you'll be satisfied with the final product I produce! I offer revisions so that you get precisely what you are looking for. You will receive top-quality work from me in a timely manner.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love that I can write, sing, and make music all from the comfort of my home studio. It's amazing! I'm a new mom so being able to do what I love from home is such a blessing.

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

A: From friends and family, I think the misconception is that this is just a hobby and something I do for fun. They don't realize it's work and how I make a living.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: For songwriting: The theme of the song? Specific requests? Tempo, key of the song preferences? Genre? One to two reference artists or tracks? For recording vocals: One to two reference artists or tracks? What style of singing you're looking for? Just the lead vocal line or harmonies as well?

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

A: Have a somewhat clear vision of what you want for your project. It's okay not to know all of the specifics. But it really helps me know how to serve you best if you have an idea of what you want.

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

A: Laptop, Ableton Live, Keyboard, Mic, Interface. (do the necessary cables come with the gear? lol). If there was no power, because I was on a desert island, I'd take a piano, acoustic guitar, chord chart book, and pen and paper, haha.

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

A: I've been singing and performing since I was four years old (I'm now 29)! My professional career in music started in 2017 after I graduated from the Academy of Contemporary Music in OKC, OK, with a bachelor's degree in Music Production. I began writing my own music and performing live. In 2020 I started the band Five Year Gap with my younger brother, Brody, and we have been releasing music and gigging regularly for the past 4 years. I started my freelance vocal recording and songwriting business in 2021 primarily through Airgigs.

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

A: Twenty One Pilots are my favorite band. Tyler is my favorite songwriter. I'd love to write and sing a song with him. One of my biggest dreams is for my band, Five Year Gap, to open for them on tour.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Get a vocal chain setup locked in that you love and are confident with. I use Izotope de-noise and the CLA vocals plugin for my vocal chain. I took a masterclass with Ryan Tedder, and he uses the CLA plugin, and it has changed my life! So easy and quick and really makes my vocals pop. If it's a mainstream pop track, I will also use Autotune Artist to provide crystal-clear and tight vocals.

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

A: Pop! I've also written and recorded country, gospel/Christian, and singer/songwriter projects.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: For vocals, tight production quality and the ability to capture the emotion of a song with my voice. For songwriting, catchy hooks and lyrics that tell a story.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Professional, radio-ready quality vocals that fit the vibe of the client's song. For songwriting, I bring a fresh take to the genre requested while remaining within the sphere of the said genre.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Open session template for tracking vocals. Track the lead. Double the lead twice. Track the harmonies (middle, then high, then low). Track any additional BGV's. Track ad-libs. Edit vocals. Tune where needed. Add appropriate reverb and delay. Mix vocals to the track provided by the client. Export demo. Export acapella vocals. Export all individual vocals w/out FX. For songwriting, I normally start with lyrics and melody, find chords that fit, and adjust from there. Sometimes, I start with a chord progression to get things going.

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

A: My favorite band is Twenty One Pilots! I'm obsessed with Tyler's songwriting, and the band's production quality is insane. I mostly write and record pop vocals for clients, so for those I take a lot of inspiration from Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, and Dua Lipa, depending on the vibe of the song!

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

A: Songwriting and vocals. I have 4+ years of experience recording vocals and writing songs for clients.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I record and edit/mix in Ableton Live. My vocals are recorded on an AKG C414 through a Scarlett interface. I use the Slate Plugin Bundle, Izotope Studio Bundle, and CLA Vocals plugin. I use Melodyne for vocal tuning and may use Autotune to achieve a specific sound, depending on the project type. For sound isolation, I use the Kaotica Eyeball.