I have been emailing with several aspiring singers about the music business. They have gotten a bit discouraged by some road blocks and/or less than positive feedback- so I'm gonna share a little about what it takes to be in that industry- starting with my most humiliating moment in the music industry.
Last year- I auditioned for "America's Got Talent" I was called back to the Tv auditions and told what to wear and what to sing- Oh- and I WAS NOT allowed to use any back up- I had to do it acapella(they REALLY didn't want a singer to win last year) I was told that if I did as asked- I would make it into the top 40 when "AMerica" starts to vote. I know how politics are in these kinds of things- so i DID what they asked. Unfortunately- I was caught in the first audition show of last year and what you DIDN't see- was actually more dramatic than what you did get to see. ***Note that after that show and all the controversy with Piers lambasting CHILDREN- they made him and the crowd lighten up considerably- I was just unlucky to be in that first taping before they got the "formula right".
They encouraged a very "Jerry Springer"(read low class uncouth) audience to be as rude as possible. The contestants were not allowed to see what was going on while the other performers were on stage(they kept us in a room downstairs and brought us up to tape in groups of 3)- but all I knew was that everyone was coming back in tears- young- old whatever- and those who had more "classical" talents such as "opera, broadway, ballet, jazz etc" were catching the worst of it. Even knowing this- AND being one of the "broadway" style singers with the song they told me to sing- I still wasn't nervous because I have never come across a crowd that honestly didn't "WANT" to like me.
I could feel the hostility from the audience as soon as I stepped on stage- almost like a hiss. Here I was in this sparkly evening gown- getting ready to sing a BROADWAY song- to a crowd that appeared to have been recuited from the gang ridden streets of LA. I almost changed my song and did something more "R&B" but i remembered what they had told me about doing what they said- So i took a breath and started.
Piers buzzed me literallyon the first note. The audience was booing and waving their arms to get me off the stage. I have never been so mortified in my life. Sharon took pity and buzzed me about 1/2 way through my song. But David was eating up the crowds hostility. When i saw that he wasn't going to buzz me- but wanted to draw out the misery- I tuned out everything and concentrated on my song. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to sing a song with 3 modulations acapella? Now add in the ghetto crowd booing and screaming the entire time and you might be able to get a picture of it. David waited until i FINISHED my song to buzz me. Piers told me I sounded like "a harpooned whale" i said "Ok Thanks" but never allowed any emotion to show. David said "it's a shame when you came on with so much confidence" i told him" I'm leaving the same way. I've been a professional singer for 20 years and this crowd and you don't have the ability to make me doubt anything about my talent- only your hearing" and i walked off stage. jerry was apologising until the cameras turned on me and him then he asked me "how do you feel about what the crowd did" I said " I think it says a whole LOT more about your CROWD than it does my TALENT" jerry make a cut motion to the camera and let me go.
I'm not gonna lie- i went to my hotel room and cried my eyes out.
I got a call from the producers the next day apologising for "piers" and they said what he said would not be aired. I told them if they were going to air ANYTHING- to air it ALL! I also told them that it would totally discredit them as a "talent show" if they DID air it- because I knew I hadn't missed a note! The producer laughed and said "yeah we know. We watched the film back and it was amazing that you didn't"
The end result- you never saw a hair of my head on the show because it WOULD have made them look like fools-But I lived the next 3 months scared sh!tless that my most embarassing moment would be aired on national TV( Oh and trust me- once they have footage of you- they can make it sound/look like ANYTHING they want to with editing) . So the end result is that I still have the scars(healed though they may be) - but I'm also not blind and trusting anymore either.
Was it a worthy exchange? I think so! I Know it was a lesson I needed to learn. If you are thinking of pursuing anything in any aspect of the entertainment industry- you need to learn it too- Hopefully you can learn through THIS rather than experiencing something similar on your own.
I left there with many questions about why they would set up a legitimate talent like me( and others) then put acts like "boy shakira" through. There really aren't any answers to those questions. And I had the rose tinted glasses I saw the world and "reality shows" through ripped off.
Do I think that "reality shows" are 'reality"- NO- they absolutely are NOT! they are whatever the producers feel will get the biggest reaction- and that obviously sn't always the best "talent" Do I still watch them- YES...cuz the producers are right- they DO make for great TV. Will I ever audition again. Well if i could find a way to without my husband,(who is out for BLOOD over the way I was treated), finding out - YEAH- I probaby WOULD- but this time I would NOT allow them to "set me up" and i would come loaded for bear and not as a naieve innocent girl. Reality Shows are just another form of gambling. They have HUGE risks- but the payoff is equally HUGE. How large are your kahunas? Mine are HUGE!
The reason I am putting this out there- is so that the singers I am talking to- and any other of you aspiring singers, musicians, etc...who are feeling like it's "Too Hard" will understand what it takes to "make it" I can sum it up in One sentence.
"If YOU don't fully believe in yourself- how could you ask anyone ELSE to believe in you?"
So if you know you have a talent but aren't getting where you want to go...then TRY HARDER. Always remember- you can NEVER make EVERYONE happy- all the time..but you CAN make SOME of the people happy SOME of the time. All that means is that everyone has different likes and dislikes- they all have different tastes. What you need to find out is "what part of your talent gets the most positive response from the largest number of people. And take note of WHO those people are- THEY are YOUR market.
I may of gotten booed off the stage at Americas got Talent- but it was my own fault for not listening to my gut feeling about what THAT audience needed from me( and it WASN'T BROADWAY!). Boy Shakira, Leonid the Magnificent and Rappin Granny would have been run out of the "Top of the mark"( the jazz club where I perform in San Francisco) Well actually- they wouldn't have passed the dress code to get "IN" in the first place..
. The bottom line is THERE IS AN AUDIENCE FOR EVERY- and i do mean EVERY "talent".
BOTTOM LINE...ya gotta keep on keepin on. keep a positive attitude- and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! Are you going to get "kicked in the teeth" YES you are....are you going to be frustrated- Oh YEAH! are you gonna cry your eyes out periodically( or want to) YUP you are. but the question you need to ask yourself is how bad to you want it? How important is it to you? What are you willing to sacrifice for it? Nothing worth having comes easily...ask any MOM how hard birth was, what changes in their life did having a baby make? How much have they given up to have a child. Then ask if they would change anything! Like giving birth- your career choice is something you center your life around. if you aren't willing to put into it the sacrifice that something this "life changing" demands- then maybe the entertainment industry isn't for you. Like I said...set backs are a natural normal things. And truly...what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I know that sounds cliche- but it's true. I have learned more from any ONE of the most painful things that ever happened to me - than any TEN of the pleasant ones COMBINED.
That said...is there anything wrong with singing "just" at a karaoke show, or "just" in the church choir...or even "JUST" at your own home...NOT AT ALL. But no matter what your ultimate goal with your "talents" may be- understand that you can't move from wherever it is you are right now without "changing" and change is never comfortable( unless you win the lottery) Even if your goal is something as simple as a move from the "choir" to "soloist" there will always be setbacks and times when you feel like giving up. Whether you achieve your goal is all dependant on how persistant you are. But my advise is- is you aren't going to pursue a career in the enterteinment industry- don't take everything so seriously. if its not your livelihood- HAVE FUN with it- that's the only reason you'd do anything like that in the first place. But for those of you who are seriously thinking of or who are actively attempting to enter this industry- get ready for one of the most cut throat and difficult- yet most fun and rewarding ways to ear a few bucks.
I'm sure there are TONS of people out there with similar stories- please feel free to add yours- But I would like to avoid this turning into an "Oh I've been done SO wrong whining thread" Don't just share the hard things you've been through- tell us what you LEARNED from it. I'll look forward to "getting to know all of you better"
Paula
....I think I prefer to sing places where they actually compensate me ahead of time to be there....then they HAVE to appreciate it to get their moneys worth! (wink)
(hand on hip finger wagging)Bad girl - getting us off topic! 
waaauuughhh!