As you progress in your singing journey, you will one day stumble across something that will change your career forever: your “perfect song”. And when this long-awaited day finally happens, a new world of opportunity, confidence and appreciation for your instrument will appear. “But Freya, what is my “perfect song”?”, you ask. Well, I can’t tell you that. But essentially, a perfect song is a piece of music that feels great to sing (as if it was written for you), engages the audience, and becomes your trademark song. It’s a song that can be used for performances and auditions, and something that you whip out at the last second. This song is important mostly because it’s convenient, but also has the potential to make you memorable, which is what we all want as performers, right? And the best part in finding your “perfect song” is that you can have more than one! So, without further ado, here are my top tips for finding your perfect song!
- Find something that your voice can reliably perform
Obviously the first step is to find a song you can actually sing! For example, if you are a soprano, then maybe “As Long As He Needs Me” isn’t the right choice. You want something that shows your best vocal assets, so for a soprano, something that shows off those soaring high notes is more beneficial for you. Finding a song that sits in your range is important for choosing any song. When I say this, I mean finding a song that you can sing all of most of the time, not some of the time. If there’s a big belty moment that you can only belt after doing an hour-long warm up (btw, please don’t warm-up for an hour), then maybe not. If you find that you just can’t get a hang of the timing, then thank you, next! I’m not saying find an easy song, but make sure your song choice is realistic.
- Find something that shows off your acting chops
Now by all means, I’m not saying that your “perfect song” will be exclusively music theatre. However, I believe that every song is a story. We use our voices to tell stories and to express varying emotions. Whether you are in an audition or performance, it is always most engaging when you use your body, face and acting choices to aid in your vocals. For your perfect song, think about something that you could possibly connect to or feel comfortable creating a story within. Everything line and choice needs to be made with intention and sincerity, and for your perfect song, it is important to show versatility and vulnerability.
- Find something that is contrasting
As someone who has watched countless live performances, it is SO BORING when someone is singing a song that melodically and structurally sounds the same. While music theatre benefits from the dramatics, pop songs tend to fall into a pit of using the same chord progression and melodic structure without any build. I suggest finding a piece that contrasts in between verses and chorus. Whether it’s through written embellishments or tempo change, it is important to take your audience on a musical journey as well as an acting one. While you can make a song contrast on your own through tonal changes, voice acting choices and more, you are more likely to be successful with one that gives you more choice.
- Find something that builds in the bridge
This section should really be headed simply “Find something that builds” because finding a song that progresses is one of the most important aspects in any song. However, I think there is something really special about the bridge. It’s the part in the music that dramatically changes, and we want it to lead to something that is impressive, beautiful or heart wrenching. A good bridge to me is something that I compare to tension: something that makes you feel a particular way as it builds and builds until the tension breaks and you feel relieved. You want the bridge to build, giving the audience a chance to anticipate and long for a release, and most of the time, when that build is performed successfully, the audience may have an emotional reaction to it. And that, my friends, is the best kind of reaction
- Find something that shows off your money notes
At the top of the list, we spoke about singing something that is in your range. Now we are adding to this, with you showing off your best, most impressive notes. You need to give the audience your best, and if you can belt your face off or reach the lowest depths of the earth with your voice, then it is your responsibility – no, your POWER to showcase that. For your perfect song, you have to show what makes you different, what makes you a star. This is one of the ways you do it (although, not the only way. We’ll walk more about that later)! But, referencing list item number 1, make sure it is something you can reliably do.
- Find something that keeps the audience wanting more
So, you’ve something in your range that shows you off. But you probably have a dozen songs that do this that you don’t consider your “perfect song”. So what’s missing? I can tell you that there is something incredibly special about a song that leaves the audience wanting more from you. Something that shows you off as someone to watch out for, not just another singer. Someone who is memorable. You want the audience to become a “fan” of you. And you can either do this by singing something that touches people’s hearts or make them laugh. Singing a ballad like “On My Own” may impress some people, but a ballad like “With You” is so heart wrenchingly touching that I have failed to experience an unmemorable performance of it.
- Find something that isn’t “overdone” and is uniquely you
This one is a toughie and may be hard to swallow. This is because a lot of songs that have the above characteristics are quite popular among performers already. But the dilemma is, unless you can guarantee that you are the absolute best at performing that song, you risk becoming automatically unmemorable and even compared negatively against other singers. I also think this is the hardest step out of all of them, simple because there are only so many of these songs. I’m not saying that the “perfect song” has to be from an underground show that has only ever been perform twice in an alleyway in Beijing, but I would suggest steering clear from the “Defying Gravity”, “She Used to Be Mine” and “This is the Moment”’s of the world. When your perfect song becomes “overdone”, you want to be THAT person that people think of when others sing it. You want it to have the potential of becoming your song (at least in your immediate music circles).
- Find something that you are proud to sing
This is perhaps the most important part of singing your “perfect song”. It’s pretty self-explanatory and at risk of being a little cheesy, but this is a song that you may sing a lot. Having a song that makes you feel empowered, validated and proud to be a performer is incredibly critical for a successful “perfect song”.
- Optional: Find something that has a key change
This is not essential, but I always love a good key change (I’m a Eurovision fan, who can blame me?). I just think that key changes bring excitement to a song and is an easy way to show off your voice. It also plays well with building a song and gives the audience the relief that we spoke about earlier.
- Optional: Find something that works cut down for audition purposes
Again, not essential, but if a song works so well with your voice, then why not sing it for auditions (if they are an appropriate choice for the audition brief, of course)? The above characteristics make for a great audition piece. However, sometimes, especially when the story in the song is linear (for example, “Meadowlark”) this can be difficult. But have no fear: I will be writing soon about how to find the “perfect” song for your audition cut!
Now that you have these tips, have fun finding your “perfect song”. It may take some time, but once you find your first one, it will be well worth the wait. One of my favourite perfect songs is “No One Else” from Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet 1812. I would love you to hear your perfect songs – comment below!