I'm often asked which I prefer - singing, writing or vocal coaching? It's a tough call to determine which is my favourite as I love ALL elements of the musical job that I do, but when I was offered the chance to combine everything together by recording the anthem for World Voice Day 2016... Well... I can't begin to explain how excited I was!
World Voice Day celebrates all that's great and wonderful about our voices. Most of us have a voice, but few of us utilise it to it's maximum potential. There are those that are too shy to sing, some of us worry about what we should say and even more of us fail to 'speak up' when expressing our feelings would make a huge impact on those around us. That's why World Voice Day is so important because it's a shout out to everyone to speak up and be heard, because the power of the voice is a wonderful thing.
For me, the melodic voice is wonderful, so when I was asked to create the anthem for World Voice Day this year I knew the song needed to be something special. It needed to be a song that delivered a message, held resonance with a variety of audiences and which was also easy and catchy enough for people to learn and sing to themselves. That's how the anthem 'Restart' was born. It's a track about stopping to think about the relationships in your life and taking time out to press the 'reset' button when we know that things aren't going right. It's about reassessing, rewinding and restarting. I've combined elements of RnB and pop together so that the anthem is one of those vibes that works its way around your head and you find yourself singing it in the shower - that's when I know that the song has done its job.
I decided to personally celebrate World Voice Day this year by giving something back to the children of the UK, after-all, they're our future generation and with music slowly slipping from the National Curriculum in primary schools, I felt that something needed to be done in order to bring a burst of music into the lives of little ones. So, on Saturday 16 April (World Voice Day), I'm inviting children from all over the UK to join me for a special vocal coaching session, where I'll teach the secrets and tips behind using your voice vocally so that you really get heard. Following that lesson, the children will be given the chance to record 'Restart' with me, with every single child having a vocal part on that song - it's an anthem and I felt it should be shared, so what better way than inviting everyone to be part of it.
So if you have children, come along and be part of this amazing day. It's free and more info can be found at: http://www.yamahamusiclondon.com/article.php?article_id=101
Children smile when they're singing, it's the most wonderful thing to watch and hear. If you're free, come along and join me. Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy singing along to the anthem as much as I've enjoyed creating it! Raise your voices and be heard on World Voice Day!