More Singing Competition TV Shows!?

More Singing Competition TV Shows!?

It seems that Simon Cowell has some competition!

Last weekend saw the first episode of the new singing / talent show “Must Be The Music” which is being judged by Dizzee Rascal, Sharleen Spiteri and Jamie Cullum.

But what it is about singing which appears to keep us all glued to the box?

I think the answer to this – is that there are a huge number of people who think they can sing – and actually, there is an astonishing number of people who actually can sing – and a lot who can’t sing  at all but think they can – and both make fantastic TV!

Who doesn’t like to sing, even it’s just to ourselves when we think no one is watching or listening?

There’s a huge difference though between singing in the shower, and singing in front of a live studio audience & watched live by millions of people on TV, as I found out for myself when I was invited to perform a song on the TV spectacular, Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes!

Uri with the other Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes

Once upon a time, I would not have dared to open my mouth — I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. So rather than make a complete fool out of myself, I turned to a wonderful voice coach, Stephen Hill at the Royal Academy of Music. “We’re not going to turn you into a real singer,” he admitted straight away. “I’m not a miracle worker. What I am going to do is teach you to make the very best of what you’ve got, and show you how to fill every note with so much emotion that people will forget the quality of the voice.”

The song I had chosen was the ballad made famous by Charles Aznavour, She. I asked Stephen to help me interpret the lyrics.

“The song has to speak for itself,” he said. “If a singer needs to explain to you what it means, then he has failed.”

That sounded mysterious, and I didn’t fully grasp what Stephen was telling me until I talked it over with my wife, Hanna. “Forget the words and think about the emotions,” she said. “Music is a language all of its own.”

Hanna was right. I grew up speaking Hebrew and Hungarian, and most of the time I use English, of course. I am also able to get by in German, Japanese and Greek. But when people ask which language I use for thinking, I always think it’s a strange question because I think in emotions, not words — and feelings are the same in every language.

It struck me that my friend John Lennon never could remember the lyrics he wrote. If I’d penned words even a fraction as poignant as the verses of ‘Imagine’ or ‘Help’, they’d be carved above the fireplace or sculpted in wrought iron over the gates. But half the time John couldn’t remember his own song titles, never mind the words.

I listened entranced as he sang to his son Sean, who was only four years old when John and I would meet in hotel lobbies in New York for a series of increasingly intense discussions about spirituality and life beyond Earth. Even singing a nonsense song like Be-Bop-A-Lula, John would turn the chorus into stream of consciousness gibberish… because he’d forgotten the real words.

“It’s a real problem when I’m writing a song,” he told me once. “I have to scribble down all the words as they pop into my head — and then I can’t read my own handwriting.”

He scrabbled through his pockets and pulled out a ribbon of newsprint torn from the edge of the New York Times. In a cramped scrawl along the strip, he had jotted: “I’m just sitting here watching the cars-de-dah-de-dah.”

“Are they police cars?” I asked. “De-dah-de-dah?”

“I’ve got the tune,” he explained, “but the second half of the line won’t come.”

“I’ve got it,” I said, inspired: “I’m just sitting here watching the trees blow in the breeze!”

John flashed me a look so withering that I understood in an instant that it can’t always have been easy to be Paul McCartney. “Uri,” he said, “stick to the spoons.” And he started doodling on that strip of paper, endless spirals that looked like wheels. Wheels going round and round…

Armed with those insights from Hanna and John, I was able to pour my heart and soul into performing She on TV.

See what you think : http://site.uri-geller.com/uri_is_singing_as_charles_aznavour

I enjoyed it, although I won’t be putting my name down for “Must be The Music” – I wish the very best of luck however to anyone who is doing so.

Here’s one piece of advise though if you are one of the thousands of people who will apply for this show, or any other similar show – ignore what your family & friends say about your singing, go find a local vocal coach, tell them what you’re considering doing, and ask them to tell you their honest thoughts.

If a vocal coach tells you that you have an incredible voice – then you have an incredible voice. If friends or relatives tell you this, 1) They may just not want to hurt your feelings, and 2) They may have a completely different idea than everybody else about what a good singing voice is.

If you do this – you could save yourself a lot of embarrassment! Also – most people who do this will probably find that they don’t have bad voices, but that they could improve them with some vocal coaching – I know myself how much difference good coaching makes, so having some vocal training before your audition is a very good plan.