BECOMING THE SINGER

I began subproject two with no fixed idea of who the artist should be. I believed and hoped that a solution would present itself at a later stage. The singers in Rio and Nashville were great but they weren’t the right fit for this project – they were needed in the recording process but now I had to figure this ‘problem’ out. When returning to Denmark I had some ideas of what kind of voice would suit the songs and the music. 

It was suggested to me – be close music professionals – that ‘why don’t you do it yourself?’ Now, I came up with the compositions and know them by heart, but I wouldn’t consider myself a great singer – I don’t have the skills to sing at the level others can… that is my own understanding of course. 

But contemplating this and also considering maintaining the polar positions of the project as initiator and facilitator it actually made sense for me to also take on the role of the singer. It would have huge consequences and expand the project to also encompass the role of being the artist. In relation to the modern music producer also being the composer and in relation to another contemporary reality of the ‘self-producing artist’ I made the decision to sing the music myself.

When I transitioned from solely the role of the producer in this project to also becoming the composer and now also artist, several significant shifts occur that affects both the process and the outcomes of the project. Here is a breakdown of these changes:

1. Artistic control and vision

As the composer and artist in addition to being the producer, I now have a central and defining role in the creative process. This puts me in a unique position of comprehensive control over the musical material, allowing me to execute a singular and cohesive vision across all stages of the project.

2. Artistic innovation and experimentation

My new role might also lead to more radical and integrated forms of experimentation, as there is no ‘boundary’ between the composer/artist's intentions and the producer's interpretation. This might result in a more seamless and organic integration of compositional ideas and production techniques.

3. Personal and emotional investment

Becoming the composer and artist may intensify my emotional connection to the work. The music isn’t just something I am helping to shape; it is a direct expression of my own artistic identity. This might infuse the project with a deeply personal resonance.

4. Negotiation and collaboration dynamics

My earlier focus on negotiating artistic co-ownership becomes an internal process – at least in the postproduction and vocal recording process since the recording of the music were already ‘negotiated’. The negotiation now may be more about balancing my roles as producer, composer, and artist rather than an external dialogue with separate individuals. At this point this changes the dynamic of the “negotiation” aspect of subproject two’s last stages significantly.

5. Contextual impact

By taking on the roles of composer and artist, my relationship to the cultural and social contexts of my music becomes more direct. The project then becomes not just an exploration of the producer's role but also a personal artistic statement, reflecting my own position within these broader contexts.

6. Ethical considerations 

The ethical questions around co-ownership and rights may then become less complex, as most of the creative input is centralized. This streamlines the project but also changes the focus from the initial ethical inquiries.

7. Educational value

My project may serve as a rich, holistic case study for students and peers, demonstrating the many roles that a single individual can occupy within a music project. It highlights the evolving nature of what it means to be a “music producer” in the contemporary landscape.

By becoming the composer and artist in addition to the producer, the project transforms significantly from the original idea. It evolves into a more introspective and holistic exploration of my own artistic practice, with me at the helm of both the creative and technical aspects of music creation. This shift places me at the center of all the project’s dimensions – from the artistic and emotional to the ethical and educational.

Recording my vocal

I’ve been in many vocal recording sessions, and I have also a lot of experience with recording my own voice. The goal for me when recording vocals is to obtain a vocal performance that is emotionally compelling and comes across as transparent and with nuances and emphasis in the way that suits the message of the song and the music. 

With the singers from Rio and Nashville in the back of my mind and with the stellar musicians playing on these tracks this was the most difficult task I have ever had when singing. I felt the quality of the musicians and their performance was so great, that there was little room for me. My abilities as a singer could not match the level of what they did on a musical level. That was tough and left me in a spot where serious doubts arose about the idea of me singing. 

The solution, to this very apparent obstacle when wearing all hats in the project, was to change my attitude… it seems easy but my idea was that I couldn’t solve the task of being the singer from the same level as the musicians were at; they were just too good for me – I had to change my approach and idea of what singing these songs would be. One maybe obvious condition was that these songs had never been played live before – they were created as demos on my computer and then played be musicians… I hadn’t actually sung the songs in their entirety and maybe that why I felt my singing had a hard time getting there, being the right fit. I had to rehearse.

I practiced and rehearsed for maybe 4-5 weeks and by this method I got close to what I felt the songs needed and I was okay with my vocal performance though everyone who has recorded their own voice knows that process is so weird and difficult to maintain an objective distance to.

My process when recording vocals is a trusted one: I do maybe 3 takes of the vocal from top-to-bottom and then I edit them together – creating a ‘comp’ or composition of the vocal recording. The editing often involves doing it on a syllable level and then I use a tuner to make sure the tuning of the voice is ok. It is not set on auto, but I do it by hand – that achieves the most musical result, I believe.  I correct timing where needed. Then that same day or another day I do 3 takes more and do another comp of the initial comp and the 3 new takes. This ensures always optimizing the performance.