Tamara Beatty sees your voice

ep3 Tamara Beatty sees your voice

[00:00:00] Imagine that you are given a dream job and this dream job is very fulfilling and full of perks and leads to other dream opportunities. But the one thing about this dream job is that you can never talk about your dream job. It’s the fight club of dream jobs. Tamara Beatty has been a voice coach consultant on NBC’s The Voice.

For over 20 seasons as well as other similar shows like Fox’s The Masked Singer, I Can See Your Voice, and most recently, Apple TV’s My Kind of Country. But you never see her. Her work is always off camera, and fortunately, she possesses a charming humility uniquely suited for never talking about the shows, how they work, what the celebrities are like, or what you missed behind the scenes.

In fact, Tamara has worked with all kinds of celebrity acts, touring and chart topping singers, and none of them make their way onto her [00:01:00] resume or bio or in casual conversation. She has impacted hundreds of singers through workshops and lessons, worked with major recording artists for vocal arranging and emergency tour support, and developed her own coaching platform called VoiceFit to help reach more singers through an app available soon in 2025.

This is Almost Famous Enough. My name is Glen Erickson. Thank you for spending your time with us. This is Tamara Beatty. .

 

 

Glen Erickson: it’s great. It’s great.

Tamara: Awesome.

Glen Erickson: I mean, first and foremost tomorrow, we already said, like, it’s great to see you. It’s been a really long

Tamara: It’s been a really long time,

Glen Erickson: Yeah, I can’t remember [00:02:00] the last I mean, this isn’t technically face to face, but I can’t even remember exactly the last face to face. So I mean,

Tamara: many years.

Glen Erickson: is you haven’t changed a bit,

Tamara: Well, I don’t know, but I appreciate that. I would say the same about you.

Glen Erickson: you look like, like, we’ve known each other 10 years now.

And you look Exactly how I expected from meeting

Tamara: well, that’s great. Maybe we shouldn’t meet in person just in case that’s not so,

Glen Erickson: don’t, don’t ruin it.

Tamara: yeah, right.

Glen Erickson: That’s completely, that’s completely fair. So where are you sitting right now?

Tamara: I am sitting in my little place in a loft in upstate New York.

Glen Erickson: Okay. And for a Canadian boy like me, who doesn’t pay enough attention, when someone says upstate New York, what does that actually mean compared to New York? New York. Okay.

Tamara: New York, really, because I guess, you know, there’s New York city, by the way, I’m really bad at geography, but I think I got this one. So we’ve got New York city down [00:03:00] south basically. And that’s like Manhattan, the boroughs, all those sorts of things.

And then. North is upstate and we’re even more north central New York. So it’s about two and a half hours to Canada. So it’s not too far south from the border.

Glen Erickson: Okay. So thank you so much by the way for joining me and for doing this with me like so II already said like I met you 10 years ago you know through a function uh an event thing where obviously you were showing up to be a voice coach and since that time I have said at many times in many different places.

I think everybody have a moment with Tamara Beattie

Tamara: Oh, thank you.

Glen Erickson: Uh, no, I sincerely mean it. I think that, what you do and, the impact you have and all of that, I’ve just seen it. in lots of different situations and I think it’s amazing and I’ve always liked that every artist should have an opportunity in particular meet you spend time with you, uh, I [00:04:00] mean, I don’t have I don’t have personal experience with a bunch of other voice or performance coaches So, you know, maybe you’re sitting there saying well Glen’s only seen one There’s like lots of good ones out there, but I feel like I and others that I know have you know struck at rich and hit gold by, you being the first, uh, vocal and performance coaches that kind of really their way into our life.

So, um, there’s like so many things I could talk to you about a, because we haven’t talked in a really long

Tamara: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: many things we could talk about, be like, just the way. That I feel like there’s a lot of value in telling stories, which is why I’m doing this, could probably go a lot of directions.

So I just want, you know, I don’t have some like particular set put that I’m going to try to get out of it, which even when we were exchanging questions, uh, outside of this, uh, you know, I appreciate your level of preparation, so [00:05:00] let me let me start here with this. So, even in trying to think about what your title was, I most often just think of you as a voice and performance coach. And I and I’ve known for that. I think you. know, you got this long, pretty long and impressive list of like credits and things that you’ve worked for or been a part of. And, I think what makes it the hardest for me and maybe others is, that the fact that you’re associated with it. Television show called The Voice, which then means not to use the word voice coach because it’s sort of redundant

Tamara: right?

Glen Erickson: and the branding versus what you do and that they call the people on the show a coach.

So both of those words all of a sudden feel like off limits and change it, but at your core who you are outside of that part of what you do for portions of the year. Is that still how you define yourself when you go out, if you do speaking engagements, when you do [00:06:00] workshops or lessons or any of that kind of stuff?

Is it still voice and performance coach or has that evolved?

Tamara: I think I would still say voice and performance coach, or vocal and performance coach. I guess at the heart of it, like there’s so many different types of vocal coaches. There are people who they vocal arrange and they’re really amazing at that. Other people work more with, I guess people who are interested in with choirs and things like that, so we’ve got that.

sort of lane, um, people who do say weekly lessons and they see somebody all the time and they’re helping with development. And for me, I’ve kind of landed, you know, a long time ago now, but in the lane of industry. Voice coach, basically. So just working with people in the industry, whether they’re on tour or they’re on television shows, or they’re doing something kind of, that puts a little extra demand either on the body or the voice or the mind, and that’s sort of the way that I.

Look at it because there are so [00:07:00] many different types of coaches, but yes, I would say voice and performance coach.

Glen Erickson: Well, that’s a great point and I want to earmark that because I think what I want to get to is sort of how you landed where you landed and then what that means and I think talking about what the other things are is really sort of great to frame that and and in the way that people would know or understand what or how coaching happens and where it happens.

So to jump all the way back to your kid growing up in Canada Calgary and obviously you You were exposed to music and you latched on at a pretty young age, right? And you’re, I mean, a lot of us, you hear this story all the time, right? I began singing when I was old enough to make a sound or something like that.

So we, a lot of people have that in their history and you latched on and you started developing it at a pretty young age, but. A lot of people that path is a typical path towards i’m trying to be some version of a singer And it very quickly became a vocal coach for you, and i’m really interesting [00:08:00] interested in the young age in which that happened and sort of where those first opportunities To even do that and how that happens for a young person and a young person in canada, right?

Not terribly close or connected

Tamara: No,

Glen Erickson: the industry to

Tamara: small town. Yeah.

Glen Erickson: very far from the industry, too so

Tamara: Yes,

Glen Erickson: could you sort of like paint a little picture about how that developed for you?

Tamara: sure. So when I was younger, I don’t think I ever immediately said I’m going to be a singer or I’m going to be a coach. I was just sort of. Doing life and that involved mostly sports. I would say when I was younger for fun, I loved sports. So it kind of started off there and it wasn’t until I think I was in grade four where my dad, he thought that I made too many mouth sounds.

Like I would try and make car sounds and, you know, make all sorts of sounds of any type. [00:09:00] And then they said, well, would you like to take singing lessons? And I was like. Sure. I never even knew about it. I never even heard about it. I hadn’t thought of myself as a singer or anything like that. So I took a bus, you know, from the school I was at to another little town that had an even smaller town than I was from, and I just took this weekly lesson and my teacher was.

Really just cool. She was just this really nice lady who did lessons in her home and she was just very encouraging for me. And it was her who, when I was 16, she said that it was time for me to start teaching. So that was actually really cool. It wasn’t like I had this idea. She came to me with,

Glen Erickson: So was she thinking you should start teaching in your home too and not necessarily telling you to go be an international coach? Or what, what was the, I, I’m being a little tongue in cheek, but what was sort of the, the thing that she saw and that, you know, that [00:10:00] you’ve sort of from that? Hmm.

Tamara: I don’t know what she saw. I have seen her like, I don’t know, probably 12 years ago. I got, I got to see her again.

Glen Erickson: Hmm.

Tamara: it was, I had like this little event that they were honoring me for something and, um, I invited her cause I was thinking, you know, she’s really the one who, I don’t know, maybe I would have still become that, but I.

Really value that she did see something in me that could amount to being a coach. And I just took it and ran basically. So I started up my little kind of coaching business from my home. I had no idea about the industry. I still, you know, it’s not like I was trying to be a pop singer, even when I was younger.

I was doing Italian arias and all sorts of different languages. And I just really enjoyed that. And I just look, you know, forward to the recitals that she held all the time. That was basically. It, I was very into sports. So sports was my main thing growing up. [00:11:00] Um, I ended up kind of training with a few different coaches and that was sort of my main focus.

But singing along the way was something that, you know, I went to weekly and I just loved.

Glen Erickson: And what, what was the sports, what were you pursuing?

Tamara: So it was really track and field was the main one. I mean, I did volleyball, but I would say track and field was where I kind of got the farthest and felt like it was like my. my sport. So I did like a 400 hurdles. Uh, I did the 400, but I wasn’t as good at the 400. I more excelled at the hurdles and triple jump.

Those are kind of my big events.

Glen Erickson: And so if you like, you said you sort of excelled, like excelled to the level where you’re getting personal coaching.

Tamara: Well, yeah. So basically like in Canada, there’s your little teams and then you go to these meets and then you can qualify for different things. And so, you know, I qualified for nationals and then for worlds and I was kind of just in that [00:12:00] little. world

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Tamara: going to track meets all of the time.

Glen Erickson: And there’s a lot of coaching built in for that. I just ask, cause I know like this is a big part of how you’ve constructed kind of the way you. Teach

Tamara: I think it’s the biggest

Glen Erickson: Yeah,

Tamara: impact that I’ve had in order to bring over to my voice coaching. Like, I think I would have been a coach no matter what

Glen Erickson: yeah.

Tamara: thing I was coaching. I do think I would have been a coach and I just love the coach experience. I love being coached. I value that very much. I love the trusted relationship you have with somebody where you can say, okay, I trust you.

Tell me what to do. And you can trust that they’re not only going to give you the things to do, but also try and give the, give it to you in a way which feeds your motivation and doesn’t deter you. And so it’s like that strategy behind it and, you know, helping somebody have a really strong mindset. Cause a lot of coaching at an industry level is, [00:13:00] you know, Really, mostly requires having, you know, the people that you work with be able to withstand a lot of demands, even mental and physical demands, not just singing demands.

So that is kind of where I feel like the heart of my coaching comes from is literally my sports coaching.

Glen Erickson: And did you did you put that together when you started to see that at that level? Or had you started to make connections way earlier in your own development of your coaching style?

Tamara: I did not realize it was kind of the main thing that propelled, I guess, was the motor behind my coaching until I started working on The Voice. Because I realized that when you’re working on the show, it’s like this perfect blend of voice coaching, like actually helping somebody sing, but also this kind of high performance competition, being able to, you know, bring out their best, elicit their best [00:14:00] performance, you know, before.

A very big opportunity and the mindset that comes with that and all the strategy. So I was like, Oh, wow. Like I love this. I was thinking about how can I periodize people’s voices to peak at a certain time, because that’s how my training was. I always made sure that people could peak at the moment they needed to peak.

So I started being really strategic about, you know, giving people exercises and the work that I would do with them to help them. peak on the day of their big performance, essentially.

Glen Erickson: So, going to ask sort of the ignorant question that I think maybe a lot of people listening would ask, it doesn’t seem like you quote unquote, go to school for a career as a vocal coach. there’s a lot of them. And if you were to like and Google who the top voice coaches in the industry are right like you’d get a pretty long list of a lot of people, and some who are maybe well known [00:15:00] names for something, but all have like gone through this thing so. And is everybody developing their own method and style in a, in a silo or how does having a career as long as yours, right? And sort of having a shoulder shoulder with all these peers, how is everybody developing a career as a vocal coach and your own style and techniques and all of that?

Tamara: Oh, that’s a great question. No one has ever asked me that. Definitely. There hasn’t been programs for becoming a vocal coach. I’m, I’m sure that there are like programs are definitely things for like vocal pedagogy to understand, like courses where you’re understanding the pedagogy, the anatomy and all those sorts of things.

And then there’s these side courses that people have put on, um, to help with like vocal rehabilitation. Rehabilitation restoration and things like that. Um, but a lot of it is Experience based and then sometimes you get thrown in a situation and then you kind of go from there. But essentially to me There’s the [00:16:00] coaching element and then there’s the content.

So the being a good coach is That’s my most important thing that I care about is being somebody who can listen and collaborate And try and do things For the best benefit of whoever I’m working with. It’s one thing to see somebody and go, okay, they need this, this, this, and this, and I’m going to tell them all those things that they need.

And then, you know, looking at the situation and going, well. What’s the one thing that we could do that will take them to where they need to go? And I try and do that so that people aren’t overwhelmed and that we’ve got a real clear kind of path forward and that people See gains right away. So to me, it’s like the coaching and so I didn’t like learn anywhere It was just I think was part of my upbringing and I have like a whole family of educators I did do a degree in education.

Although I just Feel like it was something in me maybe from a young age, [00:17:00] but the content itself, you know, there’s lots of places you can get information, but I think it’s, it’s most important when you’re using that. And so people can develop their own methods, but I think a lot of people just. Get told something and then they regurgitate it.

And there’s nothing wrong with that, but I think it’s very important to have that experience and to work with a lot of different types of voices. So you know what things work for different people and what things do not.

Glen Erickson: Yeah, Okay.

Tamara: Did I answer that?

Glen Erickson: yeah, you want to answer it beautifully. Of course. That’s great. Like I, I recognize that there’s a lot of ambiguity to that anyhow, right? I like I fully understand that. Uh, I think that there’s so many, uh, aspects in this vertical of pursuing a life in music, whether it be as the artist itself, or you end up somewhat adjacent in the industry of most people all relate to.

There was [00:18:00] nowhere to go to school for this, right? Like my friends who are really great promoters. They were in bands for a while,

Tamara: Right.

Glen Erickson: see how the business runs and then when they stopped being in a band but didn’t want to be out of music, that’s the thing that made sense to them and they started to apply what they knew.

So it’s everything feels on the job. So I totally get that. And I think there’s just a curiosity about how the on the job part develops for you, right? That’s a little bit different.

Tamara: Yeah, I mean, I started when I was 16, like I said, and I had my own little studio and I kind of learned like that. And then when I was, I think it was 18 or 19, I ended up in, in Maui actually, cause my sister lived there and, uh, Trying to make this story short, I would say that I had this book from a voice coach that my dad had purchased for me and somebody in Maui was, you know, saying that they were teaching this method.

And so I ended up going to them [00:19:00] and long story short, I ended up finding myself to the main teacher, um, who is Seth Riggs, actually. Um,

Glen Erickson: He’s on

Tamara: so.

Glen Erickson: you Google people,

Tamara: Yes, if you Google people and so are a lot of people who tout themselves as the best. They’re there, they’re there, they’re there too, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not awesome.

But, um, yeah, and so he is obviously a very influential kind of a, a coach and, you know, I definitely have enjoyed watching him coach and, um, trying to be delicate here because it’s, you know, what’s really weird about vocal coaching is it’s a very competitive type of a world, which is so, so odd. It’s a lot of coaches might feel, Oh, I have all the answers and your answers are wrong or whatever.

But

Glen Erickson: hmm.

Tamara: the truth is it’s the artist who has all the answers and. To me, a good coaching [00:20:00] is, is when you can unlock the answers within the artist right there. So it’s really not about having all of the answers and descending those answers upon people. It’s just. About like looking and listening and going, ah, this is what we can do.

And sure, there’s methods and, um, tactics to go about it, but to me, they are not The supreme focus and no particular method has ever been a supreme focus to me. In fact, I’ve tried very hard not to get too involved in too many methods because I, I want to really know what I think inside

Glen Erickson: so when I said at the beginning, like I would love for everybody and I’ve always felt like I think every artist should be able to have time with you. It comes from the fact that I got to watch you firsthand in a number of circumstances, right? And I got to watch you in that weird peak performance project bootcamp, which I know, uh, people listening won’t understand, but we had a development program [00:21:00] the focal point of this program was like a bootcamp.

It wasn’t a bootcamp because it was the most beautiful camp in

Tamara: It was awesome.

Glen Erickson: this lake. It was the most gorgeous place in, in interior BC. Um, and it was wonderful, but it was full of isolation. There was bad wifi and people were, you know, long hours in the day going through development classes, sessions, workshops, singing, writing, performing, the whole

Tamara: Mm-hmm

Glen Erickson: and, um, for some strange reason, the original organizers had set up when every artist that got into this thing would do their performance on their night, like three or four at night, like American Idol, like Simon Cowell them

Tamara: I know.

Glen Erickson: panel and you got introduced to this to be part of this panel, which felt like so now I know you and I’m like, that’s so counter to your personality to be put up there as if you’re going to critique these people you don’t even know after three songs.

Tamara: You know what was so weird? Can I just say [00:22:00] something?

Glen Erickson: yeah.

Tamara: You know, it was so weird to me is. Um, you know, we started seeing all of these people go, um, and then we would speak after and I realized after and in their, you know, expressions that they did not know that was happening or expect it to happen. And that’s when I was like, Oh man, because I’ve had that happen to me before where you’re doing something and then all of a sudden someone critiques you like out of the blue and you’re like, what, what’s going on?

Like, and so I’m very,

Glen Erickson: what was, what was happening, right?

Tamara: exactly. So like, I was watching that going, Oh my gosh. So I tried myself to, you know, I had been in those shoes and it’s, you don’t want to be defensive to the information coming towards you. Like you want to be able to receive it. Um, but anyways, I thought that was just like, just like a little funny little side that happened.

I was like, Oh no.

Glen Erickson: I can expand this side. I mean, backstory for anyone listening even further than what we already said. So there’s this, the radio [00:23:00] stations created, they created this program, a development program, but it was slash contest because it was driven by radio funded money that they had to contribute when they opened a new station in Canada over a seven year period.

And someone had this great idea. To work with them to create a development program for artists. So, so what satisfies radio is having a contest with a big prize at the end, cause it’s easier to sell that on the air and the other half of the money, we were able to fashion a development program for artists.

So very few high, highly competitive to get in odds, then of being able to win a lot of money. And I’ve already interviewed Jared of the Royal foundry.

Tamara: Ah, yeah, totally.

Glen Erickson: got shredded their first year and then came back wonderfully and won the

Tamara: And one, yeah.

Glen Erickson: K the second time. But, so this performance, yeah, they did.

And so, okay. So the funny backstory to me, even about this Simon Cowling moment, uh, cause you were on a panel with Ryan Guldemond of Mother, [00:24:00] Mother,

Tamara: Yes,

Glen Erickson: else from the industry, I think someone from Warner or Universal

Tamara: was four of us at the beginning. And Yes.

Glen Erickson: some industry people, but so the funny part to me, I’m going to give you, I can’t remember if I told you the story, but here’s my funny perspective 2014.

This is when I met you, right?

Tamara: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: meet, we meet in the airport at Kelowna where we’re getting picked up to get driven into interior British Columbia

Tamara: Oh, right. ’cause we were in the van,

Glen Erickson: And I only knew who you were as somebody because I was a person I was on the board that ran the whole thing right

Tamara: right?

Glen Erickson: also doing sessions on social media training so, but we’re in the van I arrive in Kelowna we get picked up.

I don’t remember even who was driving who picked us up but needless to say, here’s the funny thing so it’s going to speak

Tamara: no. What is it?

Glen Erickson: Well, it’s gonna, no, it’s going to embarrass me because, uh, I mean, it speaks to very typical sexism in the industry without even thinking about [00:25:00] it. way we put labels or expectation on some people.

So the funny, but it’s humorous. I can laugh at myself now. you were dressed so, like you were so normal is the

Tamara: I was gonna say, I don’t think, yeah,

Glen Erickson: You were wearing like, Shorts and a t shirt with no bright, flashy colors. Your hair was probably pulled up. Like you looked like you, you know, you could have been a mom or you could have been a, you know, a kindergarten teacher.

You could have been like all kinds of

Tamara: sure.

Glen Erickson: You could have been an office worker. You could have, you could have been just look like you were just on your off day is what it really looked like. Right. So very unbecoming. Um, and then. We had to stop and I only bring up how you look, sorry, not to be like a rude, but plays into the story of how easily we create assumptions or expectations when we see people.

And especially in this industry towards women, which is obviously completely unfair. [00:26:00] Um, then we stop on the way cause you had to get straws, but a particular kind of straw of these very small, like coffee

Tamara: All the singers know about straws and semi occlusion now, but back then they did it. . I

Glen Erickson: they didn’t. And so we had to find this very particular in this industrial part of Kelowna and get these straws

Tamara: forgot if what that,

Glen Erickson: just remember like it wasn’t a problem, but I’m like, this is kind of weird.

And then get to Kelowna, we get to the camp and, you know, normal things happen and supper and all this kind of stuff. And then we come back and it’s first night of performances. And then you come back and you’ve gotten dressed for the occasion, you’ve done your hair, all this kind of stuff, you come back, you’re a dynamic, very outgoing and charismatic, very attractive person, you came back and just changed the temperature of the room, um, at first in the wrong way.

I’m, I’m saying this to like, at my own shame and everyone else’s, which [00:27:00] is like, Oh, now she looked, you know what I mean? Like, did we, she looks like something else than what we

Tamara: oh,

Glen Erickson: thought

Tamara: this was all new to me.

Glen Erickson: I know that’s why I’m telling you I’m being transparent about it, even though it makes me look like an ass, but, it happened and then someone saying, I don’t know if you remember he did.

He was a solo artist.

Tamara: Yes I do.

Glen Erickson: and then you stood up and you started. in a very kind of a direct way start talking about to his performance more than his vocal and you were naming the loop station that he was using and the particular nuances of it and so you had this technical expertise immediately you spoke intelligently to how it move into his ability to perform and not get distracted with his, what he was doing, which was taking away from his vocal and you were interpreting what you thought he was trying to do, but missing.

Anyhow, you, you spoke with such, uh, an incredible intelligence, [00:28:00] confidence, experience. I think it was that it’s a beautiful moment because it made people like me all of a sudden be like, Oh, I’m such a typical idiot in

Tamara: Hmm.

Glen Erickson: of somebody who has every right to be here. It has nothing to do with how she looks. It has nothing to do with any of that kind of stuff. It has everything to do with the fact that. You have something unique and special to offer and you just stepped up stood up to a microphone in real time as you just described on your own perspective realized how weird and awkward this stupid thing was and that it was happening from the person on stage, but you delivered it and it was so impactful to so many people.

That’s my sidebar to that whole story about you. So it, I’m sure you’ve probably encountered that a lot in the industry, different places or time to time. Um, but yeah, I, [00:29:00] I always was so impressed. So those moments for me, Tamara, as well as I’ve seen you do workshops, right? They, they would bring you through and do workshops and artists were invited to these workshops like live in a. In a back room of a bar and people would have to step up and volunteer to sing and then you would live coach with

Tamara: That’s my favorite. Yeah.

Glen Erickson: Yeah, the long and McQuaid ones. So the reason I bring all of this up. Is to say what I’ve seen you in these different rooms with people, either performance or, or vocal coaching, and you had tipped on previously, you know, just this sense that you would have about things or you’d pick up on, and I’m wondering how much you’ve reflected or thought about your own personal empathetic skill. Is that what you draw things out of people? Because what I’ve seen that’s so special about you is that it’s not technique, you were talking about technique and things before, but what you’ve [00:30:00] developed, because there’s no school for it, Is this ability to see something beyond just what someone’s technically I’m just, how did that come about for you? Where did you start to tap in? When did you first see validation and these results come out that were something special?

Tamara: Well, I don’t know that I had any particular moment, um, but I can say that being seen, feeling like someone has seen me is the most wonderful, heartwarming, special thing. And that’s probably the most important thing for me when I’m working with someone is that they are feeling seen and we go from there.

That’s where we start. Because if we can start there, then we can always. Get to the next level together really well, um, I know when I was younger, [00:31:00] I. When I was 16, I had one of my little clients, she’s just a young girl and I got to do a TEDx talk. I have a whole story about that whole thing, but I’ll put that on the side and say that I told this story in there, which was, you know, I had this young girl and I felt like she.

And it wasn’t singing strong. And so I used all the techniques that I knew, you know, how to project more and articulate and all those sorts of things. Um, but I remember feeling like there was something blocking her, like something muting her voice. And I found out later that, uh, her father had been abusing her and I had in my, even I was only 16, I remember thinking, I’m going to help this.

Girl know and find her voice. And my mom kind of mentioned that to me. She said, you know, you know, help her find her voice. And [00:32:00] I learned that it was really not anything to do with technique, although those things are very helpful. It was. Something else behind there. And so I guess, I guess from that point, I, I knew that the voice was a window into something so much more, and that window has always interested me and I’ve always felt like it was a sacred window and it’s something that when I’m working with somebody, I feel like they’re allowing me, whether they know it or not, to see something inside of them and that.

space, um, I guess is the space we’re talking about. And it’s, to me, it’s this sacred space. So I did notice that like a long time ago, but you know, it’s not like every session is like this deep thing, but it’s, it’s more like knowing that we’re all human, we’re all people, we all want to be living a life that we want to live.

And I feel like. As singers, when someone [00:33:00] comes to me to sing, I’m helping them live kind of a passion through in their life. And that gives me that opportunity to use that window, whether that’s a deep moment or a fun moment or something, but it’s, you know, to, to get in and really help this person do and be something in life and step up and be themselves more potently.

Like I love, that’s what I love.

Glen Erickson: Well, I mean, because I’ve seen you literally do this and I remember one distinctly here in Edmonton, actually, again, it was one of these workshops. I think you were brought in and sponsored and different artists had to come in to watch but volunteer to go up. this is so improvisational. And this is where I think any of us, like, if any of us love acting, you get floored.

When you go to improv and see that skill that somebody can in a moment, right, [00:34:00] just put together so many things and read the room and the people are with and then have this output. So that’s what, what I think felt so magical, but I, I’m not trying to have hyperbole here, Tamara, like. Almost every time I’ve seen you do this, I’ve felt emotional that that someone can connect so deeply to that, know, and so what I’m curious about for you, because it’s more than just the voice, but at the same time, it is the voice. So what what are you looking for in these, frankly, improvisational moments with somebody that you’re working with? You have to be looking for a key or an anchor or some thing or way in to understand or see that thing that’s deeper. What are the signs for you?

Tamara: Well, that’s a great question. Am I looking for something? I’m not intentionally looking for something. I think I’m,

Glen Erickson: angle, but

Tamara: I’m [00:35:00] really listening. I think that’s definitely, I’m really like, I’m listening with my eyes and my ears and my, it kind of sounds weird, but my energy just sort of. Watching and feeling and, uh, receiving, and then you get, you just pick up things that, um, you know, that are very special about somebody or that if they could turn the volume up on.

And it’s usually not the things that they think it’s, we get told what we’re great at often. Like someone says, Oh, you’re so good at that. I love it when you hit the high notes. And then that person develops an identity around, I sing high notes and then we start going down that route and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it can really cast a shadow over all these other little nuances and things and cause us not to connect.

And so if we can kind of set that aside and just focus in on one thing, and it doesn’t even have to be a singing thing. Sometimes it really, really brings out [00:36:00] somebody’s magic and that really excites me, I believe we all have like something magical in us, and if we just. Can allow the parts to come together, that magic can, can really pop.

So I don’t know that I’m looking for any particular signs. I, to me, I’m just, just being really present and really listening, I guess.

Glen Erickson: well, that makes a lot of sense. And to be honest, it’s even more impressive because you’re doing it the sake of not being distracted by being in a room full of onlookers and people. And no, I mean, I’ve done lots of public speaking stuff. So the ability to be so present and listen, you know what I mean?

With an audience, but be so focused in on the person that you’re doing that with is also seems, like just a pretty unique skill. So, so all of this lands you in LA. And that’s where like a pretty young still in your career. You make a connection with the [00:37:00] tv show right to start doing that version of of coaching and that’s obviously I’m making an assumption but I’m hoping I’m right that that’s what really has changed a lot of the trajectory of how things have played out for you in your career. I’m wondering so how do you make that connection through somebody? and what does What does that look like? How does that change things for you and what you thought maybe your plan or your future was at that time?

Tamara: Well, I didn’t have any. Plans or aims to do anything particular. I just had sort of woke up every day, like I did when I was training. I just had something I wanted to do, a plan, a determination. And then I just woke up and did it, I guess.

Glen Erickson: hmm.

Tamara: And it’s the same thing with music and coaching. I just kind of followed the breadcrumbs like, Oh, there’s this breadcrumb.

That seems fun. And I just kept going and I didn’t have any strategy towards it at all. And then, you know, I just would go to events. It’s all about people really.

Glen Erickson: hmm.

Tamara: You know, [00:38:00] people see you sing and, or, you know, you start, I, I volunteer to do some work for some university professors and, um, help make their course materials and people, Oh, you, you can make course materials.

It’s kind of like that. Maybe I was underestimated and didn’t even realize, like, I guess being underestimated to me is, is very valuable. I’m not trying to be underestimated or overestimated, but I have learned that it’s,

Glen Erickson: I’m

Tamara: it’s,

Glen Erickson: that statement.

Tamara: it’s valuable because you know, you have no pressure upon you and you just can follow and do what you want to do and know what you need to do.

And That’s, that’s that. So I, I hadn’t really ever considered that somebody, underestimated me or whatever. I just like, it wasn’t even like a concern in my head. I was just doing my thing, not worried about, I can really say that. I really was not. [00:39:00] Right now with social media, I feel like it’s very, very difficult to do something without the intention of showing it or sharing it at some point.

Right. That’s one like confrontation I have with social media that I haven’t been able to come to peace with because my whole kind of upbringing

Glen Erickson: performative

Tamara: that, well, I’m sure it’s not, but. I would say that I started to feel pressure when I think about social media, like I have to do something or show up somewhere and take a picture when normally I would just enjoy the event or just enjoy people, you know, I really am not interested in telling everybody what I’m doing.

Right. So this kind of mindset and, um, action was, I think what got me. Wherever I got, you know, and I just went along and I met people. I didn’t have an aim to get something from them. I just made friends. And it was through a friend actually, who I’d made at an event who, [00:40:00] um, ended up being in a position to be asked, you know, can you think of any vocal coaches?

And I got. Mentioned and apparently I got mentioned somewhere else and that’s how that connection happened when I went to The Voice and I literally got a phone call out of the blue. I was very shocked about it. Um, but yeah, it did change the trajectory mostly I think because obviously the platform, but I think because it made me realize what I loved.

So much. And that was that melding of art performance, high performance, kind of put my two worlds of my two loves. Actually, my three loves love, like I was always interested in education. I was always interested in sport and I was always interested in music. So it’s like my three loves sort of came together with this particular platform.

Glen Erickson: So how, what were the things about how you’re involved with [00:41:00] these aspiring artists on that kind of a show that, that’s particularly like the way you just described resonated with, yeah, this is what I want to do. This is what I love.

Tamara: Well, it was, yeah, even more of the opportunity allowed me to do workshops too, and well, I shouldn’t say it allowed me to do them. It’s what I ended up realizing. I was like, I wanted to do workshops and it was actually, I should, I should re say this, getting this opportunity on The Voice. Allowed me kind of an opportunity to see how much I love this high performance, art education, sort of mixed in together.

And on my off time, I wanted to do more with it. So I ended up doing these workshops and I, I would say that the workshops and the working with people in an improvisatory way, where it’s just more like you get up on stage, we. feel each other out and we try and, you know, get a big impact in a very short period of time is, is also what we’re doing on the show.

So it’s that it’s [00:42:00] partially the show, but it’s mostly like just. Knowing that, okay, we can do a little bit of work at a really big impact. And I loved that, uh, style of working. And there’s, there’s a few of us behind the scenes and that’s what we’re doing. We’re always just trying to, the artist really just put their best foot forward, essentially.

So it involves vocal arrangement and, you know, all sorts of different things. We do have movement coaches and things like that, that help, uh, make sure that the people feel comfortable on stage. and just to work with an amazing team, then a team at the voice is top notch, the best of the best.

Glen Erickson: And you’re being like all throughout the team they’ve put together or you mean even just your vocal team because there’s given time. Is it the same number of you that are all doing the same sort of role with with the artist back behind the scenes?

Tamara: No, actually. Well, there, we started off with four of us and, uh, uh, unfortunately our [00:43:00] fourth or like our, one of our coaches passed away this last year. Yeah. Debra Bird and. She was incredible. So we’ve felt a real hole this last couple of seasons, but we’ve got Peter Paragolidis and Trelawney Rose, and she’s the head coach.

And, uh, she was the one who had, you know, mentioned my name. So I always thank her very greatly for. For being there for me like that. Um, she’s, she’s wonderful and she leads our vocal team and it’s this vocal team that is to me the best of the best. I mean, I think that meaning we get along, we see eye to eye, we really want the best for the, uh, performers.

So essentially. We’re there. And then as the competition goes on, it always ends up, uh, you know, with less coaches and Trelawney is there throughout that whole thing. So, yeah, so there’s not the same amount of people,

Glen Erickson: yeah, sorry. The [00:44:00] nature of the show, right. Is I think this is always interesting to me. So the first part of the chair turn, which is so specific, with this wide range of artists at different skill levels, and you’re trying to either vocal arrange and you’re part of helping their technique and all these different aspects that very specific purpose.

But then if they land on the show, now it’s really the comp that’s where the competition really. Starts right of the higher performance and, and it’s a show. So there are also, I’m sure trying to build some version of a trajectory, right? That always feels like it’s going up,

Tamara: yeah. And like you say, there’s just different, like. Kind of coaching were on different aspects of the show. And we don’t necessarily have, it’s not like our team now and we go on and the, you know, the celebrity coaches, they, they’re working with them and they’re, they are coaching them.

And, you know, kind of, we do kind of behind the scenes stuff, but the. The blind audition is a big moment of high performance because [00:45:00] it’s their first time on that stage with that pressure and going out It’s very quiet. Nobody’s saying anything. Nobody knows you yet. You know, it’s Most people tell us they black out, you know, so you’re kind of trying to help them in those moments before to Measure their breathing and keep their, you know, either emotions and state high or lower that down because of the nerves

Glen Erickson: Well, and that’s interesting that you have probably that first line of contact because those people also right are just They literally have just come from their regular lives. I know they love to tell on these shows the backstory, right? And they will send a camera crew probably and, and film some backstory.

So they love to build that. But the reality is that is where they just came from. And now they’re in Hollywood and now they are on a TV set where there’s so many things going on. And there’s so many delays that might start happening and

Tamara: Yeah,

Glen Erickson: There’s [00:46:00] that are distracting. You thought you were ready, but then it’s not your time on show.

Like there’s these variables that go along with it, just being a television show, and I assume you’re like a first line of trying to keep that person ready or focused or how, you

Tamara: yes

Glen Erickson: that,

Tamara: Basically, as vocal coaches, that’s what we feel like our role is, you know, you get them ready and then, you know, you’re trying to help them deliver. It’s like one thing to be ready and then to actually deliver and execute that under, you know, a lot of pressure is another thing. So like you say, there’s lots of.

Things going on, lots of lights, camera action, type of a situation. Sometimes a lot of waiting, sometimes not. So to me, these are the details of the industry. And that is, goes back to that original point that I had said in the very beginning, I’d say the difference between a certain like singing coaching and somebody who’s working with, let’s say working singers.

And you’re just dealing with [00:47:00] these aspects that you just can’t know or have the knowledge that they’re. Yeah. Even there and how to deal with them if you’re not in them. And so that’s what a platform like this offers. It’s like, here you go. Here’s the situation. Let’s see if you deal with it.

Glen Erickson: Yeah,

Tamara: and it’s great.

20

Glen Erickson: show, because you’re on a lot of shows, but yeah, so in that show, we don’t see you, right? But that specific sort of element, uh, I think historically got it. really focused in on on the American Idol version where have their Hollywood week and you would see them interact with vocal coaches and you know the two in the morning tears where they put them under this incredible bootcampy pressure and the story that often Gets tied along with that.

It’s like, this is the career [00:48:00] you’re, you’re possibly stepping into. So this is in a lot of ways, preparing you for the pressures and the, and all these kinds of things. So they, they try to focus on that. So have you felt, I guess this is a step back, bigger picture question. Cause how many seasons have you now been able to do with the voice? So it’s a lot.

Tamara: something. Yeah, I have to add to that.

Glen Erickson: I thought. Yeah, so that’s a lot of experience seeing a lot of people. I’m very curious what you feel like some of the common threads that you start because in any job, it’s like when I’ve done this long enough, you stop being surprised by some things you start to be able to categorize. Things just mentally, right? So subconsciously, but I’m wondering when you see people who are all in the same place of aspiring careers, and they think this is the door for it. And you’re seeing them in that front line [00:49:00] of. Probably facing the question is an athlete at practice when they’re in the dirt, right of like, do I have what it takes so what are the common, what are some of the things you just feel are that you’ve seen that are really common that people share those in those moments that and where they’re coming from.

Tamara: Yeah, it’s interesting. Well, definitely the element of a television show is just. Um, different than anything, even if you’ve been on tour, we’ve had some people who’ve, you know, been really in, had big careers in touring, but just this film aspect is, is a little bit different. Right. And there’s, there’s a whole bunch of behind the scenes things that happen. anybody who’s an inspiring artist is, you know, trying to, like I said, put their best foot forward. And some people have a really strong belief about what they can do. Other people get shaken by being in a situation like that. Um. You know, some people who’ve got a lot of skill doubt themselves [00:50:00] and some people who don’t have as much, they might feel really confident.

So it’s like this whole mix and it’s like that just in sessions too when I’m working with people. Um, so that’s a real common thing that I found just across, across the board. But in general, I think that when they come there, they Have been casted essentially right there already. They’ve been cast. I should say they are already there for a particular reason and so they’re really just excited to be around other singers usually and Just try not to get knocked off your game.

That’s it. Just keep doing what you do.

Glen Erickson: So I think, yeah, I think what makes that show and some other ones like it, that version of the competition different than some of the other ones, like you’ve worked on The Masked Singer and I Can See Your Voice. And, um, sorry, I just forgot the name of the country one, the more recent.

Tamara: Oh My Kind of Country the Apple

Glen Erickson: My kind of country show on Apple TV, [00:51:00] that traditional singing competition with this. the dream is sort of this underlying, like, it’s kind of the pitch of a lot of these shows, right? And watching people on their dream and An audience embracing someone that becomes their favorite is a big part of I think how these things are shaped right they want people to connect with somebody who’s like

Tamara: Connection. Yeah.

Glen Erickson: that’s representing all of us who, who are pouring their heart out and taking a risk to have the thing that they have always wanted and hope for so, I’ve had some thoughts on this in conversations and I think your behind the scenes perspective is interesting to me then about, you know, in the music industry that gets looked down on, right?

The whole, I go win some big competition, I get to skip about five steps on the ladder to having a career where everybody else has to go through [00:52:00] some grueling circuit, right? To, to try to grow their career and get noticed. And, and. As if it, but as if it invalidates the authenticity of whether that person should have a career or not, because they skipped a bunch of steps if a TV show helped them via exposure or a contract or money or whatever it is. And wondering what your thoughts are about that, about how it develops people and puts them into the industry for careers. What have you had thoughts about that over your time?

Tamara: Yeah, I mean Definitely a long time ago. There was at least a clear ladder like you were saying like there’s The steps, somebody is a gatekeeper. They’re going to put out a better ladder for you at some point,

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Tamara: walk up a more golden plated ladder versus a bronze ladder or something, but with [00:53:00] Tik TOK and social media and all of these shows, uh, there are so many different avenues and the ladder has become a web and the gatekeepers don’t.

Have that straight ladder that you can climb as much as before and as a whole. So I think a lot of people are, could be considered skipping the queue at this point, like somebody who does really well on Tik Tok may or may not have caught the attention of a gatekeeper in the past, but may, they might have this little knack or ability to get people to watch.

Um, Whatever that they’re putting out. So it’s kind of like the game has changed and it’s become a web, I guess I would say. So, you know, people are gonna climb any area of the web and I think that those are all valid and they’re not for everybody, not every aspect [00:54:00] of all of the different opportunities.

Are helpful for people. I think they’re not the necessarily the best suited. I think if some, you know, cause I think as singers, we often think, what is the thing that’s making me important? It’s my singing. And we all know that there’s more to it. There’s like that just ability to connect. Some singers are not that great singers, but they connect so well,

Glen Erickson: Yeah,

Tamara: or they’re really great musicians or they’re very good storytellers.

And so there’s all these other aspects. And so sometimes like a television show can lean on some of these other aspects a bit more and give somebody a bit of exposure with those aspects and allow them to. Shine a little bit where other people who do well on another platform don’t shine as well in there So

Glen Erickson: yeah.

Tamara: guess that’s the way that I have sought

Glen Erickson: or some people have more perseverance. I think this is one factor [00:55:00] we don’t always see, right? Like, I remember a lot of people being shocked when they found out, I think, Kelly Clarkson, the first American Idol winner. And then you find out she had already been in LA shopping her demos for three years or something.

Like, I don’t know the exacts of the story, but you know, it’s not like she was some Kentucky girl that just showed up on this show and got discovered the way it kind of got sold to a lot of people that perseverance is also one of those traits, you know, that sometimes more perseverance, um, With less skill still ends up puts you in the same place you get to the

Tamara: Absolutely,

Glen Erickson: but your your answer. fantastic actually, like that’s a great perspective on, it’s almost a delicious irony that something that has like the budgets of Hollywood behind it is responsible for decentralizing gatekeepers in the

Tamara: well,

Glen Erickson: as

Tamara: it’s probably a part of it, right

Glen Erickson: one, but it’s one of them. Um, I [00:56:00] think it’s interesting. We talk about the circuit, right? Yeah, I was thinking about, you know, if you grew up in Canada, right? So the circuit was so defined, right? And I know because I was

Tamara: Yeah. Right.

Glen Erickson: you get a band, you start playing shows. If you have three clubs in your city, then those you try to get in the door of all of them.

And then you try to be able to get to the one in the next town. And then as many that were within that eight hour drive that you could do in a day became your circuit. And then.

Tamara: Hmm.

Glen Erickson: growing, you got across Western Canada, right? And if you could get to start to tour Canada, then you start to attract maybe agents and industry people that you need on a team and managers and publicists.

And, and it’s such a well defined circuit and everyone. And there was such harsh authenticity. Requirement of everybody has to pay those dues or you’re not going to get respect

Tamara: [00:57:00] Right.

Glen Erickson: which is where I think this idea of winning a competition, skipping all of those steps to also having a career doesn’t make you. authentic artists, maybe that’s what the implication is, but I think the suggestion that the part of plays in a greater thing that’s happening of removing gatekeepers, um, that while there’s all kinds of value and paying your dues and the benefits it gives you, um, every one of those steps and that circuit are held by gatekeepers that also

Tamara: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: of the worst parts of everybody’s shared story of trying to make it.

Uh,

Tamara: would be interesting to hear. Yeah.

Glen Erickson: that’s interesting. Cause I think what I wondered what your thoughts might be too, is like, how valid a place does singing competitions play as a new part of the circuit or in that web, as, as you put, like, these are all like national global [00:58:00] things with very large budgets and incredibly high skilled. best of the best production and, and all the technical people behind it and, um, and studios and all the business that goes with it. But at more local or regional levels, is there opportunities that maybe we’re not missing where being in competitions is actually a part of development?

Tamara: Well, that’s interesting. I would just like to add that of course we’ve got like TikTok and a lot of people are getting signed just straight from TikTok and they only know like, I shouldn’t say they, because this is not everybody, but sometimes somebody I’ve had this. You know, come in through my door before where someone, you know, gets a label and they’re like, Oh, I, I need to sing these songs.

I’m doing this big kind of show, but they haven’t actually sang a set yet. So, I mean, you could say, Oh, you’re, you’re skipping your dues, but I just don’t think that [00:59:00] those are the same dues anymore and. I think that in order to sort of be lighthearted about it, I almost have to let go of, these are the steps.

It’s like anybody can get noticed at any time on any particular thing. And so you should really, really, really be sure about following your joy and. And do it because as much as perseverance can take you somewhere, so can joy and having fun, you know, you could just have a blast on the internet and you could get noticed so, and you could end up on.

You know, a show, a late night show or something, just the next day, you know, it’s, it’s really changed. So I think you bring up a good point and anybody who is feeling that way, I would just say, really figure out what brings you joy and follow that path. Because there’s a lot of paths now. It’s like a, like I said, a web and, uh, There’s lots of opportunity for people to [01:00:00] maybe not get to the A list area, you know, but to be in this other area where you’re actually, you know, have a life and a career and doing well.

Yeah.

Glen Erickson: So more than just doing TV shows, which you’ve had this great opportunity do, and I, and I think you’ve had probably a really great impact. places and you love workshops and we’ve talked about that and you like have this incredible magic of of drawing things out of people know you’ve also just worked in what you said in the industry of people who are either on tour In the moment or getting ready for recording um But you’ve worked with people At lots of stages in early stages of their career or people who are full time professionals and have a lot under their belt I know like you worked with Tate McCrae early And now she’s, you know, global female in the, in, in that sort of scope of pop artists.

And so you’ve seen people [01:01:00] along. I’m wondering if you can differentiate for us sort of what the different sort of primary that artists face or challenge at those stages. So if they’re early, right, where they’re just trying to write and sing and perform all the time to get noticed versus Yeah.

Yeah. Now they’re preparing for recordings versus now they’re a career artist, they’re gonna, they have to tour and a lot of people, you know, are making their earning off of this person on the road or something, which

Tamara: Right.

Glen Erickson: of pressure. So I’m wondering if you can sort of tell me what you see is like, what are the main things singers are encountering and need help with at each of those stages?

You

Tamara: So recreational singers could be any level of ability. They might be, you know, the most amazing singer you’ve ever heard, or they could be somebody who’s a beginner in terms of their skills. [01:02:00] Usually you’re just following, like I was saying before, you’re following the joy. And so you just do what you love to do.

That’s that’s sort of that category. Then when you step into, Hey, I want to start doing this for some money. Um, the very first thing is obviously that people think of is just like. Accuracy and ability to, to deliver something and have, you know, you have to have a repertoire and you have to have your songs together.

So you’re, you’re getting that. Um, once you have that together, then you might be, well, I shouldn’t say that because now some people aren’t even doing sets and shows are just going online, but you still have to gather. Some sort of material to sing, whether it’s on TikTok or you’re doing a show, et cetera, right?

So you’re kind of focusing in on that. So a lot of people will kind of feel like they have to do certain skills at that point. And it’s just more like, Hey, if you are finding that you’re singing your songs and they’re not coming out well, then maybe you need a little bit more of that technical side of it.

[01:03:00] Essentially, when you get into the emerging artist zone, you really are trying to find your sound. Trying to find that authentic point. Some people have it. They just, they open their mouth and there you go. That’s what they are. That’s what they do. But a lot of people have a lot of abilities and so they’re really pinpointing.

What, where am I going to funnel my energies and my time and how can I create a cohesive sound? And so that I find is a big sort of area in there. And then also people when they’re getting to the latter stage of emerging artists, they start to doing more shows and so they need more chops. They need more vocal fitness.

They need the ability to, uh, sing longer and stronger. And so that element starts coming up. And then of course, once you hit touring, you know, obviously somebody likes what you’re doing. You’re going out there, you’re touring, um, your sound maybe is clear, but now it’s all about [01:04:00] stamina, strength, ability to withstand demands.

Um, this is a, an area I get pulled in a lot because, uh, people haven’t focused in the emerging artists stages on getting the fitness that would be required for. Touring, which is a whole other level. And,

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Tamara: and then the person who’s been on, you know, the road a long time, it’s, it’s all about the, like the soul and making sure you don’t get depleted and that you don’t lose your joy and you don’t lose hope and you spark a life.

And I think, um, in that area, it’s easy to start. To get vocal issues, especially because we’re not excited anymore. So there’s like, it’s a different spot to be in. That’s why I think every singer should have a non singing hobby. 100 percent that they’re doing all of the time as a [01:05:00] consistent hobby and never let your hobby go, no matter how well you do in singing or music, because that is the thing in, in those stages, that’s going to fuel you and allow you to not burn out so fast.

Um, Yeah, I kind of, that’s kind of recreational, I’m just starting off to the idea of being professional and then emerging, late emerging, beginning touring, late touring, that would be sort of the

Glen Erickson: there’s lots of

Tamara: spectrum.

Glen Erickson: like you hear stories of like, Eddie Vedder, he won’t talk to anybody like he won’t use his voice, he won’t talk to like no one’s allowed to talk to him the whole day of his performance now, and I mean, I sort of get it with him. If he’s trying to preserve that growl, like it sounds like he’s destroying his voice every night to keep singing like they did in the nineties.

But, uh, but you know, artists who are career artists have obviously figured out some version of the discipline that they [01:06:00] need to have to protect their tool, um, and their instrument. that emerging artists is a huge field of people who are. You know, on the cusp, or maybe they’ve been doing it for a few years, um, you know, and what is the thing that most people overlook the most about their voice and, and what it needs to be to move to the next level, right?

Like, what is the thing that most people are either hurting themselves at or just overlooking? Period. Mm

Tamara: One thing is your speaking voice. If you’re using your speaking voice in a way, whether it’s at shows or not at shows, and it’s kind of more in this vein. Um, where it’s not got that good airflow behind it, that is gonna bite you in the butt. Maybe not in your early twenties, but a little bit in your later twenties, it’s gonna start biting in your butt.

That’s one. [01:07:00] The second one is, is just when you’re sick, when your voice isn’t up to par, you push it anyways. Again, that lasts for a certain period of time and then usually that catches up. And, um, and then I would say just. Overlooking the balance of rest and care and, uh, strengthening your voice. Not just for one song, but for whatever demand you have.

That takes some vision because when you’re on tour, you can’t. Get those chops the few weeks leading up to tour. You have to have been working on them as you go. So I would say that. And then the final thing I would say is the hobby thing. I said that I think everybody should have a non music hobby to keep them fueled.

Glen Erickson: mm So what’s the worst thing when you’re on tour? Is it drinking alcohol every night like you [01:08:00] do when you’re like just a young artist who gets a chance to all of a sudden go out on the road with, uh, and you’re with a lot of your friends every night? Is it coffee that you’re trying to keep yourself up?

Is it bad sleep habits? Which is the other most common thing? What are the generally. The biggest habitual things that go along with being an artist, uh, that are actually hurting you

Tamara: Well, all those things, you know, vaping and all that sort of stuff is, is hard on the voice. I always say to myself, is it realistic to tell somebody to stop all of that? And I always. I think probably not. So I’m going to go with what is the best way to overcome it. And that’s a warm down. Do a warm down. So actually this brings me to like my whole goal in this last little while has been to create content that is.

Glen Erickson: Yes

Tamara: required for the working singer or the emerging artist, the pro singer, [01:09:00] which is different than just trying to sound good, get on pitch and be accurate with your notes. It’s all about maintaining your voice and having a warm down and knowing what to do. Um, having the proper warmup. If you don’t have a proper warmup, you’re probably going to say warmups don’t work for me.

That’s because you don’t have the right one because. Not that you have to do exercises or scales, but just to know how to ramp up your voice and then how to wind down your voice. So I’ve got my voice fit app that’s going to be coming out in the new year. So I have been working on it a long time. So people may have heard me talk about it, but like anything, it kind of went through so many iterations and learning curves that, um, It’s been absolutely nuts, but it is going to be out in the spring and that’s what it is.

It’s completely dedicated to be like on your phone, all the, like a toolkit for the working singer, everything [01:10:00] you need in order to really thrive. So that’s something I am hoping that singers do check out.

Glen Erickson: how passionate you’ve been

Tamara: Yes.

Glen Erickson: for a long time. So I’m glad that you segued into that because you’ve hinted at this idea of fitness and vocal fitness and all these things. And, what is a warm down?

Tamara: So a warm down basically takes everything you just did, let’s say you wound it all up and you were tight with either your muscles or your voice, your tongue, everything, and it just winds it back down so that when you go to bed, you’re not going to bed with this instrument that’s really tight. So it’s a series of exercises, um, or tasks, I would say, that help to reestablish a home base of airflow and breathing.

Glen Erickson: is physically how our vocal chords are, right? Like they tighten up like strings on an instrument.

Tamara: Well,

Glen Erickson: about?

Tamara: more of the extrinsic muscles [01:11:00] around your vocal cords, because the voice is located in your larynx and your larynx is designed to go up and down in a straight line. Swallow for a swallow to protect our airways. And it’s all these extra extrinsic muscles that we use to help lengthen those vocal cords.

Um, in moments, let’s say we’re singing when we’re not. Feeling the best, or maybe we’re trying to hit a high note, you know, like the strain and the putting up of the neck and all of that. Those are all these extrinsic muscles that are coming to say, I’ll help you hit that high note. And if you don’t wind them down, there will be a point where you notice it and it could take a long time.

Some people, it takes a long time, but as soon as you start feeling it, you get, you know, voice changes or you just. not consistent anymore. You’re like, Oh, this voice doesn’t feel the same. And everyone always thinks it’s a mystery. And I always say, this is not a mystery, you know? So implementing the warm down would be the, the first thing that I would do as a practice, even if your voice is working perfectly.[01:12:00]

Glen Erickson: Yeah. Well, this is what I love about you. Cause you can see, I love seeing how you immediately get excited and passionate

Tamara: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: it. It makes me think how like going all the way back again to the first year we met at this bootcamp and, You didn’t have to but you sat in on one of my social media sessions and I was talking and then you came afterwards to Gently and politely ask if you could give me some tips So I don’t kill my voice while I was public speaking because you heard me It was my second one of the day and I was already

Tamara: Tired.

Glen Erickson: shape and tired and distant tone and um, and you’re like, you know, there’s ways that you can like protect and guard that and manage that better.

And I was like, it was so amazing. It was like, so generous of you too. Um, and I know you bring that everywhere you go when you see it. And I think what’s exciting for you to put out your voice fit app. Um, and I’m going to leave links all over when I out and everything so that [01:13:00] people will be able to make sure they stay connected to where you are and be able to find this app.

And I think it’s exciting that you’ll be able to. Effectively reach, hopefully more people with all these things

Tamara: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: talked about and what you’re doing and how important fitness and all these different parts are. I know you love so many aspects of what you get to do, but your ability, like the way you could just articulate, you know, anatomically what is going on as easily as you talked about.

You know, intuitively and emotively what people are going through at different stages of their career, uh, is a real special gift. I think it’s great to be able to hear. And to see, um, I want to ask you some specific questions

Tamara: Okay.

Glen Erickson: almost like rapid fires to because I’m also want to be cognizant of time.

We’ve been talking for a while. So, but I’m very interested and maybe you don’t want to answer. I don’t [01:14:00] think it’s any technical violation, but you’ve been able to rub shoulders with a bunch of celebrities. through a lot of your different shows. So is there people that stood out to you, for different aspects?

Like who, like on the masked singer, where people with maybe zero singing background and

Tamara: Right.

Glen Erickson: degrees that you get to help and be part of, and then see, you to see the normalcy of who that person is apart from celebrity. Right. As someone gets humbled in their attempt to learn how to, how to do this.

Tamara: Sure.

Glen Erickson: is there people that have stood out to you? I’m curious, like, is there, there are people that you’ve just been like, Oh, that’s a, interesting or special person to, to be able to get to know.

Tamara: Truly. I will answer the question, but I really have enjoyed. Everybody, everyone kind of brings something really different, but one person I really, really enjoyed meeting. Um, and there was many, [01:15:00] but Tony Hawk, I loved working with him. He was kind, gentle guy. He worked really hard and it was just like seeing somebody who.

You know, physically when he was doing all of his skateboarding, I mean, he just gets on a skateboard, falls, tries again, do this, you just, you just keep going, doesn’t matter. It’s not personal. And it was really cool to see how he was doing music and singing, because if you didn’t do something well, he never took it personally.

And that’s one thing that singers tend to, you know, personalize like, Oh, I went flat though, I’m a bad blah, blah, blah. But like watching Tony do it, it just was just like. Keep going. And I just felt so inspired to be like, what are all the obstacles I have in my head? And do they need to be there? So, uh, so many people, but I really.

I could go on, but Tony,

Glen Erickson: Oh, that’s [01:16:00] cool. new shows or new ideas that have come up for you from doing these kinds of things that, that you feel like. You’ve had ideas about things that could work or

Tamara: Oh, yes,

Glen Erickson: on TV. That’s

Tamara: put my, uh, fair share of formats together to be truthful. Lots of things like what would I be interested in seeing, you know, I’ve, I’ve put them together and there was a point when I was like, I’m going to pursue these, but I think I just kind of gotten passionate about, um, Uh, I really want to put my content out.

It’s kind of like a little bit of a legacy for me to put it out and, and have something that I can, you know, help more people with and I can see one on one.

Glen Erickson: That’s great. I mean, you have impacted a lot of people and I think it’s great that you have an opportunity to use. technology for what it’s there [01:17:00] for,

Tamara: Mm hmm.

Glen Erickson: reach more people. And you, okay, so I knew that we were going to talk, strange story. I’ll connect some dots. I discovered on Spotify that, you know, you could on, if you go to the song credits and then the songwriters are there and some of them have a little arrow now beside their name.

And now

Tamara: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: like a webpage that shows all the songs that. They have credits for

Tamara: Oh, I didn’t know that.

Glen Erickson: order of how many streams they have. So I discovered it because I wanted to see Aaron Dessner, one of the brothers in the national who basically co produced and co wrote folklore with Taylor Swift, right?

During the pandemic and now has stayed sort of a part of her songwriting team sometimes, but then I was listening to a podcast with Gracie Abrams and he was involved in producing and then I realized a song credit. So the joke with my friends is He must be 10x richer than all of his other band members in the national [01:18:00] now because of that opportunity Because they’re taught we’re talking one and a half billion streams right for

Tamara: Well, yeah.

Glen Erickson: Right and but it’s more than that but then so I said it to another friend who said I and it was interesting he’s like I wonder what Sia and her page looks like because of her career of writing for different people.

So I went and yeah, she’s got songwriting credits for some huge artists and not just herself besides

Tamara: Right.

Glen Erickson: right? That are in the millions in a billion, like number type, it’s ridiculous

Tamara: Wow.

Glen Erickson: streams on Spotify. But that made me, like, I haven’t listened to some Sia songs for a while. I listen to Chandelier? And I’m like, the best focal take I’ve ever heard in my life? And not just because she’s

Tamara: It’s raw.

Glen Erickson: But it’s so raw, and she lets it break up. So

Tamara: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: feel it. And I’ve heard a lot of people try that song. Nothing feels [01:19:00] like Especially if you have it louder, the headphones on, and you hear what she’s allowing her voice to do. So I’m curious what, to you, are songs you can pull that you feel like these are some of the best vocal takes I’ve ever heard for various reasons. Is that

Tamara: Oh my goodness. I’m just trying to think. Currently I work so much with people on their original music, right? Sometimes not even released and things like that. So let me just give myself a thought. I always I am always impressed, especially with live vocals. I love Leigh Anne Rimes, I really do. She really has a beautiful command of her voice and she’s very emotional and vulnerable.

Um, her song Spaceship, I really love that song. It’s very beautiful. Um, let me think.

I love Kimbra. Actually, have you ever listened to Kimbra?

Glen Erickson: I know who [01:20:00] that is.

Tamara: She lets it go. Like she’s painting with her voice so amazingly. And she just, she’s very, can improv. She can go quiet. She can, this is the thing about vocal fitness. Vocal fitness does not mean straight cookie cutter singing. It just means a fit voice is one that allows you to express yourself freely in the moment without hesitation.

And it doesn’t mean that you have a pristine vocal that’s not broken up. Like you want to get to that spot where it’s really raw, like Sia, but. I think those two people really stand out. I’m sure I’ll think of many after, but

Glen Erickson: Oh, of course. But absolutely. I love the way you just phrased that by the way, about, cause I feel like this is, My thoughts a lot about artistry period about what you’d have to do to be prepared for the moment, right? The, the things that we [01:21:00] do we often just see or experience artistry in those moments, if they make us feel something, right?

If it

Tamara: right,

Glen Erickson: if it’s memorable in some way, not even about what it was that was memorable. It just was memorable. We have no, have no vision or input into knowing. Why they’re prepared in the moment, right? Why somebody can just step up and do the thing they do in the moment. It’s because it is it because they’re special or because they’re prepared.

And I love how so much of your talk is about the preparation fact,

Tamara: Yeah. When you need it, do it. If you don’t need it, I don’t think anyone has to like beat themselves over the head to do harder things if things are easy for them. But yeah, that’s, that’s how you get them.

Glen Erickson: so is the voice fit, this sort of the focus of Tamara Beatty’s life at the moment? Like

Tamara: Yes.

Glen Erickson: 2025 is [01:22:00] finally the year and, and

Tamara: Yes.

Glen Erickson: is it like a giant exhale is coming on the other side of the release of that app or do you sort of foresee plan? Like what, what do you see as like, next for you with that?

Tamara: I feel like it will be a bit of an exhale to finally just have it there to say I’m doing it and to say, if you’d like to see it, you can, you know, that will be great. Um, the other side of it is just like an artist where you put out something and now you’re like, Oh, well, how do I got people know about it?

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Tamara: I. I am going to let it just be there. Like, I think I’m, don’t know how I’m going to pitch it or put it out there. Um, but I know that that next part, I don’t know if I’ll exhale about that, but I think that I just want to, it’s, it’s like. As an [01:23:00] artist myself, that’s my, that’s my piece of art that I’m trying to put out.

Just like somebody’s album, you know, you’re trying to put that out there. So I think it will be an exhale. And, um, yeah, I’d like to, I’m going to go back and do some workshops. I’m really missing just being with people and doing what I love to do. I think it’s really important as a singer to know, like, what is it that you do?

That’s easy for you and you love. And that is what it is for me is just standing in front of people. You know, big room and being in the moment and that’s it. I just love that. So that’s what I think 2025 will

Glen Erickson: That’s exciting. I love hearing that. I mean, I having The good fortune I’ve had to be in so many rooms with artists expressing themselves or doing their art or what in whatever version, whether it’s like super performative or whether it’s just informal, you like we use this word in the industry called it right where they [01:24:00] have the it factor.

I guess I’ve always felt like. a strong sense of when I think I know what that is or I see it, right? I see it in someone else.

Tamara: Right.

Glen Erickson: I, this, I’m going to go all the way back to the beginning is that I hope every aspiring artist or singer or even hobbyist, whatever version would be able to access your app and get your app.

Because I think that you have like this, it factor in your field, for sure. Like it’s been magic everywhere. I’ve seen it. Um, and I know that’s your gift in seeing that in other people. Um, and I’ve probably already said 20 times. I’ll make it 21. I see it in you all the time, wherever you are too.

Tamara: Thank you.

Glen Erickson: um, I super appreciate you taking the time, uh, to be here and talk with me and just get a sense of your career and how you got to where you were and the things that make it special and the things you’re passionate about. Uh, I think so many people have so many things they could learn from [01:25:00] every little nuance of the things that you can talk about that you’ve seen and what what is

Tamara: Thank you.

Glen Erickson: I appreciate the time and, and talking so openly.

Tamara: I appreciate you as well. And thank you for all you do for artists. I don’t think people realize how much you’re doing to champion them, to help bolster them, to kind of bring out your artistry in the form of all, like not just music, but your design and your background working, you know, in all of these.

So many different areas on programs and you’re, you know, during and just so many areas you have been a champion for artists, uh, because you are one yourself. So thank you.

Glen Erickson: So sweet of you. I appreciate you saying that Tamera. Um, yeah, so we’re 10 years into friendship and I’m looking forward to having another good 10 years of friendship and seeing where we land

Tamara: I think so. Yeah, that’ll be great. [01:26:00] And we definitely just actually need to see each other.

Glen Erickson: we do. I was reminiscing with my daughter about 2016 when you invited us down to Universal Studios and to. be on a, on a taping of a show of the voice and see how it all happens. So, uh, that’s a special memory for us. Absolutely. Which I’m always eternally grateful for that her and I have that. Um, so I loved it and I look forward to a chance when we get to hang out again. So,

Tamara: Me too.

Glen Erickson: okay.

Tamara: Thank you.

Glen Erickson: Thank you all the best to you and look forward to talking to you again.

Tamara: Thank you. Bye bye.

 

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