Recording "Tess" - the singer's point of view

So what was it like to record the first songs from a new musical? How does a singer approach such an undertaking? In this special d'Blog, vocalist Joanna Strand talks about her TESS experience.

"I was delighted when Michael Blore asked me to have a look at his songs from TESS. I had looked at one of his songs a couple of years ago and knew I would enjoy singing his music again.

What a joy when I received the songs and they were utterly beautiful. And not only was the melody soaring and romantic, but I loved the lyrics and believed them. Plus, best of all, I would have a chance to really explore different vocal colours and range.
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I like to get a song into my voice before I record or audition and work on those little phrases or words that are challenging or could be delivered in a number of ways. I also like to try to get to know a song, if not by heart then just so it becomes familiar enough so that I can think about the overall shape - and also to stop me rustling too many pages in the studio! Having said that there was still something very spontaneous about the recording for TESS. The colour we eventually chose for the character's voice wasn't the one I had prepared. We decided, even at her young age, to give Tess a depth and warmth of colour that would reflect the deep soul she has and somehow foreshadow her future suffering.

I must admit that I love performing live more than recording as interacting with my audience and feeling their participation and enjoyment is of great importance to me. But that aside, our recording days for TESS were fulfilling in the same way - and the Michaels and (audio engineer) Sunim seemed to enjoy the process as much as I did! It makes me deeply grateful to be lucky enough to have followed my heart and become a professional singer as opposed to a more sensible and reliable profession!

I have a feeling TESS will go far. The lyrics are intelligent and the music is beautiful and truly and unashamedly romantic. In our everyday lives, being able to express such romance so unselfconsciously, and so articulately, is a rare experience.

Thank you to the Michaels for allowing me to do this for you in this recording!"

Joanna will be performing at 54 Below, New York, USA on September 16th 2015. For more information please go to www. 54below.com

We hope you enjoy Joanna's performances on "In My Hand" and "One Look Of Love". You can find out more about her at www.joannastrand.co.uk

Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave a comment.

Next time on d'Blog... The lyricist speaks. Michael Davies shares his thoughts about the TESS process to date.

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