Who am I?

[PJ10]

I've been in an acoustic duo for a couple of years, but I was definitely the second option, mostly the backup singer who sang lead occasionally. We've broken up (cordially) and I'm going solo. Here's my issue I'm having: I have no clue what "I" sound like. I can't tell if I'm a higher-range singer, or a lower-ranger singer. I can do both, and at times both sound comfortable. Here's what I told my wife, though: When Eddie Vedder does a cover song, you KNOW it's Eddie Vedder. I feel as though when I do a cover song, I'm like a chameleon. I have no idea "who" I am. I'm not exactly doing impersonations of singers, but maybe the issues I'm having is what key to sing a particular song in. Does anyone else have this kind of an issue? Thanks for any advice.

[davie]

Hey there,

 

I can completely understand where you're coming from. In terms of higher or lower range, I would sing whatever is comfortable for you at the moment. If you work on your technique and vocal development more, then not only vocal range will improve but over time it will become obvious which range your voice should naturally sit. As for having a certain sound, sounding similar to certain artists isn't necessarily a bad thing, in a cover band it would be considered an asset. But if you're after your own unique sound then you need to draw from all your influences and make it into one voice. Find certain aspects that you like from each singer and try to adopt them into your own singing. If you find that you're having difficulty isolating your own sound, then one good method would be to sing an original song. This way there is no past association with any particular way it should sound. It's like a empty canvas that you're free to experiment with. I did a similar thing to develop my own style.

Hope this helps.