finding a younger singer

here's my dilemma , I have a son 13yo who is very good on the drums and has a bass player and guitar who are ok...I play guitar with them but I do not sing. I am trying to find a singer around their age which may be an impossible task as:

1. are there singers out there "good" at that age

2. finding one that also likes their style of music metal , alternative , etc..

I know he could hang with some older kids as far as playing ability but as far as maturity not sure i want him hanging with 17-18yo quite yet.

where would you look for such a singer? any ideas would be helpful...

thanks!! and congrats on getting the vocal forum , I'm always around lights and live sound.....

Ask your son first, and then the local school's or church's choir director.

Im sure you can find a good singer... but at 13, who is going to be expecting a Freddie Mercury? You shouldnt have any problem finding someone at that age, into that music and who will want to sing... A great singer might be hard to find, but it would be more important in my opinion to find someone who fits well with the group and that you feel would be a good influence on your child, rather than the greatest singer around, and at 13 its more about the experience and having fun than it is trying to make a it, right?

What Sunsetcarcrash said.

I thought I was pretty good when I was 13, and so did most people who knew me, but I was still only 13. I got a lot better, as I gained more experience. Heck, at 13, most guys' voices haven't changed yet.

Kids who can sing metal or hard rock at any kind of convincing level are few and far between.

However, they do exist...

[YOUTUBE]6SsrsN8cu54[/YOUTUBE]

That was good ,,, That held my interest. They kicked ass

Get one of these.

I dunno how to explain it, but I had a great disappointment in a young singer this summer.

Went to go see the band Black Tide at the Mayhem Festival. Their album Light From Above is exactly what young metalheads need these days. A kid who can SING.

Well... then puberty hit their singer. Heh heh heh. Sounded just like every other yogurt-gargling nu-core frontman out there. His voice went to HELL. And it's sad, to know that he'll never be able to sing those songs the way he did on that album. Cuz he was a naturally talented banshee just waiting to conquer the world! And then... hormones ruined it for him.

So while I say, "Go find a great singer," remember that a 13-year-old may be a great singer now... but in a few years, you guys could be let down.

yeah..love that band and the singer. Haven't seen them live though but understand what ur saying...he does (did) have a great style singing voice for a young kid...mmm..maybe we'll just get reversed karaoke ....backing vocal tracks with no music??

I think the guitar or bass player should suck it up and sing. Singing metal is difficult, and really, the most likely candidates to be willing to put in the time and energy to learn how to sing metal at that age are kids who already know a great deal about metal, like a guitarist or bassist--like your son's bandmates. Singing tolerably well is probably 80% confidence and not being afraid to project your voice. These kids should be encouraged to develop the testicular fortitude to put on a legitimate rock show. Relying on another singer is a cop-out. Rock bands aren't about introverted guitarists hiding behind their instruments. They're about ballsy singers rocking the house. (Dismounts soapbox).

That said, there are no formal training institutions for singing metal (sorry, I couldn't help but giggle at the suggestion of pulling a metal singer out of someone's church group), but then again, you may as well have your son ask around or put up a flier at the school or church choir room. Someone trained in basic singing technique who is also interested in metal could be a perfect fit. Also there's the classic move of flyering at your local guitar store, but the school thing is probably your best bet.

My 13 year old daughter sings in a blues band, and she takes voice lessons. Ask voice teachers for student recommendations. Of course, it can be hard to find the good voice teachers...

My son's band had auditions yesterday to replace their lead singer who wasn't that good, and wasn't getting better. They had two 14 year old kids audition, a guy and a girl. It was bad, they were way, way, worst that the original singer. Really bad.

The third person that was supposed to audition did not show up. This was a girl who claimed to be one of the best singer in her church and had won a talent contest three years in a row. When they called her to find out if she was coming, she said she would be there next Monday to audition. They told her not to bother.

Their drummer can sing well but she's not sure if she can handle the load of singing and playing drums. Maybe the auditions will make her change her mind. They got rid of their original singer after they got tired of being told countless times they were good but heir singer sucked.

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Check out some of the local fairs and open contests - you may be surprised who turns up. At age 13, they may have an easier time finding a talented female singer.

She doesn't sing metal, but here's a video of my 13 year old at a county fair last week. (I really like what she did with the ending of the song). Anyway, she's still developing but at 13, her voice is less likely to change for the worse than a boy of the same age. jmo

[YOUTUBE]anJcrGaP1CY[/YOUTUBE]

^^^^Awesome, I wish my son could find a singer/guitarist like your daughter for his band.