Do you ever love doing something so much that you can’t remember going a day without doing it?
That describes me about 6 years ago with singing. I loved it. And I mean LOVE. To the point where for a couple years I was dead set on Broadway for my career path.
However, as I discovered a newfound love for dancing; memorizing lyrics and runs quickly changed to memorizing dance moves and beats. While to this day I still love dancing, I miss the days where my friends and I would lounge around each others living rooms with a guitar or piano jamming out to our favorite songs. Now I don’t want to toot my own horn but I wasn’t completely horrible at singing either. In fact it used to be my go-to “tell.”
You know how everyone has a go-to “tell” for describing someone to somebody? “OH yeah the girl that’s the amazing volleyball player!” or “You know, the guy that is number #1 in our science class??”
I was the “Small Asian girl who sure could sing.” One of my favorite songs growing up with 15 solid years of vocal training was “Thank You For the Music” from Mamma Mia. There’s a line in that song that goes “cause everyone listens when I start to sing.” That’s exactly what it felt like for me whenever I sang.
But now, 6 years later, I’m wondering why I ever stopped. Sure I had more school work and dance rehearsal 24/7. I’m sure I could have tried a little harder to work in some vocal exercises or a performance or two? I miss the feeling of singing for an audience. Actually no, I miss the feeling of killing a song for myself.
While I have a ways to go to get back my full range of singing abilities, I have a newfound excitement to get back in the singing game; for myself and not anyone else. It feels like another lifetime when I had back-to-back roles and showcases just for singing solo.
The best part about this, is it doesn’t have to be another life, just a little bit later in my current life. Now, of course I’m saying this while I’m in Rome and all my talented musician friends who had my back and hyped me up are back home in California. But I hope to re-ignite that passion for music that used to make me so happy before! Hopefully I’ll work up the courage to make new covers or audition for a role or two in a musical when I get back.
It doesn’t have to be the end for my singing, in fact, it may just be a new beginning!
Just giving my best out into the universe,
Jess
(Ps. See a snippet of one of the last times I sang for people (from the featured pic^) on my Instagram! feat. one of my very talented friends on the guitar!)
HI i'm jess. 