Dorothy: The Art of Finding Your Voice

By External Source

Q: Was there also a point where you discovered singing was a form of expression? Meaning, not only can you belt out tunes, but there’s poetic art to singing that you make personal.

Yes, that’s where it gets interesting. Once you understand the mechanics of the voice and how to use your voice, then you apply the human spirit to it, and it’s a whole new ballgame. If someone is hitting all their runs perfectly and they’re like a machine, and there’s no emotion or energy behind what they’re doing, then they are not going to give audiences goosebumps. They are not going to change the vibration of the listener to something that feels good. It’s a big responsibility as a singer to know that sound is powerful. When it’s a group of people making sounds, it’s extra powerful. I’ll listen to things like Buddhist Monks chanting, and I’ll get goosebumps all over my body, and I’ll be amazed by how it opens up something. The band and I get in a circle and do an om mediation before every show. It really helps our energy, and it connects us to each other. It’s an important ritual.

I’ve also discovered that when I think I’m warmed up, it’s not even the beginning. An hour into our set, I start feeling completely warmed up. Sometimes the floodgates will open, and I’ll be able to do things with my voice that I never thought I could do. It’s all through channelling. It’s incredible to go to that place. It’s an entirely new dimension that I hope all vocalists that are reading this get to discover. – Dorothy Martin: The Art of Finding Your Voice, M