Case Study: Vocal Addiction...? Could it be Good or Could it Backfire?

Teaching, consulting and repairing voices for close to four decades, I thought I've seen it all.

Some of the clients had been very serious and very dedicated, some of them not serious enough and taking it lightly, but some of them had appeared to be overly dedicated and almost addicted to their own voices and the sound they had been producing.

I definitely prefer the serious and dedicated people, who understand the value of my services, and experience the greatest results.

However, some of my clients appear to be obsessed with their own voices and sound and almost paranoid of their present and future results.

While being completely out of balance, they get themselves exhausted to the bone and exhaust me to the absolute max of my tolerance.

While I appreciate their dedication and commitment, I could barely stay alive, as it is very hard to keep up with somebody who is literally addicted to something - and in this case, as odd as it sounds, it is to their vocal success.

In the past, I had parents complaining about their teenagers being on drugs, being committed to rehab, and just behaved out of line.

The parents, more than their children, were completely discombobulated, while dealing with their offspring's addictions.

I never could understand how that works, but now I do, as the vocal addiction, in my assumption, could probably compare to the drug addiction, in a manner of speaking.

Below, there is an excerpt of one of my recent clients, who came to me for the third time, literally from the other side of the globe:

"Yes,  thanks to you,  I keep getting better.   Much better.  But,  as you know,  singing is now a drug for me.   The more I get,  the more I want.   It is the only true passion in my life.   Like we talked about:  at least my passion is singing and not cocaine , whiskey , prostitutes  or something else.    I suppose for this I am lucky."

Throughout the week we had spent together, during numerous hours of vocal coaching, vocal producing in recording sessions and just conversations in between, I have succeeded in getting through to my client, while explaining to him that everything is good in moderation and in balance.

The obsession with anything is never good.

The passion for anything, is very welcome.

Those two definitions could be very much so mistaken for one another.

I promote commitment, dedication, passion, smart work (not hard), and the total balance while at it.

The obsession and almost addiction for anything - and vocal work included - could easily backfire.

The artist and the team involved will become exhausted and thrown off from, so to speak, the track they were on - to produce a class act performance.

The working team becomes distracted, trying to get the artist to calm down and thus, produce the best possible vocal performance.

I have succeeded and have produced three beautiful songs, but nearly faded completely by the end of the project.

However, to my client's credit, as you have seen the excerpt from his e-mail to me, he is aware of what has been happening and greatly appreciated my sincere effort to complete his project, nevertheless, with the flying colours.

I'm sure he will be back soon, but with a new understanding that the balance between the physical, emotional and vocal components... MEANS EVERYTHING.