06 Jun Fan Question: Do You Think Vocal Delivery On A Demo Is As Important As Lyrics?
Yes! Vocal delivery is very important on a demo. There have been times where I wrote a particular song and demoed it but after hearing it back, I told the producers to find a stronger vocalist to deliver it better. I felt that because of the smooth tone of my voice, the song wouldn’t fully get the attention it deserved.
Case in point, “Falling Out” that I wrote for Keyshia Cole off her Just Like You album.
Listen to Keyshia Cole’s “Fallin Out” on my discography page.
That song was written in 30 minutes. I had been with the producers Soulshock and Karlin for about a week and was ready to go. My brain was loopy and I felt like I needed to rest from writing and recording long hours. After I completed the song, I was pleased with the lyrics and melody but my tone just didn’t take it to that next level for me. It was just an “okay” song. So we decided it would be best to find a stronger vocalist who could sing it better in that particular key.
A few months later, S&K got a demo singer to re-record the song and boy, did it come alive! This chick didn’t sound like Keyshia, but more like Brandy because of her “raspiness” and soulful church runs. It felt so good to hear my words being sung with so much passion and edge.
Later that year, Ron Fair and Shawn “Tubby” Holiday pitched the song to Keyshia and she was sold. Now compared to our original version, Keyshia’s voice and the added elements in the music took it to the moon! But that’s where you want it to go right? You want the artist to make it their own and she definitely did that.
Had we not gotten that song re-recorded, there’s no telling if Tubby or Ron would have felt the same way. See, the emotion behind the singing is what makes the lyrics believable. If it’s not done right, it can ultimately hurt the song’s magic.
So if you feel that you have some great lyrics but are not as great of a singer as the song requires, find better demo singers locally or online and pay them a couple of bucks to help make you look good!
Remember, you only have one chance to make a good impression…