Conversations with Coach Enya
A Singaporean vocalist, singer song writer and vocal coach, Enya shares about her journey in music with us in this week’s podcast. The conversation covers the artists that inspires Enya, what she thinks about being a musician and thoughts on good vocal coaching. Watch the full YouTube video, or listen to the Spotify podcast for insightful takeaways on how to grow as a good musician, and to expand your musical taste. You can also find out how to improve yourself as a singer, and receive some recommendations and tips for the songs she’s currently teaching!
Below are a few snippets of questions taken from the conversation!
Q: who are the artists that give you the musical inspiration?
Who I am today is largely a product of the music that I was listening to as I was growing up. My father played a lot of The Beatles. He played a lot of Eric Clapton, Queen type stuff, BB King, Simon and Garfunkel, and then there's a lot of 90s R&B, so like Mariah Carey, Boys II Men. Um, those have definitely influenced myself a lot.
But I would have to say, probably the top three idols that I have musically, would have to be Stevie Wonder. Ella Fitzgerald, and Aretha Franklin.. Just because I think as artists, they are iconic. And when you hear them, you’d know it's them. There's no mistaking their songs. There's no mistaking the style, and they own everything, even if it's not original. Like Aretha sang quite a few songs that other artists and songwriters wrote, but we do not think of the songwriters, we think of her you know? So that to me is like the height of artistry.
Some contemporary singer-songwriters who inspire me are Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. Also, I'm largely influenced by Motown songs.
Q: How do you expand your knowledge and understanding of music?
Like I said, the musical deities for me - the people that I kind of worship - are Stevie, Ella, Aretha. I grew up listening to them. A lot of the contemporary musicians and music that I check out, are stuff that I find on playlists; Spotify playlists. I actually listen to Apple playlists quite a fair bit. And if I find a song and a sound that I really like, I just check out the artists involved. And I'll maybe download you know, an EP or an album that they've done, to get to know their work better.
Sometimes you hear songs by the artists that you like, but if it's a one-off collaboration type thing, they don't actually sound that way. So if you get into an artist for one song, it’s good to check out more of their work. And if their work is kind of cohesively sounding like that, then you’ve found your new favourite song of the moment.
I also get quite a lot of song recommendations from friends. A lot of the friends that I hang out with on a regular basis are super into music and have great taste. So, they share what they're listening to me - stuff that they've discovered by accident. I'm sure you've done this before - you go on to YouTube, or Spotify, whatever. And then you look at one artist for one song, and then it leads you to a bunch of other songs. And then below that, there is a whole list of artists that have similar sounds.
It's addictive, you know, you just keep looking.
Q: How was your experience at Berklee college of music? Any teachers who were really great?
Amazing, I would say, the biggest takeaway that anyone can have from any community that you choose to be a part of that you are engaged, that you are somehow involved in, is, is by being accountable for your own learning as well.
That leads to the next question of best teachers, and I actually wrote down three things. First you are most accountable for your own learning, and in that sense you are your best teacher. Then what leads to you being your best teacher… for me, it's my students, actually. So I find that I'm a better singer when I teach. I find that I'm a better teacher when I teach, you know, because the more you do that, the more you get used to it. And your students teach you how to teach them, really, because of the questions they ask, and how they respond to what you tell them to do. You're subconsciously - whether you realise it or not - responding to that. And then you're kind of retraining yourself every time you teach somebody or tell something to someone that you want to share. So my students - and again - YOU are your best teacher, right?
For me, actually, there's so many good teachers at Berkeley, but I would have to say, two very memorable teachers for me, are Lisa Thorson and Donna McElroy. Different teachers have different different styles of teaching. But, I feel like Lisa’s teaching was more of observing, giving feedback, and then asking you what you yourself felt kind of thing, which I think is very good. It's a very good practice, because I think silence is underrated. And reflection is underrated. And I think it's very important for anything you're doing, regardless of singing or whatever. You need to have some like downtime to process.
Donna McElroy is a veteran for sure - they're both veterans. I feel like she had high standards, which she held us up to as well, but in a good way. So it's like, if she's kicking your butt, it's for a good reason. Because she believes that you can reach a certain thing vocally, with your ability. Or reach a higher standard as a performer with your ability, but you are missing your potential because of whatever reasons, and she'll tell you why. And then she'll guide you towards it with specific feedback. And she won't go easy on you, because she knows what you're capable of.
Q: How is Ms Enya as a vocal coach?
I am nice, I am firm. And I am also stern. I teach students from six years old to 61 years old, so you’ll need to have different teaching approaches. You can't teach a six year old like you would a 28 year old, for example, right? You’ll have to break it down in children language a little bit. So with the children that I teach, I'm a little bit more animated. I’ll also do quite a fair bit of storytelling. Adults are different.
I think a lot of students worry about sounding ugly, and having their voice crack. What is the worst thing that could happen? Your voice cracks, you feel slightly embarrassed, and we laugh about it and we move on. You know, voice cracking is actually not as bad thing as people think it is. I think for me, when your voice cracks, are you getting emotional, and then you know, you go slightly off-pitch. It is the most human thing ever. And people respond to music differently when it has a vocal, because the vocal is an unprocessed human element that we can all relate to. Whether we realise it or not, you know. The voice is the first instrument ever, right? So I think, if you're imperfect, it just makes people able to relate more to you as a human being. And it's momentary, you know, like, it's not that big a deal. I think it's a bigger problem if you are a shell singing a song. You know, like you don't feel what you're singing.
Do check out Enya (NyaLi)’s songs on Spotify :) You can also follow her on instagram @nyalimusic