“The Importance of Being True to Your Vision” -Patrice Peris

As a coach, one of the hardest things to do is to guide an artist to become who they feel they are meant to be without projecting on them what I see for them.  It is vital that they, through guidance, discover who they are, be it style, music, personality, showmanship, etc..  You see, in a world full of critics and opinion leaders, I know that they will get enough “advice” out there. The last thing they need is me throwing my two cents into the barrel of “noise.”  They need me to help guide and direct them to the places that will help them figure out, for themselves, who they are as an artist. I cannot tell you the number of times I have heard, “so and so said I would sound really good if I sang Rock,” or “I was told Pop music really doesn’t suit me.”  My answer is always the same, “Do you like Rock music? Do you like to sing Pop?” Whether the answer is “yes” or “no,” go with what you feel, not with what someone else is trying to project on you.  This is not to say there aren’t people out there that do have good feedback or are right in their assessment of the artist, but I know for certain without that individual’s agreement to create on their terms, the product will be sub-par.   Just think about the times you were either forced or not certain of doing something, the results were probably not your best.  The times you created your best product/result were the times your were driven by your own self-determination and passion. It came down to your free will and dedication to create what produced your best product.  The truth is we love and admire the singers we do, not because they are an imitation of a current or past great artist, we love them because they are in some form genuinely themselves, no matter how off the wall that may be.  We do not buy tickets to a show for an artist we view as fake, we buy the tickets to shows for the artists that have personalities we love and relate with. This is the value and crucial importance of allowing an artist to explore and discover their voice and style.  It is a real practice in patience to let someone go through the process of finding their voice and style, but the reward is priceless. For what you have as a result is an authentic, happy, genuine artist and this is what the world needs and craves. It does not need a carbon copy of Whitney Houston or Ariana Grande.

 

In a world where an artist will consistently be told by all those around them what they “feel” would be the best direction for them to go or the best style for them to sing, I have grown to know the value and importance in letting them discover this for themselves. This is not done by sitting back and letting them just aimlessly wander, but by guiding them to look, observe, and put into practice

 

Having coached for many years, it has become more and more clear that it truly is a necessity and part of the process of development that THEY discover and are passionate about who they are as an artist.