Accent training consists of various steps but the reward is for a lifetime! I recently sat down with singer-songwriter/ vocal coach Kalla (Lost Lights) and asked her about her about the importance of getting speech and accent training.
As a professional singer with ESL (English as Second Language), what are some of the challenges (e.g. accent barriers) you have faced when singing in English?
The main challenge was my accent. I never knew if I was consistent and clear and what it sounded like, even though I didn’t have an accent that was distinctly Israeli. So as someone who wanted to perform internationally, I always questioned whether I was clear enough. Even when writing lyrics [in English], I was never sure if I was writing a word that I knew how to pronounce correctly.
Had you ever had any diction training prior to studying at Say What?
No. The truth is that I wasn’t even aware that such a thing existed. I mean I’ve been taking voice lessons for many years and my [voice] teachers worked with me on my English a little, but it wasn’t from someone who is a native speaker.
Why did you feel it was important to get speech and accent training (for singing)?
The truth is that at first, I only thought about it for recording an album in English, which I wanted to sound clear and consistent, just as I would if I sang in my mother tongue (Hebrew). I wanted to use the language at the same level, in terms of grammar and pronunciation, so that it would sound very professional. After we finished working on the songs I was about to record, I realized that diction and accent training is equally important for me for live performances as well, and for everything else.
How has learning the sounds of English helped/ improved your confidence on stage and recording sessions? Are you able to express yourself more, when singing?
Definitely. I think that especially when you’ve already got the lyrics, and you have to work on the performance – for example on a cover or a song I want to record for another artist or another producer, or on something’s that’s not my own material – I can do it in the best possible way now, when it comes to accent and pronunciation (which I wasn’t even aware of before). It makes me feel more confident when I approach any song and not just vocally.
The ability to express myself has improved because until now I only relied on the rules of my vocal training in my singing, not considering the language I sing in and there are many rules which apply which are valid when singing in Hebrew but not when singing in English, and that awareness makes me sound much better when I sing in English now. I feel that writing lyrics [in English] now has also became much easier and correct.
As a vocal coach as well, do you think that diction training should be taught separately or simultaneously in the lesson? Why?
If a non-Native student sings and writes in English, then the focus should be on improving their accent [and pronunciation]. It can be integrated into the singing lessons in my opinion, only if the vocal coach is a native speaker who can teach it correctly. If not, then it’s better to separate it like I’m doing now. In any case, I think that it’s better if it’s taught at a later stage, when the student is at a more advanced level vocally.
Finally, would you recommend speech and accent training to other professional singers? If so, why?
Absolutely. If you sing in a foreign language like English which is not your mother tongue and you want to do it professionally, and not just as a hobby then the training ultimately pays off if you do it thoroughly. I think that now, after all the lessons I’ve taken to improve my accent and pronunciation in English, I feel that it sounds much better, and you can definitely hear the difference between singers who have good pronunciation and a better accent, and singers who are probably not even aware of how they sound at all.
One Response
היי, זו תגובה.
כדי לשנות, לערוך, או למחוק תגובות, יש לגשת למסך התגובות בלוח הבקרה.
צלמית המשתמש של המגיב מגיעה מתוך גראווטר.