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Non-Diva Lead Singers: Do they exist?

#83
BazzaBass said:
That’s like trying to find a Bass Player with a personality
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What about bassist/lead singers? I know of a woman who is both, she writes the music and is a bit of a diva but kind of shy really...I do know that she is very determined to do things her way (she has a award winning blues/jazz debut album) but i know for a fact she can be very difficult to work with (though 2 of her band members she is close to).

In her case she's had a vision since she was very young...she got into it big time with a producer..... the result was a very good album from the chaos but being the songwriter, bassist and lead singer is a lot to ask imo.
 
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#84
JeezyMcNuggles said:
Well, they are the star of the show. Whether you like to admit it or not
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A singer needs a certain attitude and style to set them apart on stage...lots of great singers that dont really project well on stage in terms of style and stage presence.

Otoh, some singers can get beyond ridiculous with their antics (Roth era Van Halen) but without their drive and attitude the band may not stand out.
 
#85
KellyC said:
Dave is among the top 10 rock front men of all times in my book. Not just his persona, but his vocal stylings. Truly a rarified, elite hard rock singer. I can't even listen to post-Dave Van Halen, they sound like everyone in the band has been neutered. But the dude is a nutjob.
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Post Dave era became more pop and Sammy is a very skilled singer and performer who could probably sing opera....Dave is a very difficult person to even try to understand lol but how many Sammy albums solo or VH stand out like VH1?
 
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#86
DavidEdenAria said:
Post Dave era became more pop and Sammy is a very skilled singer and performer who could probably sing opera....Dave is a very difficult person to even try to understand lol but how many Sammy albums solo or VH stand out like VH1?
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#87
KellyC said:
Dave is among the top 10 rock front men of all times in my book. Not just his persona, but his vocal stylings. Truly a rarified, elite hard rock singer. I can't even listen to post-Dave Van Halen, they sound like everyone in the band has been neutered. But the dude is a nutjob.
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Yeah I agree. I'm not even really a Van Halen fan. There are a few tunes I like, but I really can't listen to much of it, the cymbal noise ruins it for me.
 
#89
retslock said:
There is one contentious issue that some people see as diva behaviour but I don't. That is that she won't sing a song that she can't feel a connection to.
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I completely agree with you that it shouldn’t be a contentious issue at all. But it could be walking a very fine line sometimes.

Any band should negotiate what songs to include on their set lists. If someone doesn’t want to do a song for a valid reason - such as they legitimately doubt their ability to perform it acceptably - it shouldn’t become an issue. Unless the person objecting is being an actual diva about it. Something you can’t really determine in isolation. You’d need to look at the refusal within the context of everything else being performed by the individual.

It would show some class if the person objecting to the tune at least agreed to work on it on their own for a bit before making their final decision to take a hard pass in it. Still, singing isn’t the same thing as playing an instrument where virtually any problem can be fixed with enough practice.
 
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#91
Axtman said:
For the past few weeks I have been commiserating with a friend of mine about the diva lead singer in his group. She checks off all the boxes, so no need to repeat them.

Is there such a thing as a lead singer that does not think the world revolves around them?
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I worked with one. She is one of my best friends to this day. I worked with some real pieces of work, too.
 
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#92
40Hz said:
I completely agree with you that it shouldn’t be a contentious issue at all. But it could be walking a very fine line sometimes.

Any band should negotiate what songs to include on their set lists. If someone doesn’t want to do a song for a valid reason - such as they legitimately doubt their ability to perform it acceptably - it shouldn’t become an issue. Unless the person objecting is being an actual diva about it. Something you can’t really determine in isolation. You’d need to look at the refusal within the context of everything else being performed by the individual.

It would show some class if the person objecting to the tune at least agreed to work on it on their own for a bit before making their final decision to take a hard pass in it. Still, singing isn’t the same thing as playing an instrument where virtually any problem can be fixed with enough practice.
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Yes it's the lyrics that matter.
 
#94
Our lead singer is an amazing human being. Powerful, versatile singer, great entertainer and crowd catalyst. She’s NEVER a diva - she’s there for load-in/set-up/tear down at every gig, hauling gear, setting up mics and lights - the whole nine yards.

She’s also our promo/booking lead and she’s awesome at that. Any success we’ve enjoyed is largely owed to her. She’s a high power sales/marketing professional in her day job and uses those skills expertly.

She’s also a great “band mom” and keeps the rest of us in line when we need it. Her superpower is that she can give anyone the “mom look”.

We’re all very grateful form the privilege to work with her!
 
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#97
The quality female vocalists are usually the least “diva” in my experience, and the ones you can rely on the most to do a pro job singing for you. The divas are generally a waste of time and effort - musically speaking, anyway. No kidding.
 
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#98
Non divas do exist. There’s not as many of them as we would hope, though.

Our original female singer in a classic rock from way back was a trooper and a great team player.

She had to leave for awhile unexpectedly. We got desperate because we had some gigs lined up so we took on one singer temporarily who used to show up with her own gold (not real gold) microphone in its cute little leather and velvet case????:thumbsdown:

Can’t remember the model. She was halfway good looking, but sang mediocre at best. She acted full on diva of course. The few gigs we did during her tenure, thankfully, were only in toilets and we always threw on plenty of chorus to cover up her flaws.

Thank god our original singer came back sooner than expected. We gave Goldie the collective boot with great joy and relief.
 
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#99
Absolutely! I play with lots of singers and they are all grounded, educated, intelligent, occasionally self-deprecating, but never divas. They do exist.

But don't confuse singers who are assured of their repertoire and abilities with diva'ism. Your singer is the main portal to the audience, and they should generally dictate the song choices. If you don't like that, get two singers that can work together. Don't get upset if that Genesis song you always wanted to play gets voted down because your singer prefers Natalie Merchant.
 

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