Breaking Into LA Singing Session Work - with special guest, Laura Jackman
Today I have the pleasure to introduce you to professional singer/vocal contractor, and COO of The Society of Composers and Lyricists, Laura Jackman, as she shares how to break into the competitive, but thrilling, world of session singing in Los Angeles. Laura shares her story with its interesting twists, and divulges MANY golden bits of wisdom in the interview below. Discover all it takes to be a session singer.
1. Tell us a bit about YOUR journey from talented hopeful to singing in films like Sing 2, Spider Man: No Way Home, The Lion King (live-action), and Live on Jimmy Kimmel (among many more).
Laura Jackman
· Most people, including myself, didn’t even know session singing was a path to pursue. My aunt was a vocal contractor in the 80s, 90s and onwards, so I was exposed to session-singing magic early on. Being a kid who had decent pitch, could take direction well, and stand quietly for long periods of time, I was perfect for the gig. I got to miss school, eat craft services, sing with other kids who loved singing and movies as much as I did. Suffice it to say, I was immediately obsessed. I had the pleasure of singing for films, tv shows, Muppet straight-to-vhs-kid-specials, and albums for legends until I aged out of the “kid” category. From them on, serious musicianship was required to keep your spot at the music stand. I then concluded that singing was fun, I was lucky to have the opportunities and gain my SAG card in the process, get some money for college, but I now had to “buckle down and study for a real job”, and sing only as a hobby. Honestly, I have no idea why I thought that way, but I’m happy I did because it gave me a break from the competitive nature of the industry as well as experience and an education in so many other fields that ended up proving very useful to me when I ultimately decided to pursue music and session singing as an adult career.
· I studied art history at Bard College in New York, and after graduating, I worked in social media, marketing for studios, for a health food company, in the restaurant industry, and hospitality world. I always felt like I was trying to find my niche and nothing was really sticking. I remember seeing a vocal jazz concert with my aunt and becoming irrationally angry at the performing singer. I couldn’t figure out where all this rage was coming from, and then realized that I was denying myself what I love more than anything, which of course was singing.
· I promptly took my aunt out to lunch, and in my most professional manner, asked her what I needed to do to learn quickly, gain experience, and be taken seriously in the session singing and musician community as an adult singer and ideally without the bias of nepotism.
· I ended up joining the vocal jazz choir which rehearsed in the evenings at Santa Monica City College. It was amazing, and I learned so much including how much more I needed to learn. I ended up joining their Applied Music program as a Jazz vocalist. It was essentially a graduate program for me where I had access to working-musician-professors and received much more individual attention than I know I would have at a larger university program. I worked my ass off as I felt I was five years behind my peers, and I was determined to learn how to sight read as fast as possible. My professors noticed my enthusiasm and drive to become a working professional, and before I left SMC, they were hiring me to gig with them or to do freebee work, etc. I was so thrilled for any opportunity I could get, and I think my excitement and willingness to do anything to be a part of this made a big difference.
· I started making demos and sending them to contractors, but I think what helped me the most was that I was being talked about by people in the community. I kept popping up at any singer-related gathering or event, I was singing in a caroling group, I joined multiple high-level choirs, subbed at churches, and people knew I was reliable and always had a great attitude.
2. What are the skills you need for session work? How important is sight-reading, etc?
Sight reading is definitely important. And to be a good sight reader you have to have confidence, which I feel took me the longest to build. I absolutely had imposter syndrome for a long time, and I only realized after the fact how much it was blocking me from being a decent sight reader. More important than sight reading however is having a team-player attitude. There is no room or tolerance for a ‘diva attitude’. You have to be an amazing blender and pitch is very important. Being able to adapt quickly - to be musical as well as precise. Being able to shift between vibrato and straight tone at any pitch and style is always a necessary skill. Become excellent and rhythm reading and being able to count measures of constantly changing meters. And being dependable! Always get there early, and I would always stay late and see if the contractor needed any assistance or to make friends with the other singers. It’s not just about who you know but who knows you! I ended up being the person the people liked having around. I was a good hang! The singers like to having me around and the contractors knew they could depend on me, and at the end of the day, that’s more important than being the best singer in the world or even the best sight reader in the world. If you can establish a reputation for these things, it will be a huge asset and keep you called back again and again.
3. What else do you need in preparation for seeking studio work? A reel? A headshot? Etc?
Especially if you’re not already known in the industry, having a great demo reel makes a huge difference. A session singer reel is unique in that you want to combine a variety of 10 to 30 second snippets of you singing different styles starting with the style/technique you do best. So many people come in saying, “oh, I can sing everything!.” I’m sure you can, however, a contractor is not going to hire you to sing everything. They are going to hire you to sing what you sing best and what you sing better than most others. For me, my selling point is my low voice, my alto tone and usually me singing jazz, showcasing strong pitch and control. I demonstrate that in my demo through various styles, but I know what my major selling point is. Most people don’t showcase a low voice and I know that could get me in the door. Indeed, that is what I’m hired to do 90% of the time, and I usually sing low alto. I can sing high soprano if needed, but I am in no way a ‘stand-out soprano’. My uniqueness is my alto tone and low range.. Start off not by saying that you can do everything, but highlighting what you do best.
Aside from sharing your demo with contractors, having events and gigs where people can hear you in real time and vouch for you and your work ethic is huge. Being in a church choir or caroling group is great. Inviting contractors to your live show where you don’t have the crutch of a mixing board and effects will really showcase your pitch, style, and control in real time.
4. Do you need to be part of a union to be taken seriously, and if so, how do you get in?
No, you don’t need to be a part of a union to be taken seriously. Everyone has to be Taft-Hartly’d or invited in by doing at least three gigs not being in the union. To do the legit gigs, however you do have to be in the union. To be invited and to be given the opportunity to be Taft-Hartly’d, you have to do all the things I mentioned above. Be taken seriously in another way so you are approached and invited to the next level.
5. How does studio singing differ from live singing?
I think about this a lot because there are many similarities, but overall session singing is about precision and control. The luxury of session singing is that you can do multiple takes, you can add a passes, harmonies, you can fly whole sections of music but you don’t have to repeat, you can punch into a middle of a section and redo only a few measures at a time if you need. The point however is that session time costs a lot of money, so when you’re invited in there, you don’t want to waste a minute of that time. You are paid to come in and be as productive as possible. You want to be able to read it quickly and sing it flawlessly right away. It also gives the composer the opportunity to change their mind on the spot, so you have to roll with the punches and mix up your sound, mix up your pitch, mix up your rhythm, whatever they want. Pitch and control, again are everything because you can hear everything. It also showcases how you blend and know your strengths. That is so important. Sometimes I know my instrument on a certain day can’t do a pianissimo hi E, for instance, so I will not sing it if there’s enough people covering the note, because I don’t want to ruin the sound that day. It’s not about, ‘I want to make sure the people in the back row can hear me,’ it’s about the overall sound and vision for the composer and knowing your instrument and where it is an asset and where it is not. Again, being a team player and not a diva is everything in the session singer world. In a live performance, that confidence and boldness is an asset. You don’t get a second take and usually have to rehearse, memorize, and practice before the gig. Session singing is just hoping you’re prepared for whatever they’re gonna drop on you that exact minute, and you have no advanced warning, however, you rarely have to memorize anything. I’ve now gotten so bad at memorizing things that when I have to do live gigs it takes serious focus and brain work.
6. We know this is a highly competitive world. How can you stand out and get noticed? What are they looking for - someone who can blend with others, or someone who can wail?
Again, I think it’s about knowing your strengths and knowing that you’re not the best at everything. Singing is so unique in that it is so individual and personal. We each have something special and a unique timbre that is specifically ours. Knowing what your instrument can do well and that is special goes a long way. It’s also knowing to let other people take the lead when it’s not your moment. Being kind to everyone, blending, going with the flow, being flexible, etc. this tends to be qualities contractors look for, and is, ironically, the most competitive way to stay in the business as opposed to fighting tooth-and-nail, and singing louder than everyone else.
It is also about networking. Which can be s a scary word, but it really just means being a nice and genuine person. Because this particular job works best with ego-less people, I have met some of the sweetest, most kind and generous people in the world doing this job. Being generous with your time and talent goes a long way, and people notice. I try my best to always be myself and be kind to everyone, and I’d like to think that has kept me working as a singer. I know it sounds obvious and cheesy, but it appears to be very true. All of my customer service experience had clearly not been wasted time.
7. Ok, now for the big question - how do you get “in” the elusive door - drive to the Warner Bros. lot and ask at the gate if they need any singers today? :)
Hahaha, if only! It tends to be a long journey, because it is not just about who you know but who knows you. I was lucky to get a foot in the door thanks to my Aunt and her connections when I began actively pursuing session singing as an adult, however, since I was “new” and not yet fully vetted, I did a lot of un-paid gigs, caroling, and many other less glamorous opportunities to simply be seen, heard, and have other singers and contractors notice my work ethic, dependability, flexibility, and, of course, singing ability. I got a foot in the door, but I had to work my ass off for years to merely stay in the room! I learned many valuable things from working as an assistant to contractors. Now that I have had a few opportunities as a contractor myself, I can attest that, I would rather call and hire a singer who is dependable, shows up on time, does not complain, does not act like a diva, or cause a scene, is a team player, is a solid reader who I can easily throw on a different part at the last minute if needed, all over a singer who is just “the best at singing”. The dependability qualities are much more bankable than just being a great singer. And excellent pitch – good pitch is very important. Once contractors know you are dependable in these ways, you end up on the shorter lists. The contractors are on the line just as much as the singer, hoping to get called back for the next gig by the composer. They know you are dependable and respected by the other singers as well as other contractors, so they don’t have to worry about you, and they can worry about the millions of other things on their plates. To get there, it means doing free gigs, joining choirs, getting a church gig to keep your chops up, caroling during the holidays, sending demos, performing live, sight-reading with confidence on everything (even if you sometimes make mistakes), and showcasing your skills and musicality. You never know who you will meet at any of these instances. Doing all of these things kept me in the room.
8. Final question - what has been your favorite credit so far, and what is your dream project or credit yet to come?
This is actually a difficult answer for me; I have loved so many of the sessions I have had the honor of being a part of. My favorite, all around, would have to be The Lion King (2019). It combined all of my favorite elements; singing down an entire score of which I already knew by heart and have adored since my childhood, being able to sing on the soundstage with many of my friends multiple days in a row, singing for Hans Zimmer, and then being able to sing out, loudly, confidently, and often alone or secluded on my part since there were many divisi on many of the arrangements. I was in heaven and felt on a high long after the sessions. The score is on my trail running playlist and, hearing certain tracks come up randomly while running is just the most motivational and inspirational. It just reminds me to be grateful for my career and the insanely special moments I have lived so far. I have the best job in the world!
Laura Jackman is a versatile session singer, performer, and vocalist located in Los Angeles, CA, and has been singing in a professional context since the age of 9. With her uniquely rich and dark tone, Laura's strong alto sound is versatile as a professional singer, both live and in the studio. She loves nothing more than to be a part of a beautiful harmonious blend, and to bring passion and life to both new and old music. Throughout her career, Laura has had the immense pleasure of contributing her voice to the music of Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, John Williams, Paul McCartney, Michael Giacchino, Germaine Franco, Ramin Djawadi, Richard Carpenter, and more.
Laura also proudly holds the title of Chief Operations Officer at the Society of Composers and Lyricists with extensive music industry experience for organizations including The Hollywood Bowl, TAXI A&R, SAG-AFTRA, The Kodály Association of Southern California (KASC), and LA Youth Studio, where she teaches workshops for young singers to learn the skills and protocols of session singing.