WEBVTT - BONUS: Eric Vetro Helps Maya Find Her Voice 0:00:14.916 --> 0:00:31.436 Pushkin. Yeah. Well, like I said, let me ask you 0:00:31.476 --> 0:00:33.956 a question. Do you warm up before you do the shows? 0:00:34.956 --> 0:00:37.116 Of course not. I don't even know what that looks like. 0:00:37.716 --> 0:00:40.116 Well I'll show you because that is important, you know. 0:00:40.156 --> 0:00:42.156 And as I'm saying that, of course, the little voice 0:00:42.156 --> 0:00:43.956 at the back of my mind is saying, you don't 0:00:43.956 --> 0:00:47.476 warm up air. Why are you telling her she should? Well, 0:00:47.516 --> 0:00:50.036 I'm telling you because you really should. Yes, no one 0:00:50.116 --> 0:00:53.996 I will do it. Say say this, say um seven 0:00:54.036 --> 0:00:55.956 times in a row. Go me may me, may me, 0:00:55.956 --> 0:00:58.996 may me, may me, may me, may me, may me, 0:00:59.196 --> 0:01:00.956 me me me me me me me me me me 0:01:01.076 --> 0:01:03.196 me me may good. So I would say to you, 0:01:03.236 --> 0:01:05.796 take a little bit deeper breath so you don't think 0:01:05.836 --> 0:01:07.596 about running out of air as you're doing it. So 0:01:07.676 --> 0:01:10.196 now do it again with a deeper breath. Me me 0:01:10.356 --> 0:01:12.116 me me me me me me me me me me 0:01:12.316 --> 0:01:16.956 me Hey, Slight Changers. That's Eric Fetro. He's a vocal 0:01:16.956 --> 0:01:19.196 coach to some of the most famous pop stars in 0:01:19.196 --> 0:01:21.636 the world, and you just heard him giving me some 0:01:21.716 --> 0:01:23.916 tips for how to keep my voice fresh. For a 0:01:23.956 --> 0:01:27.796 slight change of plans, Eric shares his secret sauce from 0:01:27.836 --> 0:01:31.436 making the stars shine on his new Pushkin show, Backstage Pass, 0:01:32.276 --> 0:01:34.076 and I wanted to invite him on to talk about 0:01:34.116 --> 0:01:38.316 the inspiration for his show. Eric, I'm so delighted to 0:01:38.316 --> 0:01:40.436 have you on a slight change of plans to talk 0:01:40.476 --> 0:01:43.876 about Backstage Pass, and I want to give you a 0:01:43.916 --> 0:01:46.356 little backstage glimpse into the first time that I heard 0:01:46.356 --> 0:01:50.196 about you. So we have a mutual friend Michael Lewis, 0:01:50.636 --> 0:01:53.876 and I was at his home for a dinner and 0:01:54.196 --> 0:01:58.036 he said, Hey, Maya, I'm I'm doing this really cool 0:01:58.076 --> 0:02:01.556 new thing for my podcast. I'm actually learning how to sing. 0:02:02.316 --> 0:02:05.276 And I'm like, Michael, stay in your lane, buddy, all right, 0:02:05.876 --> 0:02:08.756 Like come on. I was worried that he was having 0:02:08.836 --> 0:02:12.876 some sort of Michael Jordan basketball to baseball pivot. I 0:02:12.916 --> 0:02:16.196 was like, writings to Forte, you're crushing it, like whatever. 0:02:17.036 --> 0:02:19.876 But then he said, no, no, no no, no, this is 0:02:19.916 --> 0:02:23.916 like legit. I'm working with Eric Fetro, who has coached 0:02:23.916 --> 0:02:27.356 people like Arianna Grande and Shawn Mendez and John Legend 0:02:27.676 --> 0:02:30.876 and my ears Perkuck because I'm a pop star fanatic. 0:02:32.076 --> 0:02:35.116 But then my second thought is leave it to Michael 0:02:35.156 --> 0:02:39.676 Lewis for his first voice lesson ever in the world 0:02:39.756 --> 0:02:42.276 to be with the best voice teacher of all time, 0:02:42.476 --> 0:02:46.476 like of course, right, And so I listened to the 0:02:47.236 --> 0:02:50.836 voice coaching episode that you did with him, and it 0:02:50.956 --> 0:02:53.236 was enchanting. I mean, it was so delightful, first of all, 0:02:53.236 --> 0:02:56.916 to see my friend whose vocal abilities I had very 0:02:56.996 --> 0:03:00.836 much underestimated. No offense, Michael, he and I share poor 0:03:00.916 --> 0:03:04.476 vocal ability, but yeah, it was such a delight to 0:03:04.516 --> 0:03:09.556 see your petagagy shine through, you know. And I was 0:03:09.636 --> 0:03:12.196 so delighted when I found out that Pushkin was going 0:03:12.276 --> 0:03:15.996 to make this into a show, you know. So that's 0:03:15.996 --> 0:03:17.836 how I heard about you. And as you know, I'm 0:03:17.876 --> 0:03:19.236 a huge fan of your show. But I would love 0:03:19.276 --> 0:03:21.796 it if you could just share with listeners more about 0:03:21.836 --> 0:03:26.996 the inspiration for Backstage Pass from your perspective. Oh okay, Well, 0:03:27.036 --> 0:03:30.116 first of all, thank you so much for that intro, 0:03:30.796 --> 0:03:33.476 and you know, I would love to before I talk 0:03:33.516 --> 0:03:36.756 about Backstage Pass, just say to you your podcast is 0:03:36.796 --> 0:03:40.516 so brilliant and so important. I mean, I'll just tell 0:03:40.556 --> 0:03:43.716 you personally from me, I've seen a lot of people 0:03:43.756 --> 0:03:46.676 have to pivot in their life because something happens. And 0:03:47.076 --> 0:03:49.316 I know your story that you injured your hand, but 0:03:49.436 --> 0:03:52.836 that changed you from having a career as a violinist, right, 0:03:54.036 --> 0:03:56.836 And so I remember when I heard about your podcast, 0:03:56.876 --> 0:03:58.236 I was like, oh my god, I have to listen 0:03:58.276 --> 0:04:02.236 to this. This is amazing. And when I went to NYU, 0:04:02.396 --> 0:04:05.316 I was a music major NYU. There was somebody at 0:04:05.316 --> 0:04:07.996 the music school who was just not a very nice person. 0:04:08.076 --> 0:04:11.756 He just was always angry. And at one point I 0:04:11.796 --> 0:04:14.636 realized he seemed angriest that people who played the piano, 0:04:14.716 --> 0:04:16.156 and that seemed odd to me. And one day I 0:04:16.156 --> 0:04:17.836 was talking to somebody and I said, you know, he 0:04:17.996 --> 0:04:21.196 is so nasty. I just don't like him. He so mean. 0:04:21.316 --> 0:04:24.596 And they said, well, you know after what happened to him, 0:04:24.596 --> 0:04:26.116 And I said, oh, I don't. I don't know what 0:04:26.156 --> 0:04:28.916 happened to him. He was on a real path. He 0:04:28.996 --> 0:04:32.476 was a very, very gifted pianist, and he was on 0:04:32.476 --> 0:04:35.956 his way to becoming a major concert pianist. And the 0:04:36.076 --> 0:04:38.876 irony of the fact that he was at his piano 0:04:38.956 --> 0:04:41.716 teach his apartment and there was an accident and the 0:04:41.756 --> 0:04:43.956 nerves of both hands were severed and he could never 0:04:43.996 --> 0:04:46.316 play again. And they said, so you just got to 0:04:46.356 --> 0:04:48.836 cut him some slack. And and I did, you know, 0:04:48.916 --> 0:04:50.996 have a lot of empathy for him. I couldn't imagine 0:04:50.996 --> 0:04:53.356 how awful that must have been, and how dramatic and 0:04:54.396 --> 0:04:56.156 all of that. But by the same token I used 0:04:56.156 --> 0:04:58.076 to always think in my head, but he could have 0:04:58.116 --> 0:05:00.836 turned that into, you know, being more empathetic to people 0:05:00.876 --> 0:05:03.476 and kinder to people and do something else. Why does 0:05:03.516 --> 0:05:05.556 he have to be so mean? So when I heard 0:05:05.556 --> 0:05:08.236 your show, it immediately brought I hadn't thought about him 0:05:08.756 --> 0:05:11.276 or that for years, but I thought about it. I thought, 0:05:11.756 --> 0:05:14.796 this is a brilliant show because it really shows people 0:05:14.876 --> 0:05:18.836 that sometimes we're spun into a different direction can be 0:05:18.956 --> 0:05:21.836 a much better direction that really puts our life on 0:05:21.876 --> 0:05:25.276 a much better, richer path. So anyway, my hat's off 0:05:25.316 --> 0:05:27.356 to you. It's really a great podcast and I love it. 0:05:27.436 --> 0:05:28.876 So I just have to say that, get it out 0:05:28.876 --> 0:05:35.276 the way saying that it's amazing. Yeah. Anyway, so backstage 0:05:35.316 --> 0:05:38.796 pass all because of our friend Michael Lewis. You know, 0:05:39.716 --> 0:05:41.596 I was talking to him one day and said, you know, 0:05:41.756 --> 0:05:44.356 I'd like to write a book and include some of 0:05:44.396 --> 0:05:47.596 my experiences with my students, what I've learned from them, 0:05:47.956 --> 0:05:50.636 what they've learned from me, but what we've seen that 0:05:50.756 --> 0:05:53.676 happens as you're going along in life, you know, because 0:05:53.916 --> 0:05:58.276 careers take on oh so many different aspects that you 0:05:58.316 --> 0:06:01.516 would never even dream of when you're just like a 0:06:01.636 --> 0:06:04.676 music student in school or taking voice lessons. You just 0:06:04.716 --> 0:06:07.396 don't know what's involved and building a big career and 0:06:07.476 --> 0:06:11.076 maintaining your voice and tainting the career. And he but 0:06:11.436 --> 0:06:13.436 I never wanted to write that because that would be 0:06:13.516 --> 0:06:17.476 an infringement on my personal relationship with them, you know. 0:06:17.596 --> 0:06:19.476 So I just thought, well, that doesn't feel right, and 0:06:19.516 --> 0:06:20.716 I don't want to go to them and say, can 0:06:20.716 --> 0:06:23.356 I talk about this incident or can I talk about that? 0:06:23.436 --> 0:06:26.916 And he said, Eric, everything you're talking about really should 0:06:26.956 --> 0:06:30.116 be a podcast. And I realized, oh, yeah, if they're 0:06:30.156 --> 0:06:33.356 talking about it and they're saying it, then it's okay 0:06:33.356 --> 0:06:36.116 because it's their choice, it's their words, it's their voice. 0:06:36.516 --> 0:06:38.956 And so that's what really got me excited about doing it. 0:06:38.996 --> 0:06:41.596 And the other thing was that each person I called 0:06:41.676 --> 0:06:45.796 said almost the exact same thing Arianna Sean Kabila. All 0:06:45.796 --> 0:06:49.236 of them said, Wow, I wish I had this when 0:06:49.316 --> 0:06:51.396 I was younger. I wish I could have heard pop 0:06:51.436 --> 0:06:54.356 stars that I looked up to, or artists of any 0:06:54.436 --> 0:06:57.876 kind songwriter as an artist talking about what it took 0:06:57.916 --> 0:07:00.036 for them to get there or what it is, you know. 0:07:00.116 --> 0:07:02.796 Just even John Legend talking about what he eats before 0:07:02.956 --> 0:07:05.796 a performance, that's really helpful to people to go, oh, 0:07:05.876 --> 0:07:08.316 let me try that, let me do that, you know. 0:07:08.396 --> 0:07:11.596 And I'm hoping that in their stories, even though it's 0:07:11.636 --> 0:07:14.316 about them in their career and it's a vocal career, 0:07:14.556 --> 0:07:18.756 that it's inspiring to anybody who's listening to go, well, 0:07:18.796 --> 0:07:21.236 if these people who have a lot of talent, let's 0:07:21.236 --> 0:07:23.476 face it. I mean, Arianna Grande was born with a 0:07:23.516 --> 0:07:26.916 beautiful voice. But if you find out that she is 0:07:26.956 --> 0:07:30.116 working at it so hard, so many hours, thinking about 0:07:30.156 --> 0:07:33.076 it all day before she goes on stage performing, she 0:07:33.116 --> 0:07:36.196 doesn't just wake up and sing, She really works at it. 0:07:36.276 --> 0:07:40.076 I'm hoping that will be inspirational to everybody listening whatever 0:07:40.156 --> 0:07:42.276 their career is, to go, oh, I'm going to put 0:07:42.316 --> 0:07:45.236 in more time and effort into my own career. So 0:07:45.276 --> 0:07:48.676 I'm hoping it's inspirational on that level. Yeah, I couldn't 0:07:48.676 --> 0:07:51.436 agree more. And one thing that really resonated with me 0:07:51.476 --> 0:07:53.996 about the show is that it does transcend the specifics 0:07:54.076 --> 0:07:58.116 of voice and music. It's really about perseverance when it 0:07:58.156 --> 0:08:02.396 comes to achieving our long term goals. And it's so 0:08:02.516 --> 0:08:04.996 top of mind for me right now because actually the 0:08:04.996 --> 0:08:08.676 episode that will follow this promo for your show is 0:08:08.676 --> 0:08:11.716 an intern I did with Professor Angela Duckworth, and she's 0:08:11.756 --> 0:08:15.596 made an entire career out of studying grit and what 0:08:15.676 --> 0:08:18.876 it takes to really get to these elite levels. And 0:08:19.156 --> 0:08:22.356 what you find is that, like you said exactly, talent 0:08:22.436 --> 0:08:26.076 will only get you so far. The sustained focus and 0:08:26.276 --> 0:08:30.396 deliberate practice and attention and care and you know, Ariana 0:08:30.396 --> 0:08:32.836 Grande whatever taking vocal rests when she wants to be 0:08:32.876 --> 0:08:35.436 hanging out with her friends. You know, like just constant 0:08:35.756 --> 0:08:40.796 management of your faculties. I mean, I think that's basically 0:08:40.836 --> 0:08:44.316 a core part of every person who achieves world class 0:08:44.396 --> 0:08:48.036 levels and anything. And society is so seduced by raw talent. 0:08:48.516 --> 0:08:50.756 We we love the idea, oh she just has a 0:08:50.796 --> 0:08:54.196 special something about her. Oh he's got it. He's a natural. 0:08:54.876 --> 0:08:56.836 But then what your show is doing is it's pulling 0:08:56.876 --> 0:08:59.516 back the curtain and saying, Okay, sure they got a 0:08:59.516 --> 0:09:01.756 bit of a headstart because they've certainly, well they got 0:09:01.756 --> 0:09:04.636 a lot of a headstart because they've got remarkable talent. However, 0:09:05.396 --> 0:09:08.316 when you look at the grit behind the scenes, I mean, 0:09:08.356 --> 0:09:11.196 you will never say that they had an easy rise 0:09:11.196 --> 0:09:13.996 to the top, not at all. And to find out, 0:09:14.036 --> 0:09:16.876 you know, even like the episode with John Legend, you 0:09:16.916 --> 0:09:20.996 know he has been successful for so many years doing 0:09:21.076 --> 0:09:24.076 concerts and recordings and everything else. The fact that he's 0:09:24.116 --> 0:09:27.476 taking voice lessons now to improve and to be able 0:09:27.516 --> 0:09:30.676 to maintain his voice, to me, that's so inspirational. That 0:09:30.756 --> 0:09:34.036 says anybody in whatever field they're doing, we need to 0:09:34.076 --> 0:09:36.356 stay on top of it. We need to keep ourselves 0:09:36.436 --> 0:09:38.556 up with If you're a doctor, you want to keep 0:09:38.716 --> 0:09:41.316 up with all the medical advances that are being made. 0:09:41.356 --> 0:09:43.476 You can't just go, oh, I learned that in college 0:09:43.476 --> 0:09:45.716 and then that's it. I don't need to study anything 0:09:45.756 --> 0:09:48.796 else or learn anything else. And so that's what I'm 0:09:48.796 --> 0:09:51.876 hoping that it really anybody listening goes, oh, wow, these 0:09:51.916 --> 0:09:54.436 people are doing that and they're reaching that high level 0:09:54.476 --> 0:09:57.156 of success. How can I apply that in my own life? 0:09:58.276 --> 0:10:01.236 You know? You know, Eric, you have such an intimate 0:10:01.276 --> 0:10:05.156 relationship with these stars and it comes through in the 0:10:05.236 --> 0:10:09.716 vulnerability that they show on backstage pass And I want 0:10:09.756 --> 0:10:13.276 to know, what's something new that you feel you learned 0:10:13.356 --> 0:10:15.836 from some of your guests that actually had never come 0:10:15.876 --> 0:10:18.836 through in the friendships that you had shared with them, 0:10:18.916 --> 0:10:20.756 or the you know, the voice lessons you had had, 0:10:20.996 --> 0:10:24.076 but that only became present when you're recording the show. 0:10:25.436 --> 0:10:28.596 You know, there's not so much that I've learned as 0:10:28.676 --> 0:10:32.916 much as it's reinforced or reminded me of you know 0:10:32.956 --> 0:10:36.196 what I mean. So I'm so much in the present. 0:10:36.236 --> 0:10:38.276 I try to really stay in the present moment, what's 0:10:38.316 --> 0:10:40.596 going on, what's going on with someone's voice right now, 0:10:41.196 --> 0:10:44.436 that sometimes I don't think about the past. And so 0:10:44.836 --> 0:10:47.636 when I've been talking these people, you know, who are 0:10:47.676 --> 0:10:49.836 my students, and we've been through a lot together and 0:10:49.916 --> 0:10:53.236 they bring up things from the past, it triggers a 0:10:53.236 --> 0:10:56.116 lot of memories in me and I go, oh, yeah, 0:10:56.156 --> 0:10:59.196 we really have come a long way. So that I'm 0:10:59.236 --> 0:11:01.636 looking at them where they are right now, what's going 0:11:01.636 --> 0:11:04.396 on with their voice, and how to help them right 0:11:04.396 --> 0:11:07.196 now this moment for the future. But when they talk 0:11:07.236 --> 0:11:10.356 about things in the past, it's really renewed all of 0:11:10.396 --> 0:11:14.076 that feeling of oh, wow, we really accomplished a lot 0:11:14.356 --> 0:11:16.916 and did so much together. And it's such a great 0:11:17.676 --> 0:11:19.796 feeling because they'll say thank you, I couldn't have done 0:11:19.796 --> 0:11:21.996 this without you, and I always go, well, but it's you, 0:11:21.996 --> 0:11:25.276 your talent. Without your talent, without your dedication, without you 0:11:25.316 --> 0:11:27.956 working hard, you wouldn't have gotten here. But when they 0:11:27.996 --> 0:11:30.676 bring it up and say it, then it really it 0:11:30.676 --> 0:11:33.636 makes my heart sing. I really get excited by that 0:11:34.076 --> 0:11:37.356 because it's it's a wonderful feeling to know how appreciative 0:11:37.436 --> 0:11:41.036 they are. You know, Sean Mendez referred to you as 0:11:41.076 --> 0:11:44.636 his therapist first and foremost right and in the interview 0:11:44.636 --> 0:11:48.076 you did with him, And what do you think it 0:11:48.156 --> 0:11:51.396 is about the voice that ends up fostering such an 0:11:51.436 --> 0:11:56.796 intimate relationship between voice coach and student. Well, I think 0:11:56.836 --> 0:11:59.996 it's there's a couple of reasons why that happens. One 0:12:00.196 --> 0:12:03.956 is that you are vulnerable with your voice, you know, 0:12:04.116 --> 0:12:08.316 because especially if you're a singer or you're an artist, 0:12:08.356 --> 0:12:10.476 and you really that's what you want to do with 0:12:10.516 --> 0:12:12.556 your career, that's what you want to do with your life. 0:12:13.196 --> 0:12:16.716 That's your instrument, and it's really valuable to you because 0:12:16.756 --> 0:12:18.996 it becomes everything to you. It's not only your way 0:12:18.996 --> 0:12:22.476 of communicating with your friends and family, but it's communication 0:12:22.556 --> 0:12:26.036 with the world you know, and your voice you get 0:12:26.236 --> 0:12:28.596 so because you hear it all the time. We are 0:12:28.636 --> 0:12:32.716 hearing our voice constantly, and people who perform hear it 0:12:32.836 --> 0:12:35.636 not only in their head but on recordings, They watch 0:12:35.716 --> 0:12:38.276 themselves on videos, so they're constantly aware of how their 0:12:38.356 --> 0:12:40.436 voice sounds and they want it to sound the best 0:12:40.436 --> 0:12:43.516 they can. So when they're working with someone who can 0:12:43.596 --> 0:12:46.156 help them with that and help them improve it, I 0:12:46.156 --> 0:12:49.516 think you become bonded in a way that they're not 0:12:49.556 --> 0:12:52.156 going to be bonded with everybody else. They'll be bonded 0:12:52.196 --> 0:12:54.436 with other people in different ways, but we have a 0:12:54.476 --> 0:12:57.596 special bond that they're not going to share with anybody 0:12:57.596 --> 0:13:00.916 else because no one will be as invested in their 0:13:00.996 --> 0:13:03.876 voice taking care of their voice and improving the voice 0:13:04.036 --> 0:13:06.756 as much as I am. And then I think also 0:13:06.796 --> 0:13:09.276 when you spend a lot of time with people, you know, 0:13:09.356 --> 0:13:11.236 some of these people I see quite often, like when 0:13:11.276 --> 0:13:13.076 they're on tour, I'll see them every single day of 0:13:13.156 --> 0:13:18.076 the tour on FaceTime, usually mostly on FaceTime, where we're 0:13:18.116 --> 0:13:19.916 not just talking about their voice, but what's going on 0:13:19.996 --> 0:13:23.596 in their life that's affecting their voice. You know, well, 0:13:23.636 --> 0:13:25.836 I had a hard day because there's such and such 0:13:25.876 --> 0:13:28.796 happened or you know, they're human beings and things happen 0:13:28.836 --> 0:13:33.076 to them. Breakups happen, arguments happen, fights, disappointments, all of that, 0:13:33.156 --> 0:13:35.916 and that all affects our voice, you know, it really does. 0:13:36.436 --> 0:13:38.516 You know, even if you have to tell someone, let's 0:13:38.516 --> 0:13:41.556 say you have to tell someone something very difficult, you 0:13:41.636 --> 0:13:43.396 might get that lump in your throat and it's hard 0:13:43.436 --> 0:13:46.116 to even speak. Well, they might have gone through that 0:13:46.556 --> 0:13:49.476 minutes before. Now we're warming enough to do a show, 0:13:50.036 --> 0:13:52.796 and so we have to figure out a way to 0:13:52.796 --> 0:13:55.836 get by it. So I'm always kind of talking and 0:13:55.916 --> 0:13:58.956 guiding them through that as well. And you become a 0:13:58.996 --> 0:14:02.356 listening board as well, which you know what therapist does. 0:14:02.356 --> 0:14:06.076 The therapist listens a lot, and then you know sometimes 0:14:06.196 --> 0:14:09.836 is able to offer good advice, helpful advice. So I 0:14:09.876 --> 0:14:13.956 think that's what really bonds us together. Yeah, our voices 0:14:13.996 --> 0:14:16.796 are so entangled with our our day to day lives 0:14:16.796 --> 0:14:19.436 and our emotional states and and everything we're bringing to 0:14:19.476 --> 0:14:21.876 the table um. You know, in my own life, I 0:14:21.876 --> 0:14:25.876 will say I I had always taken my voice for granted, 0:14:26.076 --> 0:14:28.756 never even really thought about it, And then I think 0:14:28.756 --> 0:14:30.476 it was just a couple of years ago, I started 0:14:30.516 --> 0:14:33.636 having a lot of vocal strain and um, I was 0:14:33.676 --> 0:14:35.916 getting pain in my vocal chords. I was I was 0:14:35.916 --> 0:14:38.236 struggling to talk. I was hearing some of the at 0:14:38.276 --> 0:14:40.756 times some of the rasp in my voice. And I 0:14:40.836 --> 0:14:43.276 saw and hear nose and throat doctor, and I saw 0:14:43.316 --> 0:14:47.076 a speech therapist and they diagnosed me with being so 0:14:47.116 --> 0:14:53.476 excited when I talk, I forget to breathe. So that's 0:14:53.476 --> 0:14:57.196 a thing. So I with with a therapist for weeks. 0:14:57.476 --> 0:15:01.236 Um I had to re train myself and learn better 0:15:01.356 --> 0:15:04.796 vocal habits, learn how to take breaths and pauses. And 0:15:04.836 --> 0:15:09.076 I learned so much about about my voice from that experience, 0:15:09.316 --> 0:15:11.556 and how my voice was something that actually had to 0:15:11.596 --> 0:15:15.876 be nurtured. And it's so interesting. It's like there were 0:15:15.876 --> 0:15:17.556 times where I couldn't speak at all. There are times 0:15:17.556 --> 0:15:20.476 where I had to be extremely judicious with what I 0:15:20.516 --> 0:15:22.716 said for the first time ever. Usually I'm just stream 0:15:22.756 --> 0:15:25.276 of consciousness, flow right, And for the first time ever, 0:15:25.276 --> 0:15:27.236 I had to be like, wait, is this worth saying? 0:15:27.956 --> 0:15:30.436 And so that was a filter that that my thoughts 0:15:30.436 --> 0:15:34.276 had to go through. But then secondly, when I was speaking, 0:15:34.316 --> 0:15:38.916 I was speaking in this like very meditative calm way. 0:15:39.076 --> 0:15:41.196 My voice was a little bit, you know, slower paced, 0:15:41.876 --> 0:15:44.396 and I felt like there was this doppel ganger version 0:15:44.436 --> 0:15:46.596 of Maya out there that was roaming the streets that 0:15:46.716 --> 0:15:50.796 everybody was misunderstanding. They were like wow. People would say like, Maya, 0:15:50.836 --> 0:15:53.756 you have such a calming presence, like you're you seem 0:15:53.836 --> 0:15:56.796 so grounded and centered, and I was like, no, I'm not. 0:15:57.236 --> 0:16:01.236 This is just me practicing my voice therapists preaches, and 0:16:01.276 --> 0:16:06.316 so it also helped me realize how foundational the way 0:16:06.316 --> 0:16:08.956 that I'm able to express myself to the world is 0:16:09.316 --> 0:16:13.276 in terms of conveying my personality and my natural exuberance 0:16:13.596 --> 0:16:16.156 and what have you. So it's been a struggle. I mean, 0:16:16.196 --> 0:16:19.636 I still have issues with vocal fatigue. I'm not a singer. 0:16:19.716 --> 0:16:22.756 I'm not operating at high levels of anything, but my 0:16:22.876 --> 0:16:25.076 voice is really something that I need to protect and 0:16:25.476 --> 0:16:28.076 take care of every day. It's this beautiful gift that 0:16:28.116 --> 0:16:30.716 I've been given. Yeah, well, first of all, we need 0:16:30.756 --> 0:16:32.436 to do a lesson so I can help you with 0:16:32.476 --> 0:16:35.436 some of those things, because you shouldn't be experiencing pain 0:16:35.556 --> 0:16:39.036 or anything else. So we'll do that. Yeah, I think 0:16:39.076 --> 0:16:41.356 that the key and all of it is you know, 0:16:41.356 --> 0:16:43.476 I always say to my students, let's work on your 0:16:43.476 --> 0:16:46.276 technique and our lessons and then all of our warmups. 0:16:46.796 --> 0:16:49.116 But when you get out on stage, I don't want 0:16:49.116 --> 0:16:50.996 you to think about any of that. You work on 0:16:51.036 --> 0:16:53.996 the technique before that, you know, so that it just 0:16:54.036 --> 0:16:56.196 gets in your body and then you don't have to 0:16:56.236 --> 0:16:59.076 think about it when you're actually speaking, because that is 0:16:59.116 --> 0:17:01.636 going to be a hindrance between you and your audience 0:17:01.876 --> 0:17:04.276 if you're thinking about it. You know, Oh, I better 0:17:04.276 --> 0:17:06.796 stay a little more calm, speak a little lower, take 0:17:06.836 --> 0:17:10.516 a deeper breath. You know, listeners know that is not 0:17:10.676 --> 0:17:14.276 my style. Yeah, I'm a listener, so I know that. 0:17:33.636 --> 0:17:35.676 Thanks so much to Eric Vitro for coming on a 0:17:35.716 --> 0:17:37.916 slight Change of Plants to talk about his new show. 0:17:38.676 --> 0:17:40.596 I wanted to leave you all with a preview of 0:17:40.636 --> 0:17:45.116 backstage Pass. In this clip, singer songwriter Sean Mendez talks 0:17:45.116 --> 0:17:47.396 about getting out of his own head and letting go 0:17:47.516 --> 0:17:50.676 of his anxiety. I think the hardest part of singing 0:17:50.756 --> 0:17:53.436 is getting out of your own way, is dropping the 0:17:53.476 --> 0:17:56.436 ego and like just being a kid about it. Like 0:17:56.476 --> 0:17:59.676 when you're a kid, you just sing. When you're an adult, 0:18:00.076 --> 0:18:02.356 you're like singing, but at the same time also like 0:18:02.436 --> 0:18:05.316 critiquing and judging and like afraid. And one of the 0:18:05.316 --> 0:18:10.396 most amazing leaps we made as a duo was the 0:18:10.556 --> 0:18:17.076 day I was like realizing. I was like, not letting 0:18:17.116 --> 0:18:20.796 you tell me what the real objective thing was because 0:18:20.796 --> 0:18:23.036 I was so afraid and so anxious, and I was like, no, 0:18:23.036 --> 0:18:24.196 no, no no, yeah, yeah, I don't want to hear that. 0:18:24.196 --> 0:18:26.436 I don't want to hear that. I wasn't listening to 0:18:26.476 --> 0:18:29.396 my teacher. I was like, I just have to get 0:18:29.396 --> 0:18:32.196 through it out of so much anxiety. And then you're like, 0:18:32.316 --> 0:18:34.956 I really think you should trust me. That was not 0:18:34.996 --> 0:18:37.596 long ago, I know, And I feel like once I 0:18:37.676 --> 0:18:40.476 really like started to just like trust you and trust 0:18:40.516 --> 0:18:44.076 the process and trust me, and my voice started to 0:18:44.076 --> 0:18:47.556 open up more. Not only your voice, but don't you 0:18:47.596 --> 0:18:50.596 feel better as a human being? I mean, like I said, 0:18:50.596 --> 0:18:54.596 it's parallel to like to life in general. I love 0:18:54.876 --> 0:18:59.676 when we are just like cruising, Like I think for me, 0:19:00.676 --> 0:19:03.756 it's become a meditation too, because I put my phone 0:19:03.796 --> 0:19:06.516 down for an hour, I just basically have headphones and 0:19:06.556 --> 0:19:09.476 I can only hear you in the piano, and I 0:19:09.516 --> 0:19:12.316 can be so focused on just the notes and my 0:19:12.476 --> 0:19:15.996 breathing and very present in my body, and you and 0:19:16.036 --> 0:19:19.716 I are very just zoned in and calm. It's a 0:19:19.716 --> 0:19:22.836 beautiful experience. I find a lot of the time I 0:19:22.996 --> 0:19:26.796 end up leaving the vocal essent calmer. The whole thing 0:19:27.036 --> 0:19:30.836 was a very zen moment, even in the silence when 0:19:30.836 --> 0:19:33.636 we're breathing. I love those moments because that feels like 0:19:34.076 --> 0:19:36.676 the only hour of the day where things move that 0:19:36.836 --> 0:19:41.036 slow and carefree. Oh wow. Yeah, when people can let go, 0:19:41.596 --> 0:19:43.876 it makes all the difference in the world. And like 0:19:43.956 --> 0:19:46.556 you said, be able to open your mind and go 0:19:46.756 --> 0:19:49.916 all right, So tell me what to do and I'll 0:19:49.916 --> 0:19:51.556 do it, and I'll trust it. Because if you can't 0:19:51.556 --> 0:19:54.756 trust your teacher, then who can you really trust totally? 0:19:54.876 --> 0:19:57.076 I mean, I think singers are so emotionally attached to 0:19:57.076 --> 0:20:00.276 their voice that sometimes we'll be backstage at an award show. 0:20:00.436 --> 0:20:02.916 We'll spend you know, fifteen twenty minutes warming up and 0:20:02.916 --> 0:20:06.356 then another forty minutes just talking about the heart and 0:20:06.516 --> 0:20:08.716 calming down and getting into the right frame of mind 0:20:08.756 --> 0:20:11.236 to be a to do this. Even in our lessons, 0:20:11.356 --> 0:20:14.196 you end up accomplishing more when you're in the right 0:20:14.236 --> 0:20:17.236 frame of mind than doing an hour worth of scales, 0:20:17.796 --> 0:20:20.756 stressed out and frustrated, and I think being a vocal 0:20:20.796 --> 0:20:25.116 coach it's much more than going through scales with someone. 0:20:25.476 --> 0:20:28.796 I always call Eric my vocal coach slash therapist, because 0:20:28.876 --> 0:20:33.076 you're never like just doing one thing. That's what you are. 0:20:33.116 --> 0:20:38.236 In my phone. Your bio is voice teacher's last therapist. Well, 0:20:38.396 --> 0:20:40.876 someone did say in an interview once I was their 0:20:40.956 --> 0:20:44.476 vocal life coach, It's true, you really are. I love 0:20:44.516 --> 0:20:46.796 that phrase, vocal life coach. I thought that was one 0:20:46.836 --> 0:20:50.196 of the biggest compliments I'd ever gotten, because my lessons 0:20:50.236 --> 0:20:54.436 aren't always about vocal placement. Sometimes the most important thing 0:20:54.596 --> 0:20:57.036 is helping a student get mentally ready for a show. 0:20:57.636 --> 0:21:00.836 Something that helps me a lot is that I say 0:21:00.876 --> 0:21:03.236 to myself before vocal lesson. I say to myself before 0:21:03.476 --> 0:21:07.236 a performance at the Grammys that this is just play. 0:21:07.276 --> 0:21:10.996 It's art, this is music, is love, this is something 0:21:11.036 --> 0:21:14.556 that was created to make people feel. It sounds crazy, 0:21:14.596 --> 0:21:16.956 but sometimes the pressure and a vocal lesson that I 0:21:16.956 --> 0:21:19.756 put on myself is equivalent to the pressure backstage at 0:21:19.796 --> 0:21:23.276 the Grammys, and it's because they're the same thing. To me. 0:21:23.516 --> 0:21:26.956 You've got to sound perfect, working on that on kind 0:21:26.956 --> 0:21:29.556 of toning that perfectionism down has been a really big 0:21:29.596 --> 0:21:32.516 part of my life. Yeah. I would actually say, you're 0:21:32.596 --> 0:21:35.036