WEBVTT - Ariana Grande 0:00:15.316 --> 0:00:22.996 Pushkin. I had asked you which was your favorite vocal exercises, 0:00:22.996 --> 0:00:25.476 and you said the roller coasters up and down. Can 0:00:25.556 --> 0:00:27.916 you give an example of that so people know what 0:00:27.916 --> 0:00:33.996 you were talking about? Oh, okay, aim high on the 0:00:34.036 --> 0:00:43.516 low note, very quiet, he well, perfect, much better, much better, 0:00:43.876 --> 0:00:46.276 much better. I needed to stretch it out. That was 0:00:46.356 --> 0:00:49.916 Ariana Grande singing. She may be world famous for her 0:00:49.956 --> 0:00:53.196 spectacular voice, but that's really just one part of who 0:00:53.236 --> 0:00:56.156 she is. She's also one of the sweetest and most 0:00:56.236 --> 0:00:58.516 caring people I know. So when I asked her if 0:00:58.516 --> 0:01:01.196 she'd be down to demonstrate how a voice lesson works, 0:01:01.196 --> 0:01:06.916 she said, sure, let's do which is a good Yet, 0:01:09.356 --> 0:01:14.996 Let's try this on a wee wee wee wee wee wee. 0:01:15.996 --> 0:01:17.756 Then I might say, give it a little more support 0:01:17.796 --> 0:01:23.196 on the high note. Wee wee wee wee wee. Now 0:01:23.276 --> 0:01:31.076 just to loosen up your shoulders. Wee wee wee wee wee. More, 0:01:31.236 --> 0:01:37.996 Oh my gosh, we we wee wee wee wee. You're 0:01:38.076 --> 0:01:42.036 probably more familiar with hearing her singing songs than exercises. 0:01:42.116 --> 0:01:45.916 Songs like positions dangerous woman, thank you, next, God is 0:01:45.956 --> 0:01:48.356 a woman, you know? There's a lot of hits in there, 0:01:48.396 --> 0:01:51.316 so I won't keep going with that. You might have 0:01:51.396 --> 0:01:53.636 grown up with her on Nickelodeon, where she played the 0:01:53.716 --> 0:01:57.596 adorable book shall we say, very dimwitted Cat Valentine on 0:01:57.676 --> 0:02:00.996 the show Victorious, or you might have actually seen her 0:02:01.036 --> 0:02:03.236 on Broadway, where she first got her start in the 0:02:03.356 --> 0:02:11.196 musical thirteen Yesterday. Identified thought, well, she sounded a little 0:02:11.316 --> 0:02:13.556 not you, because you don't ever get stiff. But let's 0:02:13.556 --> 0:02:17.196 say something was feeling stiff or whatever, I'd say, hey, 0:02:17.396 --> 0:02:21.556 move around, loosen up your body a little bit. I'm 0:02:21.676 --> 0:02:24.116 so stubborn when you ask me to move, I'm always like, 0:02:24.116 --> 0:02:29.316 I don't want to flail around. He I'm waving my 0:02:29.476 --> 0:02:31.956 arms now, just so everyone can visualize. Yeah, it's not 0:02:32.196 --> 0:02:39.356 just stubborn on that. Hey, there's been times when I've 0:02:39.396 --> 0:02:41.876 given you an exercise and you I told someone this 0:02:41.996 --> 0:02:44.196 one time. I said, yeah, there's times I'll say I'll 0:02:44.236 --> 0:02:46.636 play in it and you'll go I'm literally like Eric, 0:02:46.956 --> 0:02:52.916 that's insane. It'll literally be like no, no, no, no, no, 0:02:53.076 --> 0:02:58.316 no no no, And I'm like Eric, that's seventy eight notes. 0:02:59.076 --> 0:03:01.036 I don't have time, that's a whole or I have 0:03:01.116 --> 0:03:03.196 to sing God as a woman in four minutes. I 0:03:03.276 --> 0:03:09.276 don't have this kind of time. This is backstage as 0:03:09.596 --> 0:03:17.116 I'm Eric Vitro in this podcast, I'm inviting you into 0:03:17.196 --> 0:03:19.756 my studio to hear how some of the most successful 0:03:19.796 --> 0:03:22.836 and famous singers work on their craft, the art of singing. 0:03:23.276 --> 0:03:25.516 They also happen to be students of mine, so I 0:03:25.636 --> 0:03:28.036 have to say I know them pretty well. We'll talk 0:03:28.076 --> 0:03:31.916 about everything their vocal process, their careers, how their emotional 0:03:32.036 --> 0:03:35.476 life affects their voice, and how it all intertwines with 0:03:35.596 --> 0:03:40.276 their lives. For me, being a vocal coach is all 0:03:40.276 --> 0:03:43.396 about listening and thinking on my feet. I ask a 0:03:43.476 --> 0:03:46.316 student to do a vocal exercise, and then how their 0:03:46.396 --> 0:03:50.476 voice responds determines what the next exercise should be. I 0:03:50.636 --> 0:03:52.956 have to ask myself a lot of questions along the way. 0:03:53.076 --> 0:03:55.356 How does their voice sound at that moment or how 0:03:55.436 --> 0:03:58.636 did it react to the exercise. What I hear tells 0:03:58.676 --> 0:04:01.716 me what my student needs at that moment. I'm so 0:04:01.876 --> 0:04:04.396 glad we just did that because now people can understand 0:04:04.556 --> 0:04:08.716 that's how a voice lesson works. I've learned by doing it, 0:04:08.876 --> 0:04:11.356 because you're now singing an a cappella. I think it 0:04:11.436 --> 0:04:14.996 improves people's ears because they're really hearing themselves. Oh yeah, 0:04:15.076 --> 0:04:17.116 it's not fun. Yeah, and they're singing along with the 0:04:17.196 --> 0:04:20.596 piano they don't even know, like the little tiny things 0:04:20.636 --> 0:04:23.236 where it goes a little in and out. Arianna and 0:04:23.316 --> 0:04:26.156 I have been working together for over fourteen years now, 0:04:26.316 --> 0:04:28.636 well maybe even more. I think we met in two 0:04:28.676 --> 0:04:31.796 thousand and seven. We don't always spend all of our 0:04:31.876 --> 0:04:34.076 time with singing lessons, though, I mean, we've had some 0:04:34.236 --> 0:04:38.716 great conversations and we've spent some really fun holidays together. Guys, 0:04:38.836 --> 0:04:45.716 we painted each other mugg Are we okay? Yeah? I 0:04:45.836 --> 0:04:49.396 think we are okay because it was really fun, no surprise. 0:04:49.476 --> 0:04:52.956 The one she painted was gorgeous and amazing and creative, 0:04:53.476 --> 0:04:56.716 and mine was okay. But let's rewind. Let's go back 0:04:56.756 --> 0:05:00.716 to the beginning, because of course her journey started before hours, 0:05:00.796 --> 0:05:05.836 did Now, didn't your grandmother take you to your first audition? Yeah, 0:05:05.956 --> 0:05:08.956 so Nona took me to audition to sing the national 0:05:09.116 --> 0:05:13.156 anthem at the Panthers game. That was a really cool moment. 0:05:13.396 --> 0:05:17.476 I remember singing on the ice and being freezing cold, 0:05:18.196 --> 0:05:21.156 and it was like my first real gig, and I 0:05:21.276 --> 0:05:26.756 sang the national anthem for the Panthers, my hometown, Florida's 0:05:27.276 --> 0:05:43.196 hockey team. Oh say, can you see Biemesy At this point, 0:05:43.356 --> 0:05:45.916 she's only eight years old, but if you could see her, 0:05:46.236 --> 0:05:49.156 watch her when she sings this. She has this beautiful 0:05:49.236 --> 0:05:52.156 look in her eyes, and she's already connected with the audience. 0:05:52.876 --> 0:05:54.996 You can really predict she's going to go somewhere with 0:05:55.116 --> 0:05:57.996 this singing thing. And it was so fun because I 0:05:58.076 --> 0:05:59.996 used to go to the games all the time anyway 0:06:00.116 --> 0:06:02.956 as a kid. My parents would take me, and I 0:06:03.036 --> 0:06:05.316 had really bad luck. I was hit by the puck 0:06:05.596 --> 0:06:08.956 like twice, and so I got to ride the zam 0:06:09.156 --> 0:06:13.116 bony like because they felt bad because my wrist was 0:06:13.196 --> 0:06:16.876 like broken and mangled, and I was like sad. So 0:06:17.956 --> 0:06:20.636 I was already a huge Panthers fan growing up, so 0:06:20.756 --> 0:06:23.276 getting to sing and having that be my first like 0:06:23.476 --> 0:06:26.076 real gig kind of was so sweet and so special 0:06:26.236 --> 0:06:28.716 and so yeah, it was really cool. And I remember 0:06:29.236 --> 0:06:30.796 finishing and being like, I want to do it again, 0:06:31.396 --> 0:06:35.716 only you would get hit it. That is my total luck. 0:06:35.836 --> 0:06:40.676 That really set the pace here. It sure did. But really, 0:06:40.876 --> 0:06:44.156 Ariana says the bar high with everything she does. I mean, 0:06:44.356 --> 0:06:46.276 have you heard this girl saying I Have Nothing by 0:06:46.316 --> 0:06:51.276 Whitney Houston. It's one of the hardest pop songs there is. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:06:51.316 --> 0:06:54.516 I love that song. That's always one of my favorites. 0:06:54.676 --> 0:06:56.636 That was one of our first songs that we did 0:06:56.676 --> 0:07:00.396 together when we had our one of our first lessons, right, yeah, exactly. 0:07:00.676 --> 0:07:02.916 I remember I always think of you with that song 0:07:03.036 --> 0:07:04.796 and how great it was, and I think it's one 0:07:04.796 --> 0:07:06.756 of the best songs ever written. I love that song 0:07:06.876 --> 0:07:09.356 so much. And then when David Foster came and played 0:07:09.356 --> 0:07:12.556 the piano for you that night, I remember it. For 0:07:12.716 --> 0:07:16.556 anyone who doesn't know, David Foster is a hugely successful 0:07:16.596 --> 0:07:21.236 songwriter and producer. His really long long list of collaborations 0:07:21.276 --> 0:07:24.916 includes artists like Slean, diond Whitney Houston, Michael Boblet. The 0:07:24.996 --> 0:07:28.356 list is endless. That was so insane. I remember being 0:07:28.516 --> 0:07:32.476 like so in awe and just so shook that that happened. 0:07:32.556 --> 0:07:34.916 This was obviously a way later for those listening who 0:07:34.956 --> 0:07:37.796 don't know the context. This was after thirteen and after 0:07:37.876 --> 0:07:40.396 I met Eric and he had introduced me to David 0:07:40.436 --> 0:07:42.436 and I got to sing it with him, and that 0:07:42.556 --> 0:07:48.676 was a really cool thing that was at the Forum. 0:07:48.756 --> 0:07:50.756 But She's also saying it at my house at parties. 0:07:51.476 --> 0:07:54.196 The only parties, just for context, that I've ever been 0:07:54.236 --> 0:07:56.476 to in my entire life, have all been Eric Vitro parties. 0:07:57.076 --> 0:08:01.516 Just so everyone knows, I have been to four parties 0:08:01.556 --> 0:08:03.876 in my life and they've all been Eric Vitro parties. 0:08:04.276 --> 0:08:07.356 It's not true, it is, I promise they were the best. 0:08:07.556 --> 0:08:09.636 It's so much fun. There's always so much music and 0:08:09.716 --> 0:08:13.276 so much singing and great company. So I gotta tell you, 0:08:13.516 --> 0:08:17.076 there's something really so special about seeing Ariana sing in 0:08:17.116 --> 0:08:19.436 an intimate setting, you know, in a house or in 0:08:19.476 --> 0:08:22.676 a backyard at a small party. Of course, not all 0:08:22.716 --> 0:08:25.116 of the parties we had were small and cozy. For 0:08:25.276 --> 0:08:27.596 one of them that her mom, Joan and I threw together, 0:08:27.996 --> 0:08:31.116 we actually crammed about three hundred people in a gigantic 0:08:31.196 --> 0:08:34.116 tent we put up covering my tennis court. We brought 0:08:34.196 --> 0:08:37.636 in all white sofas and chairs. We placed a gorgeous 0:08:37.636 --> 0:08:40.196 grand piano right in the center behind the pool, and 0:08:40.276 --> 0:08:42.556 the pool was filled with floating white candles. So it 0:08:42.676 --> 0:08:46.236 was pretty magical. But whether she's at a stadium with 0:08:46.356 --> 0:08:50.356 fifty thousand people or in a tent, anytime that Ariana 0:08:50.516 --> 0:08:53.156 is singing. She brings her all even when she's doing 0:08:53.276 --> 0:09:06.676 karaoke with friends. Oh my god, that was the best 0:09:06.756 --> 0:09:09.636 night of my life. That was so much fun, and 0:09:09.716 --> 0:09:13.236 I remembered I was mesmerized because well, first of all, 0:09:13.276 --> 0:09:16.276 you knew every song, every melody, every lyric, and you 0:09:16.356 --> 0:09:20.276 could improvise on them, which was amazing. But also, I 0:09:20.356 --> 0:09:22.316 don't know if I've ever seen you look more joyous. 0:09:23.036 --> 0:09:26.236 Here's the other thing, more at peace. You looked so peaceful, 0:09:26.316 --> 0:09:30.556 like ah, I wondered if you wanted to talk about 0:09:30.556 --> 0:09:33.356 it a little bit. How has that developed your voice 0:09:33.396 --> 0:09:37.196 and taste? I think the theater music gives me so 0:09:37.396 --> 0:09:39.476 much joy. That was the most fun night. It was 0:09:39.556 --> 0:09:43.316 like such a precious thing. Theater babies. It's just a 0:09:43.396 --> 0:09:46.876 different kind of nostalgia. Listening to musical theater is a 0:09:47.036 --> 0:09:51.716 different kind of fulfilling car ride, you know, like if 0:09:51.756 --> 0:09:55.516 you throw on some avenue que or wicked in the car, 0:09:55.836 --> 0:10:00.676 like you're just guaranteed to feel comforted. Most Broadway songs 0:10:00.756 --> 0:10:04.036 have longer sustained notes than pop songs. Do you can 0:10:04.116 --> 0:10:06.676 hear it here where Arianna sings the theme song from 0:10:06.676 --> 0:10:12.836 Beauty and the Beast to it can be and so 0:10:13.116 --> 0:10:15.916 in order to sing them well, people have to develop 0:10:15.996 --> 0:10:18.396 their lung capacity on their breadth support so they can 0:10:18.516 --> 0:10:23.236 hold those longer notes. Also, broadway songs usually have wider 0:10:23.316 --> 0:10:26.236 pitch ranges, so singers need to do vocal exercises and 0:10:26.516 --> 0:10:29.676 learn techniques that will increase their range. These are a 0:10:29.756 --> 0:10:32.396 few of the reasons singing these songs are so helpful 0:10:32.436 --> 0:10:36.716 and developing someone's voice. However, there is a really big 0:10:36.796 --> 0:10:39.076 difference in the way you use your voice when singing 0:10:39.156 --> 0:10:43.596 pop as opposed to Broadway. There's a humongous difference. Of course, 0:10:43.716 --> 0:10:46.436 you use a totally different part of your voice for 0:10:46.716 --> 0:10:48.596 each And of course I don't you know what I mean, 0:10:48.636 --> 0:10:50.476 Like I would never sing a Broadway song with my 0:10:50.596 --> 0:10:54.916 pop placement, but you know, I grew up singing theater, 0:10:55.036 --> 0:10:56.516 so of course that's where my heart is. I wish 0:10:56.556 --> 0:10:57.876 I got to do more of it. I wish I 0:10:57.956 --> 0:10:59.956 could go beyond Broadway. I wish I could go sing 0:11:00.076 --> 0:11:04.916 more musical songs. That's like the easiest, most fun most soaring, freeing, 0:11:05.756 --> 0:11:09.356 beautiful feeling. Ever as singing show tunes. That to me, 0:11:09.476 --> 0:11:13.756 it's like my heaven. But of course, like you can't 0:11:13.836 --> 0:11:15.556 use that placement on a pop song either you know 0:11:15.556 --> 0:11:19.316 what I mean, Like you can't sing like been here 0:11:19.396 --> 0:11:22.716 all night, like you can't like been here all day 0:11:24.756 --> 0:11:32.276 by got me a walk inside to side. Well I'm 0:11:32.316 --> 0:11:34.036 trying to hide it. I forgot the words and I 0:11:34.116 --> 0:11:36.236 wrote them, So there you go. You could do it. 0:11:36.356 --> 0:11:38.996 I just don't think it would be standing over here 0:11:39.396 --> 0:11:44.156 with your body. I don't know. Thank you. Next, Yes, 0:11:46.716 --> 0:11:52.316 d up with sean body wasn't a much you or 0:11:52.436 --> 0:11:54.316 break up with your boyfriend? Can you imagine that? And 0:11:54.356 --> 0:11:59.756 as soprano you got me some type of way. I 0:11:59.836 --> 0:12:04.436 don't know. That's not funny. I'm just a feeling this way. Yeah, yeah, 0:12:05.316 --> 0:12:07.956 no no no, say no no, no, no, no no. 0:12:09.996 --> 0:12:12.796 This is backstage Pass with Eric Vitro and we'll be 0:12:12.996 --> 0:12:25.916 right back. Thanks for listening to backstage Pass. Let's get 0:12:25.956 --> 0:12:29.436 back to chatting with Ariana Grande, getting back to voice lessons. 0:12:29.516 --> 0:12:32.836 Remember what I said earlier, A voice teacher has to 0:12:32.996 --> 0:12:35.796 really listen to where a singer is at in the moment. 0:12:36.396 --> 0:12:39.036 They might be physically tired, or they might have oversung 0:12:39.156 --> 0:12:41.596 the day before, or they might have been doing interviews 0:12:41.676 --> 0:12:44.956 and talking for hours before their lesson. All of these 0:12:45.076 --> 0:12:47.396 factors determine what the warm up needs to look like. 0:12:48.076 --> 0:12:50.556 Sometimes a singer will tell me what's going on, but 0:12:51.276 --> 0:12:53.516 usually I can hear it in their speaking voice when 0:12:53.556 --> 0:12:55.236 they come in, and I know what we need to 0:12:55.316 --> 0:12:58.396 do that day. It could be that they're stressed, which 0:12:58.476 --> 0:13:01.596 creates a tight, constricted tone, so I'll use techniques that 0:13:01.676 --> 0:13:04.196 help them loosen up so they can sing more freely 0:13:04.276 --> 0:13:07.516 and feel more flexible. Or they might be singing too 0:13:07.636 --> 0:13:10.436 heavy in their lower range, which makes it impossible to 0:13:10.516 --> 0:13:13.796 make a smooth transition into their higher notes. There are 0:13:13.876 --> 0:13:15.956 days when I just go, all right, this is going 0:13:16.036 --> 0:13:17.676 to take a little longer. It's going to be a 0:13:17.716 --> 0:13:19.756 little bit more of a process to warm up their voice, 0:13:19.956 --> 0:13:22.836 but I always know we're going to get there. A 0:13:22.916 --> 0:13:25.916 lot of people really don't like those wide range exercises 0:13:25.956 --> 0:13:28.636 starting really low and going really high, but you do. Yeah. 0:13:28.796 --> 0:13:32.076 I like the big stretches. I like can't wait. I 0:13:32.156 --> 0:13:34.156 always want to go really really really high, and You're 0:13:34.156 --> 0:13:36.556 always like, we have to warm up your low range. 0:13:36.876 --> 0:13:39.516 You're like, we have to exercise the whole thing. Relax, 0:13:39.636 --> 0:13:42.476 And I'm always like ready to go, and she always is. 0:13:42.676 --> 0:13:46.596 She's always ready to go. But she's also a perfectionist, 0:13:46.716 --> 0:13:49.196 and that means she can be really hard on herself. 0:13:49.916 --> 0:13:55.956 Oh I am so I'm so so so brutal with that, 0:13:56.436 --> 0:14:00.556 you know you I am. I Yeah, No, I'm very 0:14:01.396 --> 0:14:03.796 I can't stand it. Yeah, But anyway, you have that 0:14:03.916 --> 0:14:07.676 incredible ear that's like ridiculous, thank you, ridiculous. It makes 0:14:07.676 --> 0:14:11.676 it very annoying to work with me. When you have 0:14:11.756 --> 0:14:13.996 a great sense of pitch, it can drive you crazy 0:14:14.036 --> 0:14:17.476 if you hear the slightest note off. I always had 0:14:17.476 --> 0:14:23.036 a very very very like picky sensitive ear, and it's 0:14:23.236 --> 0:14:26.796 kind of made me into a perfectionist and kind of 0:14:26.876 --> 0:14:31.076 this neurotic control freak. And when it comes to camping 0:14:31.236 --> 0:14:35.996 my own vocals and vocal production and arranging and producing 0:14:36.076 --> 0:14:39.596 and stuff like that, if the EQ changes even a 0:14:39.716 --> 0:14:42.636 little bit, I'll be able to tell Yeah, I don't know. 0:14:42.716 --> 0:14:46.596 It's always been something that I've noticed in a big way, 0:14:47.036 --> 0:14:51.356 and I think that's been a great thing to kind 0:14:51.396 --> 0:14:54.316 of grow into having all the control over in my life. 0:14:54.356 --> 0:14:56.516 I've just been I've learned, you know, how to do 0:14:56.596 --> 0:14:59.516 it myself throughout the years and kind of like that's 0:14:59.556 --> 0:15:03.756 been really cool. My MD Johnny, he said that my 0:15:04.236 --> 0:15:08.236 ears are like a telescope, and I can analyze the 0:15:08.276 --> 0:15:10.836 surface of Mars. But it's a blassing and a curse, 0:15:10.836 --> 0:15:13.476 because like, it's wonderful to be able to articulate what 0:15:13.556 --> 0:15:15.996 I want and how exactly I want my voice to 0:15:16.076 --> 0:15:20.676 be mixed. And you know, of course, that's how you 0:15:20.796 --> 0:15:23.356 create a sound, and that's how you can control your 0:15:23.396 --> 0:15:25.676 tone and have that be a part of your sound. 0:15:26.196 --> 0:15:30.196 But I wish I could just relax. I think it 0:15:30.276 --> 0:15:32.996 can be easy for fans to forget how much work 0:15:33.036 --> 0:15:37.156 goes into being a professional singer. There's constant interviews, writing 0:15:37.236 --> 0:15:41.156 and recording sessions, rehearsals, and being on tour. Touring is 0:15:41.236 --> 0:15:44.116 really hard, and that's why so often I do FaceTime 0:15:44.156 --> 0:15:47.436 warm ups with my students on their performance days, usually 0:15:47.556 --> 0:15:50.356 in their dressing rooms before the sound checks or the shows. 0:15:50.996 --> 0:15:55.196 The schedules and traveling can be grueling. Plus think about 0:15:55.236 --> 0:15:57.996 it being around all those people. It can lead to 0:15:58.036 --> 0:16:01.396 a lot of colds and flues. Ariana does shows all 0:16:01.476 --> 0:16:04.636 the time when she's sick. To her and most singers 0:16:04.716 --> 0:16:08.236 I know, canceling a show is devastating. You don't want 0:16:08.236 --> 0:16:11.276 to disappoint yours and you know how much work everyone 0:16:11.436 --> 0:16:14.476 is put in, from the dancers, the musicians, the crew, 0:16:14.676 --> 0:16:18.316 the makeup people, the hair people, everybody. Everyone is working 0:16:18.356 --> 0:16:20.756 behind the scenes for every single show, and you don't 0:16:20.756 --> 0:16:22.916 want to let them down by not getting on the stage. 0:16:23.476 --> 0:16:25.836 But when your ear nose and throat doctor tells you 0:16:25.956 --> 0:16:29.516 that not canceling could lead to you canceling an entire tour, 0:16:30.396 --> 0:16:33.356 or could even result in permanently harming your voice, you 0:16:33.476 --> 0:16:37.356 have to cancel. You just have to. I've unfortunately had 0:16:37.436 --> 0:16:39.916 to cancel a couple of shows in the past, of course, 0:16:40.036 --> 0:16:44.236 like six years, because I think that it is physically 0:16:44.356 --> 0:16:49.556 so demanding and so strenuous to do hundreds of shows 0:16:49.676 --> 0:16:54.236 around the world, and it's incredible, but it's also physically 0:16:54.356 --> 0:16:57.476 very tasking, and between the traveling and the flying and 0:16:57.596 --> 0:16:59.996 the bus and everything, and it's like your body kind 0:17:00.036 --> 0:17:03.276 of becomes very run down. And I know for me personally, 0:17:04.036 --> 0:17:07.316 I was sick for like four out of ten months 0:17:07.356 --> 0:17:10.516 on the Sweetener tour, and thankfully I had to cancel 0:17:10.636 --> 0:17:13.396 like one show, I think or two, but one of 0:17:13.436 --> 0:17:16.516 them was because I had a tomato allergy. But thankfully 0:17:16.836 --> 0:17:21.276 the rest of it I was either healthy or able 0:17:21.316 --> 0:17:24.636 to sing around the conditions I was dealing with, which 0:17:24.756 --> 0:17:31.916 was like bronchitis for most of it. I think the 0:17:32.076 --> 0:17:35.236 reason why I was able to get through so many 0:17:35.436 --> 0:17:39.916 shows as I was when I was sick was due 0:17:39.956 --> 0:17:42.436 to our work together and our warm ups. Like I 0:17:42.516 --> 0:17:47.556 would wake up with just air coming out, and just 0:17:47.996 --> 0:17:50.516 like no sound would be able to come out, and 0:17:50.676 --> 0:17:53.236 I would I would go to my sink to brush 0:17:53.276 --> 0:17:55.196 my teeth and like start waking up my body and 0:17:55.516 --> 0:17:58.396 I would go and sometimes air would come out, and 0:17:58.436 --> 0:18:00.396 sometimes it wouldn't, and sometimes sound would come out, and 0:18:00.436 --> 0:18:03.236 sometimes it wouldn't, and I'd say, okay. I would stay 0:18:03.316 --> 0:18:07.036 silent for two more hours until I ate breakfast and 0:18:07.116 --> 0:18:08.876 I did my routine, and then I would do a 0:18:08.876 --> 0:18:11.516 little more like then it would come back a little 0:18:11.596 --> 0:18:14.156 more and then I would rest again, and then by 0:18:14.196 --> 0:18:18.196 the time it was ready for warm up time, I 0:18:18.316 --> 0:18:21.276 could get out the sounds that I was that I 0:18:21.356 --> 0:18:22.836 needed to get out. And by the end of our 0:18:22.916 --> 0:18:25.756 work together, like we would do our warm up and 0:18:25.836 --> 0:18:27.836 then we would take our little five minute breaks and 0:18:27.876 --> 0:18:29.356 I'd be silent for five minutes, and then we do 0:18:29.356 --> 0:18:31.916 another fifteen minutes and I'd be silent for another five minutes. 0:18:32.116 --> 0:18:34.356 We do another fifteen minutes, and by the time that 0:18:34.436 --> 0:18:36.556 I was ready to go on stage, my voice was 0:18:38.356 --> 0:18:40.476 making all of the sounds, like all of the notes 0:18:40.516 --> 0:18:42.956 were there. And when she's on tour, there are times 0:18:43.036 --> 0:18:45.956 when she can be thirteen or fourteen or fifteen or 0:18:46.076 --> 0:18:49.956 however many hours ahead of LA time. Eric used to 0:18:50.036 --> 0:18:52.716 wake up at crazy times when I was overseas on 0:18:52.836 --> 0:18:54.756 tour to warm me up, and it would be like 0:18:55.436 --> 0:18:59.756 the sweetest, best blessing ever. I was like, Wow, thank God, 0:19:00.236 --> 0:19:02.916 all right. Just so you understand, on the days that 0:19:03.036 --> 0:19:05.436 I did those warmups at two or three in the morning, 0:19:05.516 --> 0:19:07.596 I would actually do them from bed. I mean, it's 0:19:07.596 --> 0:19:09.756 too cold to get out of bed and go downstairs. 0:19:09.836 --> 0:19:12.036 So let me explain how I did it. I have 0:19:12.156 --> 0:19:14.236 a whole riek set up in my bedroom. I have 0:19:14.276 --> 0:19:16.716 an adjustable bed that sits me up so I'm in 0:19:16.756 --> 0:19:19.316 a good sitting position. I have a table that swings 0:19:19.316 --> 0:19:22.156 out over me with my keyboard on it and my 0:19:22.276 --> 0:19:25.516 laptop so I can see her, and we go from there. 0:19:26.556 --> 0:19:30.796 That work was really what kept me healthy for ninety 0:19:30.876 --> 0:19:34.156 nine percent of the tour, and I really am appreciative 0:19:34.196 --> 0:19:35.716 of that. I don't want to miss my opportunity to 0:19:35.796 --> 0:19:39.396 say that our work together kept me healthy and I didn't. 0:19:39.676 --> 0:19:42.196 Thank god, I've never had to cancel a tour because 0:19:42.196 --> 0:19:45.196 of a hemorrhage or been at a loss, you know 0:19:45.196 --> 0:19:47.396 what I mean. So it's just been such a blessing 0:19:47.476 --> 0:19:49.876 to learn how to sing around those things with you, 0:19:50.116 --> 0:19:57.196 and to sing and have technique that has been evolving 0:19:57.316 --> 0:20:02.276 and maturing and improving over the years, and get through 0:20:02.676 --> 0:20:05.636 hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of live shows 0:20:06.196 --> 0:20:08.996 where I'm singing live for two hours at a time, 0:20:09.996 --> 0:20:12.956 and I'm very appreciative. I think a lot of that 0:20:13.396 --> 0:20:16.636 is just our work together and training to become a 0:20:16.716 --> 0:20:20.716 healthy vocalist. Thank god, I've been able to sing through 0:20:20.796 --> 0:20:22.836 things like that because it starts from the moment you 0:20:22.916 --> 0:20:25.916 wake up. You don't warm up forty five minutes before 0:20:25.956 --> 0:20:29.316 the show, and you don't you know, put it down 0:20:29.396 --> 0:20:31.196 the second you get off stage. It starts from the 0:20:31.236 --> 0:20:33.556 minute you wake up. Thank God, I think I've had 0:20:33.596 --> 0:20:36.076 pretty good luck. I thankfully you've never had to cancel 0:20:36.876 --> 0:20:40.476 massive amounts of shows or anything because of my voice. 0:20:40.876 --> 0:20:44.516 It's been such an incredible blessing, and it's been a 0:20:44.596 --> 0:20:47.316 lot of work. Yeah, it has been a lot of work, 0:20:47.436 --> 0:20:50.316 but it's been so much fun it doesn't really feel 0:20:50.396 --> 0:20:52.996 like work. And I gotta say, for better or worse, 0:20:53.236 --> 0:20:58.236 for Ariana, that spirit and drive is constantly there. I 0:20:58.436 --> 0:21:01.756 remember one night at the Forum and you did like 0:21:01.956 --> 0:21:04.236 I think it was six shows in a row, which 0:21:04.276 --> 0:21:06.796 I thought was insanity, but you were making up for 0:21:06.876 --> 0:21:09.596 one that had to be canceled, and your mother pulled 0:21:09.596 --> 0:21:12.996 me aside and said, would you please please encourage her 0:21:13.076 --> 0:21:15.356 just to rest tonight. And I went, well, of course 0:21:15.396 --> 0:21:18.196 she's gonna rest, Joan, and she went no, I don't 0:21:18.236 --> 0:21:19.556 think she is. And I said, I don't know what 0:21:19.596 --> 0:21:21.076 you're talking about. And then I went over to you 0:21:21.156 --> 0:21:23.156 and I said, now you're gonna rest your voice tight, 0:21:23.196 --> 0:21:24.596 and you looked at me and said, no, I'm going 0:21:24.676 --> 0:21:26.756 to the studio. And I was like, oh, it's one 0:21:26.796 --> 0:21:29.396 in the morning. You can't go to the studio, and 0:21:29.436 --> 0:21:31.436 you went, no, I'm going to I'm very inspired and 0:21:31.516 --> 0:21:35.716 i want to record. Yeah, you're very upset with me 0:21:35.836 --> 0:21:38.436 that night. See that's the thing. There's like it's like 0:21:39.396 --> 0:21:42.196 once it's on autopilot, like once the chords are like, 0:21:42.276 --> 0:21:45.756 oh I got it. Whatever show schmow we can do 0:21:45.836 --> 0:21:50.956 this sweeteners show whatever. Like once it's in autopilot and 0:21:51.116 --> 0:21:54.636 your body's like not recovering from bronchitis, you're just kind 0:21:54.636 --> 0:21:57.236 of like, oh, yeah, the notes are there, they'll come out. 0:21:57.356 --> 0:22:00.796 Let's go to the studio after whatever. So it's like, yeah, 0:22:01.276 --> 0:22:03.396 you're not pleased with me that night. I think I 0:22:03.556 --> 0:22:05.916 was scarred from that night though, because I just know 0:22:06.036 --> 0:22:07.596 you weren't going to go home, even though in my 0:22:07.676 --> 0:22:10.196 mind I was thinking, I can go home and rest, 0:22:10.356 --> 0:22:14.516 rest that voice. And I'm always trying to send out 0:22:14.596 --> 0:22:18.316 that mental telepathy, that vocal juju. Come on, drink a 0:22:18.356 --> 0:22:21.276 lot of water, get some rest, get twelve hours sleep tonight. 0:22:21.716 --> 0:22:23.676 But no matter how much I do it, and no 0:22:23.796 --> 0:22:26.556 matter how many times I tell someone, rest your voice, 0:22:26.756 --> 0:22:29.196 go home, don't go to that party. After party, what 0:22:29.316 --> 0:22:32.436 a bore. But you know, sometimes they don't always listen, 0:22:32.956 --> 0:22:36.116 but I do. I'm always listening, And because I listen, 0:22:36.236 --> 0:22:39.356 I'm pretty aware of how my students voices are constantly changing, 0:22:39.836 --> 0:22:43.796 hopefully for the better, hopefully improving. I was curious, though, 0:22:43.876 --> 0:22:46.876 what Ariana thought about her vocal evolution, so I asked her, 0:22:47.996 --> 0:22:50.596 how would you say your voice has changed over the years. 0:22:52.276 --> 0:22:56.436 Oh that's a good question. It's funny because I listened 0:22:56.476 --> 0:23:00.476 back to like my first album and I sound like 0:23:00.596 --> 0:23:03.876 a baby. But I don't know when when it kind 0:23:03.956 --> 0:23:07.916 of grew up. I guess even listening to old talking 0:23:09.156 --> 0:23:15.636 voice was really kind of I think tired, which my 0:23:15.756 --> 0:23:20.916 whole body was, to be fair, but I think I, yeah, 0:23:21.076 --> 0:23:24.876 I hadn't found the balance yet with my schedule and 0:23:25.116 --> 0:23:27.396 doing all that promo in the beginning, and doing all 0:23:27.436 --> 0:23:30.116 that in the first few years of the music stuff. 0:23:30.236 --> 0:23:32.876 I think my speaking voice and my singing voice were 0:23:33.556 --> 0:23:36.236 they sounded so different because I think they also were tired. 0:23:36.876 --> 0:23:41.116 I think that also strengthened my voice in a way 0:23:41.396 --> 0:23:44.916