by Jennifer Hamady | Apr 15, 2016 | Articles
A while back, I was chatting with a bartender at one of my favorite jazz clubs. Like so many New Yorkers, he’s a trained actor and singer working in the restaurant industry to pay his bills while focusing on his dream. And like so many in New York and beyond, he feels...
by Jennifer Hamady | Mar 13, 2016 | Articles
Any performance can be nerve-wracking, but there is something about competitions– especially televised ones!– that really ups the ante. I sang backup on American Idol a few years ago and vividly remember how crazy things can get for those young men and women. So much...
by Jennifer Hamady | Nov 17, 2015 | Articles
Janelle Laarakker, voice coach from Ontario Canada, interviews Jennifer about how to find vocal strength, ease, and freedom. Can you please define “vocal freedom” for us? What do you consider to be the first important step singers must take to discover true...
by Jennifer Hamady | Jun 27, 2015 | Articles
“Forgiveness has nothing to do with absolving a criminal of his crime. It has everything to do with relieving oneself of the burden of being a victim.” – C.R. Strahan I once heard that refusing to forgive someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person...
by Jennifer Hamady | Jun 2, 2015 | Articles, Featured
In my career, I’ve had some truly extraordinary performance experiences. Being on American Idol was no exception. During season six, I was called in to sing backup vocals for Hollywood Week, which brings the top 30 finalists to Los Angeles for seven days of intense...
by Jennifer Hamady | Jan 12, 2015 | Articles
“Who stops us from being free? We blame the government, we blame the weather, we blame our parents, we blame religion, we blame God. Yet who really stops us from being free? We stop ourselves.” – Miguel Ruiz As I talked about in a previous article, the only way to...
by Jennifer Hamady | Dec 2, 2014 | Articles
Most of the artists I work with beam when they talk about their creative journeys. To hear them describe their experiences singing, dancing, and acting is like witnessing Christmas morning or a surprise birthday party. The journey isn’t all performing, of...
by Jennifer Hamady | Nov 7, 2014 | Articles
On a recent walk in Central Park, I came across a family with their dog, straining at his leash. Before 9 am, dogs are allowed to run free, so I assumed that theirs had an aggression issue. At which point the wife, clearly disgusted, said to her husband “it must be...
by Jennifer Hamady | Jan 23, 2014 | Articles
As every singer knows, we’re only as good as our voices sound on a given day. Whether it’s allergies, fatigue, or a cold– or something more serious– our performance success is largely at the mercy of our instruments. The good news is that most voice problems– even the...
