Take a trip to the West End and pay a visit to any of the musicals that are currently on offer there; I guarantee it will be an experience you will never forget. All of them, whether it be the tear-jerking Les Mis or foot-tapping Billy Elliot, the haunting Phantom of the Opera or feel-good Mamma Mia - will lay host to some of the best voices in the country. The level of talent currently on the West End stage is phenomenal!
Yet I ask those of you who are not musical theatre fans this question; of the names I mentioned at the beginning of this post, how many did you recognise? One, maybe two? Probably none.
Let me ask you another question. Have you heard of Britney Spears? Or Cheryl Cole? Or - and I am loathe to even mention them here - Jedward? My guess is yes - to all three. Herein lies the bone of contention I'm clutching within my lips. I could bury it safely in the garden of Peaceful Intent and keep quiet...but as you may be coming to find, that isn't really my 'modus operandi'!
Many of the pop stars who are loved and worshipped by millions, simply don't measure up to the superb men and women who grace our
Who remembers Britney Spears' 'performance' on The X-Factor, which consisted of her strutting up and down the stage, dressed in a skimpy black leotard and knee-high boots while lip-synching (badly) to her new single? We mustn't overlook that disastrous appearance at the 2007 MTV Awards either...
Cheryl Cole left her judge's chair for the X-Factor stage to debut her new single in 2009, wearing a revealing military-style outfit during her provocatively high-energy dance routine and lip-synching most of the song - apparently it isn't possible to sing and dance at the same time? I have to include a notable quote I stumbled across that described Ms Cole as a 'wind-up tin lap dancer' - harsh? Perhaps, but it has some truth in it also.
The popular artists of today offer us these lack-lustre and frankly, lazy efforts in entertainment, and are catapulted into stardom nonetheless! The music charts are filled with mediocrity; but who do we blame for that? The artists must take their share indeed, but how about the record companies who sign them in the first place? Yes, we can blame them also...but how much blame do we take? We are the ones who accept it, we are the ones who are spreading the message that 'this is okay', when it isn't. We deserve better, but we won't get it until we stand up and ask for it!
Don't we want to listen to music that speaks to us, that means something? Don't we want people whose voices can stand alone, without the need for outside help? The men and women of the West End stage don't need auto-tuning. They don't need a pre-recorded tape. They don't need an 'image' to be loved... The men and women of the West End stage sing live every time, often performing around eight shows a week. They often need to sing, dance, and act at the same. They can stand on a bare stage, just them and a microphone, and connect with their audience completely, drawing out laughter or tears with only the power of their voice.
Most importantly, they have passion! To be the best of the best, you have to love what you do… this is especially true with singing. If there is no passion behind a song you may like it, but you’ll never love it! A West End singer fills every song with passion; they connect with the lyrics and put everything into it, giving all of themselves over to the music…it is magical to see. THAT is what music is about.
Now please don’t think I’m launching a personal attack on Ms Cole and Ms Spears; not knowing them personally, I can hardly be qualified to judge them. Nor am I campaigning for the pop stars (I really hate that term!) of today to be excluded from the music industry; like anything, they have their market. Their tunes are often fun, catchy little numbers that get the head nodding along and the body eager to ‘shake what ya mama gave ya’! There’s always a place for that. I spent many hours of my teenage years sashaying around my bedroom with my friends to the Spice Girls album – being a red-head, I was always Ginger Spice, whether I wanted to be or not!
No, I think their music should be out there for those who enjoy that kind of thing. We don’t need to let it dominate the charts however. The music scene today is a shallow place, driven by image and popularity. Do we really need a Justin Bieber in there, with the brilliantly imaginative song lyrics of, ‘Baby, baby, baby, ohh, baby…’? How about the dreadfully deluded and direly dense duo that is Jedward, with their rendition of ‘Ice Ice Baby’? Jedward, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Cheryl Cole, Ashlee Simpson, along with those like Paris Hilton and Heidi Montag, who use their ‘fame’ to barter their way into the industry, purely to make money and promote themselves – all of them prime examples of the averageness we have allowed to conquer the soundwaves. I’ll say it again; we deserve better!
There are of course, some artists flying the flag of hope for us – the best current example is Adele. A fantastic model for the quality of music we should be receiving, she is a singer songwriter in possession of a beautifully soulful voice, Adele is indeed, ‘the full package’. If only there were more like her, hey?
There are! They’re all down the West End, being appreciated by the few while the Britney’s and the Cheryl’s are stealing the love of the masses…
I feel the need to mention a few names here that really deserve some recognition;
1: Ramin Karimloo and Hadley Fraser – two friends who formed a rock/indie folk group called Sheytoons. They play their own instruments, they write their own songs… I have been privileged enough to see them perform live at a small gig in Waterloo and it was an experience I shall never forget. A stripped-down, acoustic set of around five or six songs, written with touchingly heartfelt lyrics and performed by two men who have been blessed with richly pure and exquisite voices…it was mind-blowing, simply stunning.
2: Stuart Matthew Price – composer, singer, songwriter…an up-and-coming talent to remember. His album, ‘All Things In Time’ is vocal art. The song, ‘Run Away With Me’ left me with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye; a sublime masterpiece of music. He is just incredible, with a voice direct from Heaven.
There are many MANY more out there, too many to mention them all here, but I just wanted to give you a taste of the talent on display on the stages of London. Please, look them up and listen – it’ll be a treat for your ears, I promise.
These are the people who should be dominating the music chart, these are the people who should be all over the radio and TV sets, these are the people who should be owning stages all over the world! They deserve to take their place at the top, where they belong, sharing their gift with us all. So I implore the record labels and the music producers…get yourselves down to London’s West End and just listen to what you are missing! Then do us all a favour, and sign them up there and then so we can finally hear the music that is crying out to be heard.
Remember...create, love, inspire!
Miss Julie xxx
PS. I couldn't resist adding in a lyric here from my favourite musical: 'Through music my soul began to soar, and I heard as I never heard before'. Seems particularly apt, don't you think?
