Mimi Hilaire and her singer friends talk about all the aspects of what makes a performer interesting. We talk about everything from singing technique to the how legendary singers built their persona’s. We discuss singers from all genres and all walks of life. You’ll also hear some stories about what it means just to be a singer in these crazy times.
Mimi and Carly discuss one of the most intense composers, arrangers and vocalists of our time: Björk. At 11yrs old, the first album she ever made went gold in Iceland. Today she is still one of the most respected musicians alive with a catalogue of rep that is as inspiring as it is challenging.
In the 60s,70s and 80s, the US gifted the opera world with something it hadn't yet been ready to see. Grace Bumbry and Shirley Verret, two black Mezzo-sopranos from working class families in the south, who eventually switched to singing soprano roles, were contending internationally with the biggest stars in the operatic world. The racist backlash they experienced for being stellar only served to catapult their careers. They became known as "die schwarze Venus" and "la nera callas" by their European fans. Nicole Joy Mitchell, Brooklynite and fierce contralto joins the discussion.
Paul Simon. A singer songwriter with a poetry degree from Queens College. Paul Simon met one of his greatest life collaborators at the tender age of 11yrs old, Art Garfunkel. Together, the two achieved remarkable fame as a folk duo, but even after the days of Simon and Garfunkel had ended, Paul Simon put out several hit albums and continues to put out successful music today. For many fans, his greatest achievement is Graceland, an album which weaves American folk music together with several South African styles. It was created in the time of apartheid in South Africa which for many around the world was utterly unacceptable.
Kurt Elling began singing as a kid in his father's midwestern church choir. He had ambitions of studying the philosophy of religion when he went to University of Chicago Divinity School. His soul, however, led him to the jazz clubs and just like that "Saturday night won out over Sunday morning." He signed a record deal before getting his last school credit. Singer Songwriter Akie Bermiss and Mimi Hilaire discuss his story.
Can Aretha, Whitney Houston or Celine Dion sing opera? Lets grade their performances.
Sarah Vaughan was a legend in the world of Jazz. She brought something new and refreshing to the forefront of the scene in the 50's, she cursed like a sailor, partied hard, let her lovers manage her career and left the world with her enormous musical gifts.
Pandemics signify major cultural shifts. Emily Hughes of The Young Artist Podcast, joins in the discussion of how that looks and what is in store.
Vanessa Isiguen and Mimi Hilaire drink several glasses of wine and discuss Mariah's autobiography.
Mariah Carey, shade queen. A phenomenal singer, an incredible business woman. Her public breakdowns, the techniques behind her thrilling voice.
Maria Callas dragged opera out of obscurity, her rise to the top thrilled audiences around the world. Her demise, however, might be equally as fascinating.
The grace of a ballerina, the vocal weight of a sumo wrestler. Callas changed the world of music in a way no singer has been able to accomplish since. How did she do it, why did she do it?
Mimi and Molly discuss Ella Fitzgerald, a genius at singing who was was never formally trained. Do voice lessons even matter?! How did Ella Fitzgerald’s voice transcend race and class? Can a person “code switch” a singing voice? They discuss the intense yet effervescent life of being busy as singers, as well as working on wedding gigs and on cruise ships. Also, can someone tell us why no one graduates from Berkeley?
Is it the pandemic enforced isolation or is Franco Corelli the finest, SEXIEST man, with the HOTTEST SEXIEST VOICE? If you've ever wanted to hear Franco Corelli (daddy long notes) be objectified like he truly deserves, listen to this episode. Mimi and Bernard also discuss the benefits and joys of being in the opera Porgy and Bess and give you a messy run down of the opera Turandot like you have quite honestly, never heard.
Taylor Ott and Mimi Hilaire discuss BABS!! Find out how as a precocious little 15yr old she left high school and then became a superstar in just a few years. Other topics in this episode include what it means to have support and to support the voice (does this pertain to boobs? You decide). They discuss Barbra's unique, beautiful features and what they meant to the public. Its a Streisand love parade! Join in!
Mimi Hilaire and her singer friends discuss the finer points of what makes a legend, a legend.
The first episode! We talk about the entanglements that surrounded the creation Lauryn Hill's most iconic album (a love square?!), we talk about the technique behind her singing, her underappreciated lyrical prowess, root chakra's and more. Plus, is Mary J Blige, Ann's aunt? Listen and find out!
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
