Debra Byrd is the senior vocal coach/arranger for the pop culture phenomenon American Idol. Known simply as “Byrd” by her friends and colleagues, the classically trained Cleveland native is the veteran of five Broadway shows, numerous recordings, and a career-long association with pop legend Barry Manilow, with whom she has recorded and toured internationally. She has also served as vocal coach for the soap opera All My Children and for several feature films.
Our conversation took place during Byrd’s off season from American Idol, but it wasn’t easy to catch up with this self-described “overachiever.” On the first attempt, Byrd was putting the finishing touches on her DVD resource for singers, Vocal Help Now! Our second try conflicted with her stint as a judge for Military Idol, one of several “Idol” spin-offs. The third time, she was dashing off to the red-carpet premiere of the movie musical Dreamgirls, starring one of her “babies,” former American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson. When we finally connected, Byrd was eager to share some of the wisdom she has gathered from her work preparing singers for television’s most popular musical variety show.
When did you start singing?
I took voice lessons from the time I was 12 until I went to university, so that’s 12 to 19. My voice teacher was named Gladys Tiff. She was a voice teacher at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and I took private lessons with her twice a week.
It’s so funny, because as an adult, looking back on the music that my voice teacher had me doing when I was a teenager, I said, “My voice teacher was crazy!” because some of that stuff she gave me was so hard. As a kid, I didn’t think of it as hard. I would just do it. She taught me German Lieder, the Bell Song from Lakme, “Un bel di,” . . . I was a coloratura soprano, and for me it was just fun.
And at the same time, I had a gospel choir at my church, I [was] singing in high school choir, in all-city chorus, and involved in all these regional vocal contests. I was your basic overachiever as a kid. My mother would say, “You’re doing too much. You’re going to burn yourself out.”
When did you make the choice to pursue a professional career in pop music?
I was [at Kent State University in Ohio] for two years, and then I heard an Isaac Hayes record and I listened to it and I said, “OK, I can do that. I know how to do that. I want to do that, now!”
I began in theater in Cleveland at the Karamu Theater, one of the oldest regional theaters in the United States. I learned everything about theater: how to build sets, how to be in the show, how to stage manage, and was musical director for some musicals there.
After having all that theater training, the stage manager from Karamu Theater called me up. “It’s one thing to be a big fish in a small pond,” he said, talking about Cleveland. “Come to New York and audition.”
So there I am in New York, sleeping on my buddy’s floor—there were five of us in a one-bedroom apartment on Columbus Ave.—and I said, “Well, I’m here now; this girl’s not leaving.” So I started auditioning. I answered an ad in Backstage that said, “Manilow Needs Girls.” That’s when I auditioned for Barry Manilow. Then I worked with him for a while.
It’s been more than just a while! How long have you worked with Barry Manilow?
We’ve known each other for around the 30-year mark. I still do vocal arrangements for him. I’ve recorded duets with him. I’ve been a backup singer for him and I’ve been his opening act. I’m still a part of his musical family.
How did your job with American Idol come to you?
The person who was hired as the music director for the first season was Kevin Bassinson. I was on my way to record a demo with Barry Manilow, and [Bassinson] said, “I’m involved with a new TV show, and they told me that I have to find a vocal coach that’s ‘hip.’ I thought of you immediately because I love the way you work with singers in the studio. Is this a job you think you’d be interested in?”
And I’m still there. This is the sixth American Idol I’m doing. I’ve done four Canadian Idols, one American Juniors, and two Military Idols.
What have you learned from your work with American Idol about how to make an impression in the audition?
What I’ve learned is there’s a confidence you have to have. The people on the other side of the table—and I’ve been that person on the other side of the table—are looking for confidence. They are looking for someone with talent, someone with sparkle who can fit whatever their needs are. And you pick that kind of energy up . . . you can sense it when that person walks in the door.
You want to be open so that when you present yourself to the people who are auditioning you, you want them to see you as the best you can be. So that means don’t make excuses—“Oh, I have a cold today”—who cares! If you sing, [they] can hear that you’re having whatever problems there are. That’s a huge thing for me: just don’t make excuses when you come in. Be at your best. Be personable. They want to know what kind of personality you have.
Pop singers tend to have a whole repertoire of movement. How would you respond to a classical singer who says to you, “I don’t know what to do with my body. I don’t even know where to start.”
I get that all the time. When I get this on American Idol, I say, “Let’s sit down and look at the story. What is your song about? Is it sad, is it joyful, is it about dance, is it about your heart being happy, or is your heart sad?” The material should speak to your body.
There are people who just aren’t comfortable enough in their bodies. I make people practice standing in [front of] the mirror and walking, or moving, or whatever’s comfortable. Don’t conjure up something; just be natural. Make your hands do what’s natural for you. Everyone has a different comfort zone, and it takes a minute to figure out what that may be.
First, revisit your lyric. Know what the song is about. Then stand in [front of] the mirror and be as natural as you can be. Those are the two places to start. Then let someone watch you, whether it’s a teacher or another singing buddy, someone you trust, who’ll then say, “Uh, you’re kind of flailing around.”
Do you think there is any such thing as a type of vocal technique for a particular style of music?
Cyndi Lauper lost her voice from standing in front of amplifiers and trying to sing louder than bands on bad P.A. systems. That happens a lot to pop singers. So they do all this stuff to be heard, and it’s the wrong thing. Lauper shared with me that she lost her voice. I now call her a vocal technician. She went after the fact and learned how to correct things, and what not to do, so she’s pretty extraordinary.
I say to singers: “Don’t be afraid to get classical training, because there are fundamentals you have to learn.” And I say that from my own experience. The fundamentals that I have learned with my classical training have taken me to every musical genre, and given me a great reputation because of it.
And what are those fundamentals?
Breathing properly, hydration, pitch, building your stamina, bridging your break, learning how to care for your voice, learning when to stop speaking when you’re in a zone of negative influences that can cause harm. Those are the things I’ve learned.
I always love it when people look at me and say, “Oh, you’re such a natural talent.” Hello? Excuse me, no! I busted my butt to do this!
What does a vocal coach do? How would you describe your job?
It’s marrying that singer with the song they’ve chosen, and making their choice look good on them. The analogy I use is shopping for clothing—you want that drop-dead dress or that drop-dead suit, you want it to fit your body. I make sure that what you’ve chosen fits your talent.
There are a lot of people singing [who] don’t get it. They just want to sing the hardest thing they can. So, as a vocal coach, my gig is to make sure that the talent matches the presentation—in addition to teaching them technique, if I have the time to get it in.
What suggestions would you give to classical singers about performing pop music? How can they avoid sounding awkward?
That goes back to the same analogy about the suit fitting. I think if you are a person who is a classical person and you want to sing pop, get some help. I always believe in having someone watch you in rehearsal, because we can’t always see ourselves. I constantly get people to watch me; I’m a great believer in that. Get someone to be your extra set of eyes, someone you trust, whether you pay them to coach you . . . whatever it takes. If you know you’re moving into unfamiliar territory, hire an expert to help you with that transition.
Do you have any advice for young singers?
There’s one thing I do want to say. The young singers are what I call the “80s babies.” These video babies were brought up looking at music, and it’s because of VH1, BET, CMT, MTV, all the music initials you can think of. They have not learned to listen. We come from a generation of people who listened to cassettes and LPs. We would say, “Oh, I wore that record out!” We listened to music. We can sing a bass line. We can sing string lines, guitar riffs. We know oboe lines, French horn hits. We come from that type of listening. These kids don’t know that, and it floors me every time.
That’s true! There’s a distinction between hearing music and listening to music.
One of the singers on American Idol had chosen a song after listening to the original recording, and this particular singer was having a hard time singing the first line. I said, “The strings are playing your vocal line in the intro before you sing it.” And that singer turned to me and said, “There are strings in this song?” So I had to calmly say, “Yes, there are. You need to do the homework of listening.” And I have to give that as an assignment. So that’s what I would say [to young singers]: Learn to listen to music.
Can you recall stories from American Idol when you walked into an emergency situation and, as a vocal coach, you had to make something happen or it could have been disastrous for the singer?
During the first season, I had one [contestant] with an acid reflux problem that was burning up her vocal cords. I got another one who was constantly talking and wouldn’t shut up, so she was burning out her voice. . . . [One wouldn’t] go to sleep. All these people had laryngitis at the same time but it was also because of interviews, TV appearances, and having to talk constantly. I was pulling all kinds of rabbits out of my hat!
What did you do in these situations?
There’s not one particular thing; different people had different problems. It just becomes, “I need you. Please help me, and I need help right now.” That’s why my DVD and my book are called Vocal Help Now! I love to teach people how to take care of their instrument.
Learn your tolerance level for acidic foods, for dairy products. Go to the gym and warm up your body so that it takes less time to warm up your voice. I talk about hydration, and lubrication, and vocal rest. I learned about homeopathic things, to stay away from those Prednisone shots. That vexes my spirit, that singers have to go through that because they know they have a gig to do.
When I was a teenager, my mother would say, “When you’re with these bands and orchestras, these people put their instruments in a case and walk away. You walk around with your instrument. Take care of it. Take care of your body.” And that has stayed with me. It’s really amazing how your whole day revolves around the two hours you’re on stage. So it’s very important that you learn how to take care of your body.
For more information about Debra Byrd or her DVD, Vocal Help Now!, go to www.debrabyrd.com.
