This article is part of the July 2022 issue of Classical Singer magazine. Click HERE to read all of the articles from this issue or visit the Classical Singer Library.
Natalie Weiss started as a pianist, transitioned to singing, became a virtual hit on several platforms, went on to star on Broadway, and now shares her knowledge in an online riffing course. Find out what she has learned along the way and how her course can help all teachers and singers, including the classical singer.
It was almost 10 years ago, and I remember sitting in the dark seats of my daughter’s high school auditorium excitedly waiting for the lights to dim and start her dress rehearsal of Shrek the Musical. I had offered to take photos of the production and had been kindly asked to attend for this purpose. One of the directors came to me and said it would be at least another 20 minutes—something about adjusting Shrek’s bald head—so to kill the time, I pulled out my phone and headphones, jumped on YouTube, and searched for “musical theatre singing videos.”
Low and behold, I landed on a video called “Breaking Down the Riffs” with Natalie Weiss and Lauren Wiley. They worked through a riff from Mariah Carey’s “Lead the Way.” I was enthralled!
Weiss teaching a masterclass in NYC for students from the Lucia Marthas Institute for Performing Arts in Amsterdam, April 2022
I discovered this was the second video in her series and immediately watched the first one. I had never seen someone break down a riff quite like Natalie did. She worked through each note using a series of numbers, letters, words, and interesting movements. In the upcoming week or so, I went on to watch all of her “Breaking Down the Riffs” series videos and shared them with my daughter and her friends.
We especially loved watching Episode 10 with the cute, young Erin Cearlock, who was performing with Natalie on the touring company of Les Misérables. They broke down a riff that Shoshana Bean sang in “Bless the Lord” from Godspell. Over the years since, I have continued to follow Weiss on social media platforms and have been so impressed with her generosity toward sharing with the singing community. She has worked with many impressive singers in both performing and coaching roles and has traveled the world in both capacities.
I was thrilled when she agreed to chat with me, tell me more about herself and the exciting new Breaking Down the Riffs Online Singing Course she has developed. I started our interview by asking her to tell me about how she became Natalie Weiss, the singer and the voice teacher. She said, “I guess I’ll take you back to the quick origin.”
Weiss teaching a Breaking Down the Riffs workshop during Broadway Bootcamp and Lakeland University, April 2022
She gave a hearty laugh then continued, “I grew up first being classically trained on the piano. My parents put me into lessons starting at 4 years old. And they took me to a lot of pop concerts like Madonna, Billy Joel, Janet Jackson, so I became well versed in that—listening to the Eagles and having music always in the house.
“Then growing up I saw Les Mis and Phantom . . . but, I was more of a pop star wannabe growing up. In talent shows [at school], I would play piano until the 5th grade, when I decided to sing. I had no stage presence and didn’t know what I was doing, but I sang Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All,” and I guess I could kind of do mini-riffs.
“I went to Penn State University for musical theatre. However, my coaching career kind of started when I was in high school. My friends would be singing harmonies in my living room, and I would be the accompanist. And they would be like, ‘Natalie, can you arrange this for us?’ or ‘Do you think this is pitchy?’ And they would trust my opinion.”
She went on to describe how she had similar experiences in college, and how in her senior year she had a video go viral on this newer website at the time: YouTube. She said, “I was singing at the head of the program’s house, and one of the freshmen filmed it. And [the freshman] was saying, ‘Yeah, girl!’ And everyone was going nuts. It was this whole arranged version of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dream Girls. It was totally inappropriate…and that was 16 years ago. I didn’t have a YouTube channel, but it started going viral and had something like 100,000 views. Not the 14 billion you can get now on TikTok but, you know.” She shrugged and chuckled.
Weiss teaching a Breaking Down the Riffs workshop during Broadway Bootcamp and Lakeland University, April 2022
I asked her to tell me more about applying to college and what happened with her career after finishing school. She said, “I applied to 12 programs—all the big programs—but I knew nothing about what I was doing during college auditions. But I’m so grateful that that was my journey because that’s why I’m where I am today. Because if I had maybe known more, I could have ended up at a different school, and who knows what would have happened…maybe I would have ended up in 14 different Broadway shows, who knows. But I am just so grateful.”
She began ticking her points off on her fingers. “But Penn State was my last audition, and it was my favorite feeling on campus. People could watch the auditions, so it was a bit more casual. Plus, it was a small program but a big university, and I liked all those things. It’s very different now. If then-Natalie auditioned now, I would have never made it.
“Then when I graduated, my senior showcase also went viral among the musical theatre community—but, again, it wasn’t on my personal YouTube channel. So, I guess it was a little of being in the right place at the right time. After graduation, I auditioned. I did some regional theatre, but you know at the time, the musical theatre—the ‘new’ musical theatre—writers were coming on the scene. When one person saw your videos, they would ask you to do a concert or recording. And I just remember saying yes to everything for free—recordings, concerts, videos, etc. Just exposure, exposure, exposure! It was kind of crazy because I ended up being on so many ‘new’ musical theatre composer’s albums. So, now when people sing in my masterclasses, singing one of the songs that I recorded or originated, it’s just so weird . . . but weird in a cool way!
“I always think about how if I had just taken one step differently—for example, if I had not gone to Penn State but had gone to Miami (I was choosing between the two), I would not be sitting here in this interview, you know? So much of my career—especially the beginning—was completely by accident.”
Now, Natalie has over 127,000 followers on Instagram, over 235,000 subscribers on YouTube, and over 500,000 followers on TikTok. I think most people would consider that being very successful on social media. In the past, she has had the opportunity to teach across the world at many institutions, including the Institute for Vocal Advancement, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and Vocology in Practice. But once the pandemic hit, she had to adjust. I mentioned that even though so many people in the performing arts have struggled during the pandemic, she seemed to have thrived. I asked her if my assessment was correct.
Weiss performing her solo show at Joe’s Pub, July 2019
She replied, “In terms of thriving, yeah, I definitely was thriving in 2020, during the worst part [of the pandemic]. The big game changer for me was when I did Belting for Classical Singers masterclasses in September of 2020. I told people, ‘I’m doing masterclasses! Everyone, apply!’ And I was shocked at how many people applied just to observe. They didn’t even want a shot to sing, just watch. And then my course that I was able to create over the pandemic has also been great.”
Her masterclasses are known to help students in a variety of techniques including how to access a healthy belt, opening up the head voice, strengthening the middle mix, and more. I asked her to tell me more about the course and what students should expect to learn from it. She said, “Basically it breaks down pop singing even more than what I’ve done already online. There’s an entire module on tips and tricks and tools on how to ‘poppify’ your voice. And it’s perfect for classical singers, teachers—classical teachers, pop singers who want to further their sound, etc. It’s raising awareness to sounds that they may not have understood before. It’s a chance for them to learn in a way that I don’t think has been done before—both visually and aurally.”
With this great opportunity to learn, I wanted her to explain what she thought were the most important things classically trained vocalists should know when approaching pop singing and riffing. “In terms of riffing, it’s really just a matter of moving up and down the scale, basic patterns of scales. So, it’s nothing to be afraid of. And [riffing] is even being written into new musical theatre melodies these days. In terms of inflections, there are things like scoops and how to bend pitches in order to make them feel and sound ‘poppier’ that people might not have thought of before. But the movement is similar to melismas.”
Finally, I asked her if she felt there were any non-negotiables to singing—anything that she thought every singer should do, or have, or be. After thinking about it for a while, she said, “Everything I come up with has to do with business, not singing.” She paused and then said, “Okay, I think a non-negotiable is to not go to loud bars and try to talk over the noise. Just don’t do it.” She grinned widely.
Weiss performing at Broadway Sings Adele, March 2022
“Oh, and you can’t not have something online nowadays. You just need to post. If a casting director is wondering, ‘What else do they do?’ and then you don’t have anything, then they’re moving on. I love connecting people, but if I can’t find anything online to share, then I can’t help. That’s how it works.”
Overall, Natalie was lovely to chat with, and I’m glad I had the chance to learn more about this singer and teacher after first discovering her in that dark theatre so many years ago. After performing on Broadway for many years, she says teaching has become her comfortable spot. She still ends up doing a show every once in a while (typically being offered the role exclusively), but she spends most of her time teaching. Her singing course is available online now.
To learn more about Natalie Weiss or her Breaking Down the Riffs Online Singing Course, visit her website and social media: natalieweissofficial.com, @thenatalieweiss on Instagram and TikTok, and search “Natalie Weiss” on YouTube. You can also listen to her streaming on all music platforms as well.
