Stirring up this thread again for a quick reason.
Previously I commented that:
I was thinking about this post today when an Arianna Grande song came on the radio. It was brazenly annoying.
I had an odd related thought come to mind. Selena Gomez is selling some records these days. She doesn't have a strong voice, or much range. But she and her team select arguably tasteful pieces for her to deliver within her key range. Her songs can be catchy or subtle, but not annoying. She's a contemporary of Arianna. Arianna has the pipes and ability to sing all over the key range. But she and her producers choose annoying songs without any restraint.
It's good news for me. If you have limited talent, with careful song choice and focused effort, it's possible to have less talent outshine greater talent - if you choose wisely what you do.
Append to that comment here:
The other night I was driving and had the radio on. On the station they were playing a recent iHeart live concert with several songs each from various artists. As it turned out, Selena Gomez performed at some point while I was listening. I was aghast and amazed. She sounded awful. Worse than a corner karaoke bar with some amateur attempting to sing. Her backing musicians were fine, and to her credit, she didn't auto-tune, and obviously did not lip sync. It was her actual voice.
But, on the good side, or great side, again, listening to her recorded songs and she has several hits on the radio presently, she sounds very slick. Her resulting studio work is quite well done and easy to listen to.
It gives me heart. I admit wholeheartedly my vocals can also benefit from studio magic. Hearing how her team turns water into wine in the studio, it gives me an extra boost of enthusiasm thinking of the potential results. Using Sonar Platinum and associated extra tools, I'm enjoying the task of making my voice sound way better than it really is by using these cool tools.