Sharon Van Etten Finds Her Voice
by Jenn WasnerPage 2 of 4
Yeah, I think you’re absolutely right. You have to get right with yourself and really figure out exactly where you stand with everything, because everything that you think and feel is under fire when you’re on tour for as long as you’re about to be. And you know that.. you’ve done it before. It’s a good time to kind of take stock. For the record, too, I’ve seen the band you have, and I think it’s really, really killer. I think it’s a totally accurate and fulfilling representation of what’s going on on the record without being a complete duplication of everything.
Well, thanks.
So, we’re both singers, and we’re both female. Personally, when I was growing up and first starting to play music, a lot of my favorite singers were male, and I kind of had this weird love-hate relationship with my voice, and I have for my whole life. Because sometimes I feel limited, and I feel like because of my female voice, I was incapable of exploring certain territories of the human voice, like screaming or… I dunno. I guess the grass is always greener, but I’ve always had this strange relationship with my own voice.
That’s crazy talk!Well, yeah, it’s crazy talk, but I’m interested in what your relationship is to your own voice. I think of you as one of the most stunning singers I’ve ever seen in person. Not to gush all over you, but the only reason I’m your friend is because you stopped me in my tracks with your voice. I would have never met you otherwise. I know everyone has their issues and their hang-ups, and so I’m just interested in how you relate to your own voice. Do you ever wish it was different, or are you totally comfortable?
Yeah, I’m still figuring that out too. It probably sounds stupid, but I don’t want my voice to sound super feminine all the time. I can sing super high, and I have that kind of a range, but because I did a lot of choir growing up, I get nervous that it’s too affected or that I’m too proper. I’ve been challenging myself to sing lower. Voices are just really crazy because you can train them to do anything as long as you try and you practice. I don’t know, I feel like I quit smoking and I feel like my voice has changed. I don’t even know what my voice is. I feel like I’m still finding my voice. But I’m having fun trying all different kinds of ranges. I just don’t know where my natural center is.
Yeah, it just occurred to me when you were saying that, that we both struggled with vocal issues this year. For me, my voice was something I took for granted, and it was one of the scariest things ever to lose it and to be uncertain about it and to feel like it’s something to have to be super mindful of. And I know that you went through a kind of similar experience. What do you do to deal with that sort of thing?
Well, I learned how to do some vocal exercises, and I’ll probably be warming up as much as possible before shows, and I’ll set rules for myself. I lost my voice after SXSW last year, after, like, a six-month run, and then for four days it didn’t come back, and we still had three weeks of touring to go. And it’s like, “Well, what do you do? I’m not gonna talk, I’m not gonna smoke, I’m not gonna drink, I’m not gonna have coffee.” But you’re on tour, and it’s like, those are the perks! So it was like, alright, well, I’ll see if this helps. And, you know, it helped me to have a healthier lifestyle on the road and in general.
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