The reason why I chose to perform a vocal jazz piece is because this is a style I am still working on, although I engaged a lot with the specific piece, which has given me a sense of familiarity with the genre.

The challenges that the specific piece presents for me are first of all the two key changes, if they can be characterised as that, in the bridge section, as well as the runs and voice 'turns' that give the song more colour. Another challenge for me, as a performer, was to get into the character of the song and really express the pain and desesperation of the main figure. It was difficult at first because I was distracted by trying to use my voice correctly, but in the end I believe I truly managed to sing the lyrics with their whole jazz ballad meaning.

With this song I practiced my attention to detail regarding my voice and my skills as a dramatic performer rather than my vocal range and strength, which was a shift that I needed in my focus on improving my voice. All in all this was an important learning experience for me as a singer and overall performer, which is why I chose it as one of my performances for the Prebac.

At first glance the genre of this contemporary song appears close to that of my other performance, however the two songs have very different attitudes and require contrasting abilities.

Figures is a song that is within the style of my usual repertoire. Still, I was not able to sing it without reverting to my head voice in the chorus a year ago. A big problem and fear I have always faced is belting and truly opening up my voice, but in order to perform this song correctly I was forced to face my fears. The chorus was very difficult for me at first because of the belting technique it continuously required and I had to learn to balance and place my voice at just the right spot in order to sing it without my head voice or otherwise screaming. This song also made me test my lower vocal range and practice its limits, which I did by repeatedly trying to find the right placement for my chest voice. What was also challening was the switch from complete belting to full headvoice at the end of the chorus as these two techniques contrast themselves a lot.

This contemporary R&B/Soul song forced me to test and and expand my vocal range and strength. This was a really valuable lesson for me as I was never confident in my vocal strength in the higher ranges.

Therefore, the songs tested me in two different performing attitudes, vocal abilities and techniques: one of them being the resigning, hopeless spirit respresented by a soft low voice with blue runs and turns, and the other one a strong and explicit expression of anger and resentment that requires a strong, flexbile voice with a wide range.