Is singing with accent a crime in U.S.?

[dyak]

Hi everybody!I'm a newbe here, so please don't be cruel Well, I'd like to get your opinions on the subject of singing with accent - is it a big issue in the U.S.? I'm not talking about the strong one that e.g. Russian characters speak in most American movies. Anyway, I'm a singer songwriter and I like that part of me;) Furthermore, I'm not considering to hire a native singer for demoing my songs. But I need to know what are my chances for e.g. TV/movie placement through TAXI. I'm on a fence joining TAXI because of that. You may check some of my stuff here: http://www.sonicbids.com/DYAK/Any constructive feedback is welcome. Carry on, folks

[edteja]

Dyak,It would depend so completely on the listing you are submitting to that it is impossible to say. For some listings a foreign (to the US) accent might be perfect. Other music supers might not want it. That sort of thing cuts both ways. The quality of the singing probably has more influence.

[ernstinen]

Listen to "Green Day." They're from the San Francisco area, and their vocals make them sound like they're from Liverpool, England!Ern

[squidlips]

Americans like exotic. Conversely, for some reason, they also like imports who sound American (Keith Urban, KT Tunstall).There's no fathoming. Do what you do well and I don't think they'd care.

[matto]

It depends. If you're trying to do "American" music but have a foreign accent, I don't think you'll fare too well in the film/tv market.On the other hand, if you embrace your "foreign-ness" and concentrate on stuff where that accent would come across as appropriate or endearing, you could do well.Another thing to consider is that if you write English lyrics, the accent is only one part of the issue...writing in idiomatic English is another challenge altogether.You might even consider writing in your own native language, many libraries are looking for "foreign music" of all kind, as witnessed by recent "Armenian electronica" and "German punk" listings. Of course these types of listings are few and far between, so you might have to approach libraries directly for the best results.HTH,matto

[squidlips]

good ideas, Matto. That got me to thinking that perhaps you could write the lyrics in your native tongue (I have no idea what language we're talking about, since you only mentioned an accent)......if it truly is another language, perhaps writing lyrics in that language and then having an American translate them into English? I was reading the lyrics for O Fortuna the other day and man, it blew my mind. I knew what it was about but reading the translation......so beautiful and wrenching.

[allends]

Hi Dyak,The previous posts summed up your general question very well and the advice is very good. I surfed over to your site to hear your stuff and I have some specific advice for you based on what I heard.Your accent is actually very subtle and I believe you can eliminate 90% of your accent issues if you work on just 2 sounds: "t" and "r":In contemporary American English, the "t" sound is almost silent when it is the end of a word (also, it is better not to touch the upper front teeth with the tip of the tounge).In most popular music, the "r" sound is almost silent when it is the end of a word because rock music originates from the southern states where the accent is as such (plus it sounds smoother).When I listened to your songs these two sounds are the only ones that immediately gave you away. Otherwise I'd say that your accent is not much of a barrier. If you would like more feedback along these lines feel free to send me a personal message.Cheers,Allen

[leemusic]

the liverpool accent never did a certain band from the 60's any harm that I recall ??

[trentoliphant]

One of my favorite artists is from Poland: Basia - I have more albums by her then anyone else. She did indeed have a slight accent when she sang - but it was probably only noticable to other singers. Now, when she spoke it was obvious english was not her first language. One of the things about singing is that many singers have to worry about getting the sounds right (vowels, placement, etc). It just takes a little bit more work to do it in a language that is not your own. As I listened to your music, I did notice the accent - especially on the song blue luke. For the most part I think you would have a hard time competing for film/TV placement with some of the things that are in that song. If you were known as a performer, like many of those that others hinted at, it would be less of a problem - a uniqueness that would define you. Of course there are alot of other factors to becoming successful.I agree with Allen that you are pretty darn close on most things, but those 2 that he mentioned really do stand out.Another that I noticed on "gotta leave this town" the oo in footsteps in english isn't really pronounced like it is in boot but is a dipthong with an added "uh" after the "oo" (I don't know the IPA symbols)Often times words like "night, right, light, etc" are sung with more of an "ah" in the sound.The issue of the "r" at the ends of words is also about how soon you move to the "r". I noticed on blue luke on the word "here" you hold on to the r - and that modifies the vowel. It can be used for effect, but I don't think it works in the style you are singing in. Even english speakers can have a tendency to do this when singing - the dircetors of the choir I sing in are always talking to the choir about that issue.One thing to do is to have a native english speaker help out with specific pronounciations. You really are almost there.

[dyak]

HiMany thanks to all of you that replied to my post. I especially appreciate Allen's and Trent's in-depth approach on the subject. I agree that it needs work. I also know that somewhere I sound acceptable and somewhere else I don't. That's why I wanted to confront it with you to see how far in your opinion I am. And is it something I can fix in time or not...Bad habits die hard, so they say. On the other hand I'm still practicing to improve my vocal skills, so for me it's to take a holistic approach about my singing to get to appropriate level. I definitely have to work harder than native (U.S., English) singers, because of accent issues. Thanks for your attention!P.S. it's really amazing about this forum that just a day after I received 8. replies to my post (!) Dyak