iamsmiley.blogspot.com

Adekunle Gold and Simi tie the knot

2019-01-09T10:27:00.001+01:00

Now trending is the news of the traditional wedding between Simi and Adekunle Gold which holds today in Victoria Island.

This would be followed by their white wedding is slated tomorrow thursday at Ilashe Beach.

The singers have been openly displaying affection for each other . Simi was quoted to have said 'Your love is overwhelming in the best way', to Adekunle Gold.

Though there were no photos from the event but the duo reportedly got engaged in December and had a lowkey wedding introduction. They are now set to become legally married, 3 weeks after their secret wedding introduction in Magodo, Lagos.

Interestingly, the attendance of the event is strictly by invitation as the lovebirds tie the nuptial knot today, only 300 people will be privileged to witness the wedding. Please post pictures if you are one of them!

Meet @Seyishe28

2016-07-05T22:23:00.001+01:00

I was at the bus stop waiting to catch a bus but my eyes caught something else at the other side of the road, tall elegant, on a low cut, she had a cowboy hat balanced on one side of her head. I changed my mind about where to pick a bus and crossed to the other side of the road. Before I could reach her, she had hopped into a bus, well I followed suit and we were taking the ride together. She was on the back sit, so I had to turn to talk. I wasn't sure how to start the conversation, so I started by asking her if she was a model. I mean she's got the @mayowanicolas look. Not too disappointed when she said no, 'I'm a make up artist, did I forget to add that she did a good number on herself; She's got to be. I quickly handed out my complimentary card. She flashed and I saved her number against her name Seyifunmi
I've been trying her number ever since but to no avail. Heartbreaking. When I opened my personal IG today, I was greeted by this lovely pictures. People let me introduce @Seyishe28. Follow her and help bring her to limelight

Spree

2016-06-08T04:23:00.001+01:00

Smiley Central present SPREE, a Community-Get-Together by Smiley, to commemorate her brand. Basically, I'm putting up a large benefit concert in conjunction with upcoming / performing artiste to showcase their talents, whilst reaching out to the public by meeting home or personal needs. This engaging and interactive event intended to entertain and educate the community through fun, fashion and empowerment will include live auction, lottery and lots of EnterTraining activities.

The lineup includes:

◈ Fashion Show
◈ Dance and Drama
◈ Musical Performances

We are looking for special items to fill the Goody Bag! You can be a donor to the auction and raffle, and help create a heroic moment for attendees. It is a convenient way to boost recognition of your company’s products or services and get your merchandise into people's hands.

We will use our marketing strategies and community connections to promote this event which will increase your company’s traffic and draw a larger audience to your services/products.

How you can become a donor?

Donate Auction Items/Raffle Prizes valued at #1000 or more.

Following are a list of suggested items that are most in demand:

Raffle Items (Valued at #1000)
•Gift Cards
•Martini (glasses, shakers, mixes, etc.)
•Alcohol (whiskey, vodka, beer, etc.)
•Wine (wine bottles, cork screws, glasses, etc.)
•Blings (costume or real jewelry, jewelry box, etc.)
•Home decor (candlesticks, prints, potpourri, photo frames, etc.)
•Baby items (diapers, formula, hand molds, clothes, etc.)
•Beauty (gift cards to salon, haircare or beauty products, etc.)
•Photography (gift card to photo studio, photo frames, photo album, etc.
•Holiday hampers (Christmas, etc.)
•Sports (package of balls, gift card to sports stores, jerseys etc.)
•Coupons and miscellaneous gift cards.

We are open to other ideas for our Goody Bag! Get your neighbors and friends involved!

High Value Auction Items (#5000)

•Free meals for a year

•Autographed items and memorabilia

•Tickets to local and national events

•Hotel or condominium stays

•Airline tickets

•Experiences (tours, backstage passes, etc.)

•Memberships (fitness clubs, wine clubs, etc.)

•Personal chef or maid services

•Electronics and Home Appliances

•Automotive (bikes, car)

Direct further enquiries to +234 811 0787 610

Win a dress.

2016-04-18T19:55:00.001+01:00

I'm giving out a two-way dress from my #Dressing Room.
Well ladies, its going down month end. Don't say I didn't tell you. Its a freebie:-)
Post your stats as a comment. The numbers on the card is a clue. Its not a plus size dress for sure.
All my slim shady's, if you want the dress, let me see your hands up.

I am Smiley!

With love from Ghana.

2016-04-14T06:14:00.001+01:00

Have you ever come across any of these pieces online? I call 'em Ghana art! Fascinated, I followed one of 'em artists @Spangyleeg. And here is what happened to me afterwards. I was characterised... Uuh.
Jumoke also got a number done on her face by another fine Ghanian artist, @ladzy.
You've got some catching up to do y'all!

Fast & Furious 8

2016-04-14T05:50:00.001+01:00

They hit the ground smiling!

Smiley Central

2016-04-14T05:20:00.001+01:00

Creativity has never been more important or valuable. It’s the primary asset of brands and agencies.
Technology has allowed us to tell stories in fresh, new imaginative ways. Social media has transformed the way that brands communicate, opening up opportunities that were previously unimaginable, and connecting people beyond borders and cultures.

The creative community – need to ensure that our young talent has the tools, experience and opportunities to continue creating brave, bold, scalable ideas that keep our industry relevant to the changing global landscape.

SMILEY CENTRAL is in place to creatively empower youths with tools that foster social enrichment and engender empowerment to all; regardless of race, creed, socioeconomic status or physical impairment.

Do you want to make a difference? Here is your opportunity!

Adventure of a fruitophile

2016-03-20T15:04:00.001+01:00

ADVENTURES OF A FRUITOPHILE
When I was a kid our compound boasted of many fruit trees and I ate a lot of fruits back then. We had a guava tree, a tangerine tree, two cashew trees, a lot of plantain and banana trees, and a final attempt to add a coconut tree by my mother who was in charge of keeping the house failed because the coconut pod did not germinate. I remember her burying the coconut pod in a hole that had been dug some centimeters into the ground with the help of an uncle, the seedling which was already sprouting was irrigated with water and sprinkled with sugar, a hedge was constructed around it to keep goats and any perching animal away. The coconut seedling did not survive and the rest history. I felt this could be because the planting was done in front of the compound and not inside. Much later my mother would add an avocado pear tree. This we were told by some of our neighbors could be substituted for butter or chocolate or peanut spread and eaten with sliced bread. And so I found myself sometime afterwards, peeling a soft avocado pear off, cutting it into two in order to get rid of the pod and mashing in a stainless plate, sprinkling it with some sugar (although some other preferred salt) and spreading it on my bread. Did it taste yummy? I am going to ask you to try it out yourself.
Tree climbing and fruit plucking was the in thing then.
All of my siblings knew how to climb these fruit trees with no exception, all six of us and my cousins who lived with us while we were growing up. Of course the adults were experts. We had uncles and aunties who were much older and did everything and used every trick they could come up with to discourage us from climbing trees, short of scolding or out rightly lashing us, eventually they gave up on us. One of the stories one of my aunties cooked up was that if a girl is caught atop a tree by a singing bird, she invariably changes to a boy. So I said to myself ‘why not, if not’ I stayed much longer on those trees waiting for the miracle of all times, it never happened. What she said was just a ploy to get us girls to leave the tree climbing thing to the male folk.
Of all fruit trees in our compound, one stood out because of the quality and taste of its fruits. It was the guava tree. That guava tree was a seductress and its fruits were always wincing at all sundry, even neighbors came around to pluck from us and there was always enough to go round. Till today I’m yet to taste a guava fruit like it. May be it was custom made; the taste was heavenly, mind you it was red guava.
Occasionally people fell of this tree. Once, a male tenants of ours fell flat on his face and went rigid. He was like that until he was discover by my granny (paternal, she is late though), who helped him up and led back into his apartment. We would find out later that this dude had other health issues which stemmed from his smoking habit, it later claimed his life. I also had my bad day on the guava tree. I was done plucking the beckoning fruits that I chased up the tree, and was alighting from the tree when this mishap occured. Depending on the angle you are coming from, at times you could decide to descend by landing on the roof of the rabbit house erected by the fence and then jump down the roof and land on the window of the uncompleted building in the compound, that way you don’t have to climb down by jumping from one branch to the other. Anyways I took the alternative route, going by the rabbit house. Lo and behold on jumping from the window of the uncompleted building I landed on a rusty nail, which was held by a plank that was probably removed after the construction of the lintel. Next I knew it I was wounded and limping. I tried as hard as possible to hide the injury from my mum, but not for too long. She noticed how I was shifting from foot to foot as I ran errands for. She called me back and made me confess to what had happened to my left foot. Next I heard, she was ordering my siblings to go fetch the stove. I know what going to happen to me. She was going to fry my wound. I had seen that happen so many times always hoping it would never be my turn to get fried.
When the stove arrived she lit it and placed a knife inside the hot blue flames where the heat was more fervent. Soon the knife was burning red hot, she brought it out and dropped some palm oil on the knife, the oil sizzled, and she upturned my foot so that the wound was facing up. I watched in dismay as she dropped the sizzling oil into the wound and held it like that. I screamed and some of our neighbors ran out of course my siblings had circled the scene with a knowing look on some of their faces, she was going to repeat the ritual, I saw the knife returning back into the fire, I was ready to break free, but my siblings held me back. ‘This is what you get’ she was saying ‘for climbing that tree, if I dont do this, the wound will get infected by tetanus…’ I thought to myself, can tetanus infection be much worse. Or would you prefer an anti-tetanus injection, ‘of course I would’ I was saying to myself. From that day onwards I always had my slippers on and I stopped using the alternative route while alighting from the guava tree.
Most of our neighbors with smaller compounds could not afford the luxury of planting a fruit orchard, usually they brought from road side sellers. And mothers' orchard in all its glory and splendor did not have a mango fruit tree. If you ever feel like mango, you had to buy. Mom did not like mangoes and she never brought them home and she also discouraged us from buying. She was of the believe that mangoes sold in the market were boiled from hard green fruits to soft ripe yellow fruits, without going through the natural ripening process. To substitute for mangoes, whenever she traveled to dad's home town she brought us cherries and from her home town cocoa pods. But we still wanted mangoes. And for mangoes we went to church, as a matter of fact, the only fruit trees in the church compound were mango trees, what a blessing!
One fateful day, one of my classmates in the primary school whose parents also attended the same church, asked if I could join the entourage going embarking on a journey to the church compound to pluck mangoes. I did not think twice. I was sat at the edge of my chair till closing time. The moment the closing bell went I picked my bag and I was good to go. Bode well that was the name of the boy, had recruited a few other girls. He was the only male in our midst, not that he was much of a male as his gestures and articulation were more feminine than that of most girls in the class. Girls were at home with his soft spokenness and tiny voice. He was never one to bully girls, they easy rallied round him, should the arise. He was our she-male, and he led us gallantly on the way to the church compound, not for mass, but on a massacre of the mango fruits.
The mango was a lot bigger than the fruit trees I was used to and was not in the anyway inviting. In fact there were sand patches on the stem and branches which pointed to the fact that red ants had colonized the tree. I have been warned by my siblings that it is not unlikely to find a green snake lurking in the green lush of mango tree as densely foliated as the mango tree before us. Not even Bode who half the time wriggles and twists like we do (I think he used to catwalk) offered to climb the tree. yet none of us was willing to leave without those mangoes decorating the tree top dangling as if to say ‘catch me if you can’ but they were out of our reach as were all about a meter tall.
We opted for stick throwing, while the others stepped back, I and Bode picked up sticks from those lying around obviously the sticks were left behind by our predecessors in the mango plucking arena. We were to bring down the fruits while the rest were waiting to pick them all up. Bode had let go of his stick and it was my turn to let go, then I felt something hit the middle of my head and my hands dropped. It must have been a mango I thought trying to console myself but the impact was too much and before I could open my eyes blood was already soaking me up. I took to my heels. I heard someone was saying 'your school bag, come and take your school bag'. I was not going back; I was bound on a homeward journey, ran as fast as my leg could carry me.
I arrived home amidst several attempts by neighbors and passerby to stop me. The blood encouraged by the scourging sun flowed freely. My mum was descending the stairs when I appeared at the gate; she was flabbergasted too alarmed to scream. She rushed down skipping steps all the way. Without asking how it did happen, she grabbed me by the hand and off we went to a nearby hospital to get me stitched. Fortunately the wound did not need stitching, it was not that deep. The hair around the wound was scraped, treated and plastered and I was put to sleep. By the time I woke she had learnt from my classmates what transpired. I got to know that I was hit by the stick Bode threw not the mango he aimed as he never got a mango from that expenditure. Mom warned me sternly never to take part in such a play anymore, better still to stay clear off mangoes and the trees that bare them.
But today, the blood trickling down my thighs has got nothing to do with eating a forbidden fruit. I tasted something entirely different. No, one no one has ever taking the pains to explain or warn me about its bitter sweet feeling. One I have felt its allure for years. It’s the gist of every conversation held in hushed tones, the ghost hiding behind closed doors, the mischief that creeps into the eyes of lovers as they leave the public eye, mine to discover.
And so, when he invited me for a walk that dark starless valentine night, I was not afraid I just followed. He via off the road and headed into a bush, I was not scared. He located an uncompleted building and stopped. I also stopped. He sat on a heap of sand and I took my place beside him. He laid me down; he opened me like a flower; he pierced me with his Adams’ apple. Then I stood up; shook my tears off, I took to my heels;
I am going home alone – I would not suck up to mama; its time to grow up; its time to find out by myself things about sex and sexuality.

Olajumoke Orisaguna, another Media Hype?

2016-02-28T16:50:00.001+01:00

I admire everyone who has put in a word for this young woman. it goes a long way to show there is so much we can achieve together. Though I see a lot of people saying we are over flogging her issue, its what we do as Nigerians. Its how we brought on board our change agent PMB. So we like to over do things. No. We just pursue things to a logical conclusion.
Its a good thing for all the companies who signed her as their brand ambassador. Its a good thing for TY Bello. Its a good thing also for the modelling world, suddenly they are in the limelight, unlike those days when it was just artists and actors. A bread seller turned super model is ultimately the story bringing our fashion industry into limelight, designers are catching in on it, other models should catch in on it.
Just before Jumoke's big break, I listened to Tiwa Salvage recounting to the world, that she has the highest number of endorsement deals. I don't know if Jumoke is her closest competition, or if she's now the second runner up.
All I know is that Ty Bello has made history by one act of kindness, a revolutionary move for her industry, which has her industry suddenly taking centre stage; that's if anyone is doing content analysis of Social Median hypes.
All you need do is Google Olajumoke Orisaguna and you will be amazed at how much media coverage she's gotten.
Even the critics and haters are all part of the buzz, needless to say her fans. Jumoke is not even Smiling to the Bank, the Banks are smiling to her.

Ade Ori Mi. Dream Song!

2016-02-28T14:28:00.001+01:00

Ade Ori Mi

You're the man of my dreams
You are the fire within
You fulfil all of my fantasy
You've kindled passion right inside
Sending chills through my vein
Bringing me pleasure
Returning my love
Warming my heart to ecstasy
You ade ori mi

Ade ori mi
Prince charming
For you my heart beats
Ade ori mi
You're my passion for life
I live for you now

Ade ori mi i
Wa de ori mi ii
Ade ori mi i
De ori mi I 2x

I am the woman of your life
I'm the beauty of love
I'll lead you to ecstasy
Take you on the ride of your life
Send chivers down your spine
Fueling your passion
Telling your heart
Till you have no more fantasies
Olowo ori mi

Ade ori mi
You picked me up
When I was down
Ade ori mi
You lifted me up
Now I'm alive

Ade ori mi i
Wa de ori mi ii
Ade ori mi i
De ori mi i 2x

Like a flower in the field
I will open up to you
You've got the keys to my heart
I'll let you in
Yours is a kiss from the rose
and a passion of the winds
And when it touches my lips
It wraps up my soul

Like the way
You make me feel this way
There could never
be someone like you again
O n pa mi bi o ti
You're so good to me
Its why I sing

Ade ori mi i
Wa de ori mi ii
Ade ori mi i
De ori mi i 2x

I am SMILEY - Lyrics

2016-02-23T22:31:00.001+01:00

Intro

I wanna make you smile

I gonna make you laugh

Its Smiley in the house

Colagroove on the beat

Chorus

I wanna make you smile
I am Smiley
I gonna make you laugh
Cos I am Smiley
I wanna have some fun its time to dance
Because we getting down don't you dull
Just get in the groove
Now if you want some fun you've got to stand up
Said if you need some fun you should dance to this
Y'all wanna have some fun, its to dance
Come on and have some fun
Don't you sit back get on your groove
Get in the groove 2x
Get on your groove

Abi naa your boyfriend say make you waka comot,
Or na your babe don dey look another place
Peeps just dey fall your hand everytime
They're trying to put some oops on you
baby they're gonna run you down
Please whatever they do, don't let them weigh you down
Whatever they say, don't let them pull you down
Keep doing your thing don't let them get to you
Can't nobody hold you down right now
this time you are moving on
Guess, I am gonna have to show how we really play
And you gonna count on me for all the fun you need
I bet you've been dulling all day come on party out
Aint nobody gonna spoil our fun
Its time to get our freak on!

I wanna make you smile
I am Smiley
I gonna make you laugh
Cos I am Smiley
I wanna have some fun its time to dance
Because we getting down don't you dull
Just get in the groove
Now if you want some fun you've got to stand up
Said if you need some fun you should dance to this
Y'all wanna have some fun its to dance
Come on and have some fun
Don't you sit back get on your groove
Get in the groove 2x
Get on your groove

Abi na your Oga for work say make you commot for job
Or na suspension them give you with or without pay
Problems piling every now and then
They all keep pulling stunts on you
baby they are gonna drive you mad
Whatever which ways, don't let them make you sad
Don't ever relent, even when you feel so bad
Cease from thinking about it troubles they don't last
Someone's gonna break through right about now even as I speak
And because I know some good is gonna come your way
And for you and all your friends, its time to celebrate
So turn on the lights, the party is starting now
Catch some fun and dance to this let everybody boogie down

I wanna make you smile
I am Smiley
I gonna make you laugh
Cos I am Smiley
I wanna have some fun its time to dance
Because we getting down don't you dull
Just get in the groove
Now if you want some fun you've got to stand up
Said if you need some fun you should dance to this
Y'all wanna have some fun its to dance
Come on and have some fun
Don't you sit back get on your groove
Get in the groove 2x
Get on your groove

Omo naa graduation where your own paali dey?
All your mates don dey go, you no fit show your face
Only one extra year they hook you down
They're about to pin some more on you
So you will really spill over
Just think about this and try to use your brain
And just like the touts, just give yourself some brain
Stop wasting more time or time will pass you by
Make a move and make a change, just break away and get an edge
Change your style, play along, be the best and top the game
Don't fool around just take your time
And have some fun relax your brain
Let everybody know you're coming out, this time it is for real
We are gonna run this town tonight
Put on your dancing shoes

I wanna make you smile
I am Smiley
I gonna make you laugh
Cos I am Smiley
I wanna have some fun its time to dance
Because we getting down don't you dull
Just get in the groove
Now if you want some fun you've got to stand up
Said if you need some fun you should dance to this
Y'all wanna have some fun its to dance
Come on and have some fun
Don't you sit back get on your groove
Get in the groove 2x
Get on your groove.

I am Smiley:-) Debut EP

2016-02-22T18:02:00.001+01:00

.: iamsmiley@ymail.com
Management and booking: iamsmiley@ymail.com
Phone: +234 (0) 8141511050.
March 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Smiley Releases Debut EP
The talented singer-songwriter from Nigeria is set to release her exciting debut Extended Play, a move which will buzz her army of fans home and abroad.
Smiley is preparing to release her debut early next month, marking a huge stage in the career of the multi-talented acoustic singer-songwriter. Smiley, who lives in Lagos, Nigeria, is putting the final touches to the track, and is now preparing for the imminent release that will hopefully build up her fan base and get her music heard by more people than ever.
The tracks are original song from Smiley, providing a combination of high-energy instrumentals, her melodious vocals and heartfelt lyrics. The rhythmic undercurrent bears testament to Smiley`s (traditional folklore) singing, and her music, is punctuated throughout with elements softrock, pop and R&B.
The tracks was recorded at Colagroove Productions Studio in Lagos, and its creation was supported by musicians. It was co-produced by Akin Cole and Dr Jay as well as post produced.
The theme of the song shows Smiley loves life and loves music. It was this that allowed her to thrive off the new opportunities presented to her, to explore fresh sounds and develop her musical style.
The tracks ‘Ade Ori Mi’, 'Rich Girl' 'I am Smiley' and 'Miracles & Wonders reveals the stunning array of influences that have found their way into Smiley’s music. Whilst her grounding came in traditional music – she intends to get herself known whilst playing in venues throughout Lagos – she was always keen to bring something unique to a traditional sound.
Smiley has said of her work: “I was brought up in a very musical family. My mother flows naturally on soprano, and my parents would always expose me to a wealth of music as a child. Although I learnt a lot of singing as I was growing up, it wasn’t until I was 8 or so that I actually joined a choir, and that was a real changing point for me.
“Since then, my style has developed and I’ve incorporated other sounds and genres which have all made their way into ‘Ade Ori Mi’. The song is a reflection of my influences over the years and the changes that I’ve experienced recently in my life.”
Smiley refuses to restrict her influences to one genre. Instead, she has been influenced by numerous artists and genres of music from across the globe.
Smiley does not shy away from including political references in her music, reflecting one of her other long-term interests, nation building. This will reflect in samples of her songs which will may have political undertones or include references to current issues.
The Single will be officially released shortly, and fans are encouraged to visit www.iamsmiley.blogspot.com, which provides everything you could want to know about the young musician. Subsequently we shall be uploading videos of Smiley being interviewed and photos of her in action, you can also sign up for the mailing list to receive news and information about upcoming gigs and new releases.
Fans can also check out reverbnation.com/smileynaija page and can even join up to be her friend on https://www.facebook.com/SmileysPro.
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
• Pictures, interviews and samples are available to support this story.
• The new EP tracks will be released shortly.

Breaking the jinx

2016-02-14T22:31:00.001+01:00

How I spent Valentine's day, is a subject I usually don't discuss, well I'm not the lover girl typo. If you don't mind me sharing with you how my day went. I'm not trying to spoil yours.
My best val ever.
Its either I have no val as they like to call 'em or we have a serious fight that would keep us apart that day (you know who), or I just keep to myself.
But this one is different. He sent me this. If you got something like this. How would you feel. I didn't know what to make of it.
Initially I went to church jejely so I can prepare ahead for any disappointment.
Seriously peeps, how should I take this?

Iamsmiley

2015-10-09T02:04:00.001+01:00

Moobesoke

2015-10-09T02:02:00.001+01:00

Moobespoke

2015-10-09T01:59:00.001+01:00

Asset Declaration

2015-10-09T01:55:00.001+01:00

2015 Nominations

2015-06-12T21:29:00.001+01:00

Best Collaboration

AKA – All Eyes On Me ft. Burna Boy, Da Les

Davido – The Sound ft. Uhuru

Diamond – Nakupenda ft. Iyanya

Toofan feat DJ Arafat – Apero

Stanley Enow feat Sarkodie – Njama Njama Cow Remix

Best New Act

Cassper Nyovest

Stone Bwoy

Patoranking

Anna Joyce

Duncan Skuva

Best Live Act

Diamond Platnumz

Flavour

Micasa

Toofan

Big Nuz

Personality of The Year

Yaya Toure

Bonang Matheba

Trevor Noah

Basket Mouth

OC Ukeje

Best Hip Hop

Cassper Nyovest

Phyno

Olamide

Youssoupha

K.O

Best Pop & Alternative

Fuse ODG

Jeremy Loops

Jimmy Nevis

Nneka

Prime Circle

Video of The Year

Bebe Cool – Love You Everyday

Davido Ft Uhuru & DJ Buckz – The Sound

Prime Circle – Doors

Riky Rick – Nafukwa

Seyi Shay Ft Wizkid – Crazy

Best Group

Beatenberg

Black Motion

P-Square

Sauti Sol

Best Male

AKA,

Davido

Wizkid

Diamond

Sarkodie

Best Female

Ary

Yemi Alade

Bucie

Seyi Shay

Vanessa Mdee

Smileyme

2015-06-07T19:49:00.001+01:00

What could be more rewarding than wearing yourself out! Yes I do that all the time. Check me out in this Mo Caddeny signature badoo inspired Ankara kaftan from DressingRoom™. Got me Smiling as it would you. When it comes to customized wears, DressingRoom™ is definitely the place to look. It comes down to pretty much all kinds of wears, shoes bags, bangles, belts, attires, dresses, just imagine it and we create it.
Currently available are Mo Caddeny clothings, Blaze and Mot .Accesories. Its simple, wear us out!

Breath Control is a Myth

2014-08-16T17:53:00.001+01:00

The 9 Biggest Lies About Singing

Big Lie #6- You will need special instruction to learn how to breathe
correctly for singing.

Truth - You were born breathing correctly. You've continued to breathe. You breathe in, and speak easily on a regular basis. YOU KNOW HOW TO BREATHE ALREADY!

If you feel you are breathing ineffectively for singing, find a baby and
watch them breathe. They are doing it just like it needs to be done for
singing.

In fact, I can tell you how to check yourself, right now. Find a comfy
spot on the carpet and lie down with your back against the floor. Now, just breathe normally in a relaxed manner. Feel your stomach with your hand as you breathe.

Do you feel how your abdomen rises and falls with each breath? That's how it was designed to work. As you breathe in, your abdomen moves
outward.

Now, do some singers breathe poorly for singing? Yes! But it's not
because they've missed out on any special instructions. It's because they are trying some strange way of breathing only when they sing. Or maybe they are getting nervous and trying TOO HARD. Or, they are thinking more about breathing than about singing!

I personally have noticed myself getting short of breath in the middle of singing or speaking in public. At that point, I realize I've been holding my stomach in so I won't look fat!

So if you can get your mind off of breathing (or looking thin) and get back to singing, your breath will normally regulate itself.

The only thing I say is this: If you notice that you are holding your stomach in while breathing, just let it hang out. If your chest is rising when you breath in, then you're probably holding your stomach in.

So stop doing that and you've got your breathing back to "baby normal,"which is what you want for singing. In my humble opinion, that's about all the "studying" you need to do about breathing.

Much of classical training in the area of breathing is built on the strange assumption that your breath should regulate your tone production. But our method teaches that a singer should concentrate on tone production and allow that to regulate their breath!

If that paragraph is confusing, it's not worth laboring over.

Just remember that if you are making your vocal cords come together and produce a pleasing tone, your lungs and "diaphragm" will deliver just the right amount of air! Work on the tone, the breath will take care of itself.

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SingingSuccess.com

Get to hear Mixed Voices

2014-08-16T17:44:00.001+01:00

The 9 Biggest Lies About Singing

Big Lie #5 - You must develop a strong "falsetto" to sing very high notes.

Truth - Your voice will make several coordinations, none of which require a great degree of effort. There is the "chest" voice, the "head" voice, and falsetto (sometimes confused with the head voice). Our technique would also add what we call the "mix" voice, which is a mixture of chest and head voices.

First, let's identify these voices.

Put your hand on your chest and say "AAAAh" in your regular speaking voice. Do you feel the vibration of your chest against your hand?

This is called "chest voice" and it's what you naturally use when singing lower notes. We call it the chest voice because much of the resonance (sound waves becoming stronger by building upon one another) takes place in the chest cavity in your lower range.

I guess I better explain "resonance" a little more.

But they are part of a system that includes several resonating cavities.
The biggest is the chest. It's got the "boom" of the lower notes and it
can sound "explosive."

The cords make the air vibrate, and the chest amplifies that vibration.

Next voice--the "head" voice.

Why do they call it the head voice? I hear you saying "I bet it's because it resonates in the head." Yep. You're right.

But we think of the head as a solid block most of the time, expect maybe for the mouth. The truth is, there are hidden pockets of air in your head! You see those 2 little nostrils and you think they are just pipes to the lungs. But they lead to the "nasal cavity" behind your nose and your cheek bones.And those cavities are quite large. Then there are also sinuses (around and above your eyes).

Still another resonator is in the back of the throat, just above your vocal cords.

As you sing higher, your vocal cords are designed to thin out (almost as if you are changing from a thick guitar string to a thin one). When your vocal cords "get thinner" like they are supposed to do, they throw the tone more upward and forward into these resonators in your head.

Let's find that head voice tone right now.

Put your hand on top of your head. Now make the very happy sound: (very high) "Wheeeeeee" like you're on a swing at the park. Did you feel your skull vibrating under your hand?

Now if you put one hand on your chest and the other on your head and alternate, "AAAAH" down low, and "weeeeee" up high, you'll feel the
difference in resonators.

Now for falsetto.

This is not really a "voice." It's more of a defense mechanism to keep you from straining your vocal cords when you try to go too high in "chest" voice and don't know how to shift gears into head voice. If you sing a very high, light, airy tone, you won't feel much resonance anywhere.

This is because the cords are not really even coming together. Instead, they are coming near to one another, then vibrating as air passes between them. The airy sound is from all the air that escapes through the cords in this position.

In singing, you can use this "false voice" as a sound effect sometimes (to communicate soft emotions). But you don't want to be limited to it.

The chief difference between "head" voice and falsetto is that in head voice, your vocal cords are actually coming together and closing off some of their vibrating length. The tiny space left to vibrate is what is used to make the tone.

When done right, it sounds clear and clean, and it's easier and takes less breath than either chest voice or falsetto!

The fun (and the power) comes when you learn to mix the chest and head voices so that they "fade" into one another, creating one long block of usable range! It all sounds like just "your voice."

You can use simple, easy exercises to train your head and chest voices to mix in the middle ranges...thus erasing the "break." It's effective and it's guaranteed.

Subscribe to a Better Voice and Keep singing!

P.S. Next time, I'll tell you about the most debilitating lie that a singer can
ever believe.

SingingSuccess.com

No years of Practice needed

2014-08-16T17:24:00.001+01:00

The 9 Biggest Lies About Singing

Big Lie #4 - It takes years of instruction and practice to develop a respectable vocal range of almost 2 octaves (that covers only 24 notes on a piano keyboard).

Truth - The human voice was designed to cover well over 3 octaves
COMFORTABLY, just by "shifting gears." It can be learned in less than 2 hours--and mastered and improved for the rest of your life.

It usually takes less than 2 hours with these exercises to get past your break and then you've got a lifetime of VERY satisfying performance while you study to improve and perfect your natural tone.

So Brett walks you through his "magic" exercises and bam you pop up past your break and often add an octave or more to your range in just a couple lessons. If you could be a fly on the wall (like I have), you'd see the same thing happen over and over.
It's like a healing service at a tent revival.

Subscribe to a Better Voice and Keep Singing!

info@singingsuccess.com

Making a natural sounding tone

2014-08-16T17:06:00.001+01:00

The 9 Biggest Lies About Singing

Big Lie #3- If you can sing classical style, you can sing anything.

Truth - If you can sing classical, you may still have LOTS of trouble making a "natural" sounding tone.

The faculty members adjust their glasses further down their noses and say "If you can sing classical, you can sing anything."

But the singer finds out AFTER 4 or 5 years of grueling study that they have been re-made into a kind of singer that they don't even like!

The tragedy--They don't sound honest enough for most audiences. So what do they do? They quit singing and start teaching! And what do they teach their students? It normally starts out something like, "If you can sing classical, you can..."

I LOVE classical singing, by the way. It's just that most singers do not start out wanting to be classical singers. It just happens to be the most common type of teaching.

So we've come up with a new thing to say to students: "If you can get your voice to shift between registers easily, building that "bridge," you can sing classical and anything else you like."

Is this really true?

Well, let me put it this way. Luciano Pavarotti was perhaps the most famous classical singer in the world. He gained the nickname "King of the High C's" because he could sing beautifully up to the C above middle C (referred to as the "male high C).

Using very simple exercises, you can easily go to D, E, F ABOVE high C within 3 or 4 lessons. "Trick" the voice into shifting gears at the right moment up the scale.

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WWW.SingingSuccess.com

Start Singing Right

2014-08-16T16:53:00.001+01:00

BIG LIE #2:

People start out singing all wrong, so they must be taught (or re-taught) EVERYTHING, in order to sing "properly."

Truth - You MAY be doing SOME things wrong, but if you can speak, you are NOT doing everything wrong. When you speak, you are using the very same tools you need to sing--no more, no less.

Most singers' difficulties come from getting away from their natural speaking technique when they sing.

If you are less than satisfied with your singing, then it is very likely you're doing something less effectively than it can be done. But stop and think a moment. HOW do you get rid of the difficulty?

There are several possibilities:

1) You are just no good at singing (many people suspect this about themselves, but it's totally untrue as you will learn);

2) You are not trying hard enough (many people assume this too, but you will find out that trying "harder" only ADDS to your difficulty);

3) Singing is a special skill that you have no useful knowledge about, so you must be prepared to spend lots of time and money learning this totally foreign skill. All these possibilities are common thoughts, but all wrong. Here's what you must accept to make satisfactory progress improving your singing:

4) You have been using your "singing tools" all your life, but you may have been "holding them wrong" while singing. It will be as easy as speaking, once you have someone show you how to simply hold the "tools" correctly.

You use the same exact body parts and capabilities to sing as you do when you speak! The problem often comes when someone tries to tell us how to sing and they get us twisted up so that we STOP singing like we speak.

Let me illustrate this. Imagine that you've been using a hammer to flatten bottle caps all your life. Then one day you need to drive some nails. You have doubts about trying it. Then someone walks up and sees you trying to drive nails. He tells you, "That's really noisy. Here, hold it like this" and he turns it around so that you're striking the nails with the handle instead of the hammer's head.

It doesn't make so much noise now, so you think he must be right. You keep trying but you make very little progress.

Then a carpenter comes along and says, "hey, buddy, you've got to hold it by the handle if you want to drive the nail." You turn it back around and discover that you can drive nails pretty fast now.

That's what singing should be like. When you learn how the voice was designed to work (and you will learn a lot about it, over these next 9 emails), you should make amazing progress and singing should get much easier at the same time.

For me, Brett Manning was that carpenter. I was singing with a limited range and experiencing lots of strain when I met him the first time. His method, the one in the program, Singing Success, added over an octave to my range and took away all the strain in my high range!

Next time, we will talk about how some of the "helpful souls" have actually helped singers move farther away from their goal of singing with an "honest", "natural" tone.

Keep Singing

SingingSuccess.

Desire overrides Talent with Singing

2014-08-16T16:38:00.001+01:00

The Biggest Lies About Singing

Big Lie #1- Either you have talent, and thus CAN sing, or you don't have
talent, and can NOT sing.

Truth - Since almost everyone can speak, and the speaking mechanism is the same as the singing mechanism, almost everyone can sing--and should, if they
desire to!

This is a "non-technical" lie, but it has affected so many people that you wouldn't believe it. I meet singers all the time who have spent the better part of their lives wanting to sing, but believing this BIG LIE.

Of course, I know that NOT all people possess the same degree of singing talent. But the BIG LIE says "Give it up! You shouldn't sing because you're not...(fill in the name of any famous singer)."

My job brings me a unique perspective. You see, I've enjoyed some fame as a singer in the Contemporary Christian music field. And I know for a fact that many already famous singers still feel inadequate and yet we are singing despite those feelings!

So if you have the dream to sing (or play an instrument), and have a little time to give to it, you can become quite good at it. I personally know several who have gone so far as to make an income from it--in their later life!

If you do the right exercises, you can get your voice into shape far more quickly than you think. There a couple of pitfalls that must be addressed though:

Pitfall #1: You think you're too old.

This is so far from true and yet so commonly believed. Just think of the singers you like to listen to. Are any of them near your age? Most people say "Yeah. How'd you know?" Because everybody says that. You're about the age of many of your favorites.

Pitfall #2: You packed away your dreams and you haven't taken them out lately.

Well, it's time. Think of all you've accomplished that you DIDN'T like!
Don't you think you could accomplish something that you DO like? If you long to sing, you can be taught to find your voice and let it go do its thing.

Pitfall #3: You're intimidated by other singers you know.

My answer to this is that you have no idea how wonderful it is on the other side of that wall of fear until you push through it. The only question is how much fun you allow yourself to have in the process. Get yourself some "secret weapon" instruction and watch people's reaction when your voice cuts loose! Check Brett's program out here.

Keep Singing!

PS--There's another lie that you'll hear about next time--It has to do with how hard you need to work at this.

Singing Success Inc.