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Quote by Cecile McLorin Salvant

“I just became obsessed with looking for new singers, unknown singers, people that maybe have been forgotten, and really checking them out and analyzing what they do - and obsessive listening. I think that's the core of my work on music - has been just listening to things and listening to singers.”

Quote by Cecile McLorin Salvant

Author

Cecile McLorin Salvant

Cecile McLorin Salvant is a celebrated jazz vocalist renowned for her distinctive vocal style and technical expertise. Born on August 28, 1989, she has garnered international acclaim for her unique approach to jazz and her ability to interpret intricate musical compositions. Salvant's career is marked by numerous awards and accolades, including her victory in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition at the age of 18. more

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“I remember as a child I just would copy everyone else's handwriting, and now I have sort of a version of my sister's handwriting. And I feel like - sometimes I feel that way for my voice.”

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Author:Cecile McLorin Salvant

“I doubt myself a lot. And I'm very, very just overly critical.”

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“It takes me a lot of time, and it's almost frustrating for the guys sometimes because they're waiting for a new song. And I - it's just so important for me to get the perfect, exact, right song.”

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“I think I'm fascinated with history and - just in general. And I'm always interested in how did - how did this come to be? Why is this the way it is? And even singing classical voice, I quickly became more and more interested with early music, baroque voice. And that became an obsession to me - just figuring out how - who are the ancestors of whatever it is.”

Thinking Way Voice Singing Obsession Fascinated Ancestor Baroque

Author:Cecile McLorin Salvant

“Just reading that - just reading that a person can be black and still perform in blackface, making fun of black people for a living, and at the same time be a genius and be an incredible entertainer and at the same time be extremely conflicted and feel like - just feel terrible for doing that, essentially, which is what Bert Williams felt, from what I gather, from what I read - all of that just made - was so incredible to me.”

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Author:Cecile McLorin Salvant

“I think when black performers performed in blackface, they were kind of taking back slave songs, but it was still a little bit iffy because they were performing, a lot of times, for white audiences who found it hilarious.”

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Author:Cecile McLorin Salvant

“I wasn't listening to that much classical music - not much more than anything else. I was really lucky to have parents who loved all kinds of music.”

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Author:Cecile McLorin Salvant

“I did everything I could to not bring in any of the - any of the technical things I got from classical into jazz. And I did everything to really base it on my speaking voice and to just not try to make it sound pretty.”

Trying Sound Voice Jazz

Author:Cecile McLorin Salvant

“I never wanted to sound clean and pretty. I always wanted to have kind of a certain natural quality to my voice, and I wish it were more rough than it is.”

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Author:Cecile McLorin Salvant

“I had a hole in my voice. It's an area in the voice where it's air. It's just - there's no - it's just very airy. And my classical teachers were just so frustrated with me because I would have these deep, low notes that were really strong, and the higher register was strong, but right in that middle area, it was really hard. It was like a passage. And many singers go through this and work it out. But I realized in jazz, I could just take advantage of that and take advantage of having a voice that was very different in different areas.”

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Author:Cecile McLorin Salvant