The Vocal Warmup

Smoke billowed around me as I stood outside my building, cigarette in hand. The crisp morning air was a welcome contrast to the stifling stress that had been building up inside me. I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the blog I had been working on; it was as if the more I tried to finalize it for advertising, the more I found myself revisiting the past, pouring over each entry, and making every detail more vivid than before. I decided I needed a break from it all, so I made my way back inside, the smell of stale smoke clinging to my clothes. My apartment was a quiet haven, the dim lighting casting warm shadows on the walls. I picked up my phone and opened the Smule app, eager to lose myself in some music. They say if you don’t use it, you lose it, and I knew I hadn’t been exercising my vocal abilities as much as I should have. The makeshift studio in the corner of my living room beckoned to me, the cables and equipment waiting patiently to be put to use. I connected everything and scanned through the song options, my fingers hesitating over one of my favorite Radiohead tracks, “Nude.” The opening notes filled the room, and I closed my eyes, letting the music take me away from my worries. As I sang, my voice wavered at first, evidence of the neglect I had shown my vocal cords in recent times. I had been so consumed with the creation of the blog that I had forgotten about the very thing that had started this journey: my passion for music. Determined to give it my all, I pushed through the initial roughness of my voice, feeling it grow stronger as the song progressed. When I reached the climax, I took a deep breath, channeling the powerful emotion I had once heard in Thom Yorke’s voice. To my surprise, my rendition wasn’t half bad. I clipped the best part of my performance and posted it to my Instagram account, a small reminder that even in the midst of chaos, I was still an artist. The fast-paced nature of the entertainment industry constantly threatened to consume me, but moments like these reminded me of who I truly was. I was more than just the person behind the scenes; I was an artist with a voice, a story to tell, and a whole lot of work ahead of me.