Eekwol: The Song’s the Thing

In my first Performing Quick Tip I asserted that Eekwol had three important things going for her that made her a “force” on stage: impeccable enunciation, engaging audience interaction and strong lyrical content. This is the last QT focussing on Eekwol, and so that brings us to lyrical content. Her songs pack a punch.

Eekwol understands the hip hop genre and she does it well, but many writers can make syllables scan a beat properly. Not so many can give us content that’s so compelling. She speaks from the heart about issues she actually cares about. She digs deep and speaks her truth. Even if you don’t agree with everything she might say, even if she makes you squirm a little in your seat, it’s very hard to resist her honesty and authenticity.

My point is this: If you’re an amazing vocalist who can enunciate brilliantly, but you’re enunciating rubbish, your show will suffer. (Notice I’m leaving room here for the reality that some performers sing rubbish and become wildly popular anyway.) If you’re fabulous at interacting with a live audience, but song after song you deliver vapid lyrics, your show will suffer.

To be a true force on stage you need to be understood, you need to connect, and you need to have something to say and say it well.

Related Stuff
These days there’s no excuse for not getting your songs professionally critiqued. With a little research on the web you’ll find lots of good people giving feedback for a good price, and message boards where communities of songwriters help one another out.

• Here’s one music industry business that features credible people willing to give feedback on your songwriting.

• Or, what about being sure you’ve critiqued your song yourself before sending it elsewhere?

• If you’re new to having your songs critiqued, you might want to read this short essay on the process.

Let’s Talk

A subscriber writes: I have a memory of when we had a great show and I was really natural and focusing on my connection to the audience and had a few of them come to me after the show saying how emotional it was for them in a few songs, when other times I was in my head doing the show and no connection was made emotionally and the feedback was nil or nothing as dramatic as the good show. Amazing.

David Somerville, New Brunswick

Please send me your performing tips or comments!

Finale
It’s very helpful to start with something that’s true. If you start with something that’s false, you’re always covering your tracks. Something simple and true, that has a lot of possibilities, is a nice way to begin.

I have never acknowledged the difference between serious music and light music. There is only good music and bad music.

You could write a song about some kind of emotional problem you are having, but it would not be a good song, in my eyes, until it went through a period of sensitivity to a moment of clarity. Without that moment of clarity to contribute to the song, it’s just complaining…