My set list and Programme Notes

My set list:

1

Royals (By Lorde)

2

Lamest place in the world (From the musical 13)

3

Latch (By Sam Smith)

4

Im going down (By Mary J Blige)

5

The Letter (From the musical Billy Elliot)

6

Blame it on the boogie (By the Jackson 5)

Programme notes:

1- Royals

The Song 'Royals' is sung by an artist called Lorde. She released this song along with her album in 2013. The style of this song is pop. It was written by Lorde, Ella Yelich O'Connor and Joel Little. The song is based on how many things of today are about fame and money, however not everyone can live that life and therefore the average person of today may keep reaching, but not always get what they want at the end- but is that such a bad thing?

I chose this song because I feel like it suits my voice in key and style. Its darker that what I usually do and therefore gave me the opportunity to explore. This song has a lot of words in it, which was a challenge but I loved taking it on!

I wanted to put this in my recital set because it was different to my other songs, it allows me to present a darker story which hopefully will give you and me a contrast.

2- Lamest place in the world

Lamest place in the world is from the musical 13, composed by Jason Robert Brown. The actual musical follows the life of a young boy who has just turned 13 and everything is about to change for him. This particular song is when one of the lead roles Patrice, shows the boy (Evan) how the place he has moved to may seem boring at first but now that his here everything looks better.

The reason why I included this song was because it brings out a lot of character, it gives me the opportunity to combine both my acting and singing skills into one performance. This is something I consider I do well in and can show of my personality. This song also set a challenge for my technique with the timing, accent, belting and key changes etc.

3- Latch

Latch is a song performed by Sam Smith, a singer who has just recently broken into the mainstream music industry. His soulful voice has inspired many people, including myself. With this song, the duo artist called DISCLOSURE, produced music that they intended for the singer Sam Smith to sing, thus the song Latch occurring. This song was released on both Smith's and Disclosure album in 2013.

First of all I sang this song when we were trying different genres of music, and I received the style of techno/electronic. This song is upbeat and sets a good mood whilst telling a story, which I considered great to perform in front of an audience; you entertain but send a message. I wanted this in my recital because it was something different for me, it set me a challenge to focus on the performance; how I deliver it to everyone. Also I feel like the tone of the song matches my voice style.

4- I'm Going Down

This song was originally sung by Rose Royce and written by Norman Whitfield. It was released in September 1976 and proved to be a hit. A few years on an artist called Mary J Blige did her version of it in 1994. The popularity of the song grew and it broke into the R&B/SOUL category, where more and more people listen to it. Out of the two versions I chose to do the one by Mary J Blige, reason being is because I like the tone and melody of the instrumental, also the key is right for me. 

This song gives me the chance to draw back and show the audience some pure emotion, a chance for me to present them with the truth of story through song. At first I knew this would be difficult because I'm showing a more personal side of me, however I know this will help with my performance skills.

5- The Letter

From the musical Billy Elliot, this song shows a lot of truth and emotion from beginning to end, written by Sir Elton John. In the original soundtrack of the musical the characters: Billy, The Mum and Mrs Wilkson sing this song like they are reading the same letter (in the show Billy has a letter which was given by his mum before she died). I have decided to do it as a solo and do it from ones perspective that on my eyes is going to be the mother. This will give me the chance to perform the song like I am singing the words out loud to the character 'Billy'.

The reason why I put this song in was because its a lot of character building, a chance for me to show that I can perform in different ways to the audience and still bringing in meaning to what I’m singing. Also with this particular song it allows me to communicate with the audience through a story, which is something hard yet enjoyable to do for both the people watching and myself.

6- Blame it on the Boogie

Sung by the Jackson 5 and released in 1978 from their album Destiny; The Jackson 5 are an American Motown Band consisting of 5 brothers. This is an upbeat song that encourages everyone to join in. The writers of this song include Mick Jackson, Dave Jackson and Elmar Krohn. The repetitive chorus makes it easy for the members of the audience to join in and have fun.

Not only did I put this last in my recital because it would be a memorable ending but also it was completely different style for me to learn. This is something fun, fast and cheerful. Also with this song, it has an instrumental break that gives me a chance to really engage with the audience and maybe bring them into the performance.