I will throw in a bit here as well. Singing A Cappella is by far the most difficult way to sing. Singing with no instrumental or backup accompaniment means you must find the key, get hooked into it, and then remain on key, all while remembering the proper transitions, inflections, accents, pace, etc...and let's not forget...remembering the words. Not only that, but it takes major guts to do it in front of an audience. And to sound "good" singing A Cappella is in a whole other category.
The thing about singing with a musical accompaniment is that it "carries" you through. That's not to say that you need carrying, but it lays down the path and makes it easy to follow. It certainly helps to remain on key, and also at the proper pace. It also helps you to separate yourself from the crowd or audience in a good way, while allowing you to connect with them as well. It also doesn't hurt that it hides most minor flaws very well.
Confidence comes with practice, desensitization from the feeling of knowing someone is listening to you and - in your mind believing they may be critiquing you. It also results from eventually just getting in the groove with yourself, becoming comfortable with your natural voice, rather than pushing to sound like what you may believe others want to hear. Trying to sound like someone or something else other than who you are is a road to failure for nearly all vocalists. Just look how many so-called Elvis impersonators there are.
It's been speculated by experts that in 2008 there were over 85,000 Elvis impersonators around the world - literally tens of thousands just in the US, and if there are so many, it begs the question, why have none risen to anywhere near the level of popularity of the original? Same goes for Frank Sinatra. I can think of only one singer out there that "sounds" like Sinatra, Michael Buble, but even he doesn't really sound like Sinatra, so much as he sounds like someone who could pass for Sinatra on a good day and with the right song. Still, he's not putting himself out there as a Frank impersonator...he's comfortable with his own voice, which just so happens to sound very much like Frank's, yet you can clearly hear the difference...and that's not a bad thing. I believe if he'd really tried to sound just like Frank, he'd have fallen into the same background static with the rest of them.
And if you don't believe I have reason to lay down these claims and advice...PM me and I'll clue you in as to why I do.
You have a great tonality and I hear a natural voice in there that's being masked by trying too hard. Relax, feel the music in you, feel the way it feels to sing naturally and embrace it. If you do, you'll soon become a focus of attention by others. :hail:
