Technique Meets Artistry: Working with Contemporary Singers

In Ep.245 of Singing Teachers Talk, Alexa Terry is joined by vocal performance coach Juliet Russell for a rich conversation about identity, artistry, and contemporary vocal training. Juliet shares how she helps singers identify and trust what makes them unique, evolve their voices alongside life and experience, and connect more deeply with audiences — drawing on her work across major TV formats as well as her one-to-one coaching with artists. We explore how to make vocal exercises more musical and stylistically relevant, how voice science can be translated into practical studio tools, and what Juliet sees as key pillars of contemporary vocal training for singing teachers today. The episode also dives into Juliet’s new app Do Your Sing, a contemporary training toolkit designed to support singers with creative, performance-led vocal development. A thoughtful, inspiring listen for singing teachers, coaches, and artists navigating modern voice work. WHAT’S IN THIS PODCAST? 1:44 What is the inspiration and drive in Juliet’s vocal work? 2:19 How to help an artist identify what makes them unique 15:18 TV shows and the artist 17:54 What do artists tend to overlook about their craft? 20:43 What is ‘talent’ and what can be learned? 24:08 The difference between a singing teacher, vocal coach and performance coach 30:08 Translating voice science in the studio 34:18 Contemporary teaching tools 53:22 Juliet’s Do Your Sing! App 1:04:10 Parting advice to contemporary singers and singing teachers RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS Artists: Sabrina Carpenter; Lady Gaga; Beyonce; Raye; Andre 3000 & Jack White; Cynthia Erivo; Ariana Grande; Sam Smith; Kim Petras; Christina Aguilera; Rosalia; Alex Warren; Bruno Mars; Scissor; Benson Boone; Jessie J; Kool and the Gang; Jennifer Hudson; Sir Tom Jones Joshua Alamu Jai Ramage Jono McNeil Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.198 Mastering Singing for Stage, Screen & the Music Industry with Jai Ramage Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.123 Insights Into TV Vocal Coaching with The Masked Singer’s Jono McNeil Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.124 Mastering Vocal Style: Licks, Riffs and Runs with Jono McNeil Emer Tully Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.241 Is Your Pelvic Floor Affecting Your Voice? A Deep Dive with Physiotherapist Emer Tully Jenevora Williams Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.Understanding Motor Learning: How It Can Help Us Give Better Singing Lessons with Dr Jenevora Williams Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.169 How to Use Gesture for Better Singing with Heather Baker ABOUT THE GUEST Juliet Russell stands as one of the UK’s leading vocal performance coaches, with an exceptional track record with award-winning artists and groundbreaking shows. As a vocal coach and arranger on Netflix's breakout hit show Building the Band, Juliet helped shape the voices that captivated millions globally. She also coaches on BAFTA winning shows The Voice UK and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show. SEE FULL BIO HERE: https://www.basttraining.com/blog/ep-... ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 🎁 FREE RESOURCE: Grab your free guide — 'How to Assess the Singer’s Voice with Confidence.' Learn how to understand what’s going on in any singer’s voice and know exactly what to do next in lessons. 👉 https://singingteacher.basttraining.c... FUTURE PODCAST SUGGESTIONS Do you have a burning question on the voice or being a singing teacher? Maybe you have a topic you want us to explore or a guest you’d like to hear from? Let us know by completing the Podcast Suggestion Form: https://forms.gle/naUum9N3unzNMPLN8 ABOUT BAST TRAINING BAST Training is here to help singers gain the confidence, knowledge, skills & understanding required to be a successful singing teacher. Whether you are just getting started, have some knowledge gaps you want to fill or if you wish to gain a singing teacher qualification, we're here for you. https://www.basttraining.com QUALIFICATION https://basttraining.s3.eu-west-1.ama... BOOK A FREE CALL http://basttraining.com/bookacall CONNECT Updates: http://bit.ly/BASTUpdates Email: [email protected] Free Group:   / beasingingteacher   PODCAST Click here: https://linktr.ee/basttraining ___________________________________________________________________________________________ "The BAST course really gave me the confidence to begin my career as a singing teacher. Line provided us with an abundance of knowledge and information on the voice, which made me feel more confident in my ability to pass this information on to students. The course content went into a lot of depth within each topic, but Lines delivery of the content made is easy to understand, so it was never overwhelming." Caoimhe Barrett, Ireland