January has kicked off with a bang at ACM, starting with a masterclass courtesy of freelance vocalist, Rhianna Kenny.
The session covered a wide range of topics from her long and successful career in the music industry, including her background in the business, working with artists such as Robbie Williams and Faithless, as well as advice on self-employment and vocal warm-up techniques.
Rhianna explained to students that she first entered the industry after performing with her brother – singer-songwriter and record producer, LSK. She was quickly signed to the same label as him as a solo artist in her own right. Now a busy freelance vocalist, Rhianna told students that during her record contract, she decided that being a solo artist wasn’t for her, so she began performing alongside other established artists, namely Faithless and Robbie Williams.
Rhianna’s top advice in the session was to take the issues of money, drive, ego and health seriously. She made it clear to students that they needed to plan for a turbulent career financially, as the nature of freelance work means that some months are much more profitable than others. When speaking about drive, she advised students to listen to as much new music as possible, as there are techniques to be learned from all genres. Rhianna’s top tips for keeping healthy on the road were to be prepared to catch a cold, and if you do – use a steam room. A golden piece of advice about vocal warm-ups was to undertake physical exercise – Rhianna told students that she is often seen running around festival parameters in preparation for a show, as she likes to warm up her lungs before performing.
The masterclass wrapped up with a Q&A which ran over, due to the students being so engaged in the session. Students left having learned a great deal about life in the music business, and Rhianna thoroughly enjoyed her time at ACM, encouraging students to get in touch via email should they have any further questions.
We’d like to thank Rhianna for taking time out of her busy day to join us at ACM@Metropolis – we all really enjoyed the session!
If you’d like to study music at ACM and learn from some of the world’s most experienced musicians like Rhianna, please call our Admissions Team on 01483 500 841 or visit www.acm.ac.uk/open-days/ to book a place on an ACM Open Day today.
