Singing In Character - "Act First, Sing Second"

Ever received an audition that asks for a singing sample? Mastering the art of singing in character is crucial for actors, and it all starts with one fundamental principle: act first, sing second.

Host Genevieve Goings, drawing from her experience as the singing train conductor from Disney Junior's Choo Choo Soul and working across countless major productions, guides listeners through maintaining authentic character energy throughout their entire performance. When portraying Princess Anna, her personality shouldn't vanish the moment you break into song! Learn practical techniques to create that seamless transition between spoken lines and singing that casting directors definitely want to hear.
Genevieve explores essential vocal warm-ups like lip trills and character-specific exercises that prepare your voice while keeping you in character. She demonstrates how to practice singing with different emotions – from happy to sad, grumpy to silly – and even challenges listeners to sing as a tiny mouse or villainous character. These seemingly ridiculous exercises are precisely what breaks through self-consciousness and unlocks your full character potential.
Song selection matters tremendously for auditions, so Genevieve discusses choosing pieces that complement your character's personality and emotional journey. Whether you're playing someone quirky like Anna or need versatile options like Bruno Mars' "Count On Me," she provides guidance on matching songs to characters. Plus, download her curated list of 20 audition song ideas with instrumentals and lyrics at GenevieveGoings.com/songs to jumpstart your practice. Ready to transform your singing auditions and bring your characters fully to life? Listen now and discover how to make casting directors forget they're hearing an audition and instead believe they're experiencing a character in their natural world.
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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Voice Acting Background
• 1:44 Acting First, Singing Second Approach
• 3:13 Vocal Warm-ups and Character Practice
• 6:28 Character Emotions in Singing
• 9:08 Choosing the Right Audition Songs
• 12:48 Practice Tips and Resources

Transcript

Genevieve: 0:27

S-Y-C-S-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C-E-C. Successful young creatives, this podcast is for you. I am so excited to be back again. Thank you so much for your support. By the way, our first two episodes dropped and I just can't thank you enough for just the wonderful feedback. Remember, wherever you're listening to this, you can click on the button that says to give you a shout out, because all you have to do is send me a little message and I can mention you on the podcast.

Genevieve: 0:43

Okay, well, you may know me from my show on Disney Junior as the singing train conductor from Choo Choo Soul all aboard the choo choo train and the various songs and themes I've written, produced and performed across the Walt Disney Company and more. I actually got my start through voiceover work on the video game Toe Jam and Earl 3 Mission to Earth. But anyway, after countless productions, albums, music videos, toys and a Grammy, my voice is now being used to coach the next generation. So what exciting adventure are we embarking on today? Well, if you've ever imagined bringing a character to life with your voice, it's very exciting, and especially for a singer, if we get to sing in character.

Genevieve: 1:26

Now, today I want to talk to you specifically about singing in character, because a lot of these auditions that I'm seeing, they will ask for you to attach a song at the end of your spoken lines, and I just want you to put your best foot forward and your best voice forward for something like this. Think of it like this you are not just singing a song, you are becoming a song, and I want you to always think like this. I want you to act first, sing second. So what I mean by that is that if you are playing a character let's say it's like Princess Anna from Frozen, okay, and you just did all these really great lines like oh no, oh, I tripped, oh geez, oh sorry, and then it's time to sing a song and you're like cause, every night I lie in bed.

Genevieve: 2:21

It's like whoa, where did her personality go? Okay, but it's like whoa, where did her personality go? Okay, they're loving you. They're loving all like the energy and style and characteristics that you're bringing to your spoken lines. Let's make sure that that is going to match when it's time to sing your song, for example. Here's another example of acting first, singing second. We're going to use a song from frozen that anna does sing. The window is open. So is that door? I didn't know they did that anymore. See how I'm practically talking. That is how you start your way from acting first, singing second. So let's warm up our voice, okay, just to get ready to kind of do any of this First, these are called lip trills.

Genevieve: 3:08

Now, that's really good for you, because it's like you're pushing your vocal cords to hit notes, but without being super, super loud. It's kind of forcing you to be controlled. Okay, so you can try that with your lips trilling like that. Or you even can put a straw in a cup of water and blow those notes out like that. Okay, so that's something good that you can try. Once you're sort of used to talking, I want you to really like stretch out your cheeks and be prepared to speak the lines, the window is open.

Genevieve: 3:43

So is that door? I didn't know they did that anymore. Okay, see, I'm using some of the some of the tactics that we did in a previous episode, which is just making the line sound real, but I want you to fully act out the lyrics of the song first. So, even if that feels a little weird you feel a little like awkward doing that that is a warm up and I want you to do it. Okay, the window is open. So is that door? I didn't know they did that anymore, okay, so next, what you're going to do is la la la in the melody. So we're not even worrying about the words this time, we're only worrying about the melody. And this is warming up your jaw, because your jaw needs to open. I want you to think up and down like a stoplight, not wide like a smile Up and down. Your mouth is opening like a nutcracker, like that. So la la la is the best way to get you to open your mouth.

Speaker 1: 4:40

La la, la, la, la, la la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la la. The window is open, so's that door. I didn't know they did that anymore. Who knew we owned a thousand salad?

Genevieve: 4:53

plates. See, I'm still acting like Anna Rather than me, acting like I'm auditioning for, you know, america's Got Talent or something. No one is sitting there and trying to say, oh, she didn't sing that note perfectly. No, again, make me feel something. Who are you? And what's happening? Like we said from before. Okay, so here's what we're going to do. We're going to try to just do some la la la's with a couple different emotions. Okay, first of all, we're going to do happy versus sad. Okay, so let's just say la, la, la, la la.

Genevieve: 5:30

Let's say that's the melody. Okay, let's do it. Happy La la la, la la. Now could you hear me? I had a smile on my face. I was like la, la, la, la la. All right, now let's try it as if we're sad.

Speaker 1: 5:50

La, la, la la la.

Genevieve: 5:52

Hmm, I've got a frown on my face. I kind of even try like breathing all my air out. Now let's try bringing our voice down low, like we're grumpy, maybe a grumpy bear, grumpy bear down. Now let's do a super silly giggle. So hilarious, we are just taking our voice on a roller coaster to just try to warm it up. Let go, let go of the nerves, let go of the coolness. And just how are we gonna take this being a real character? How are we gonna bring that into singing in character now? Okay, so cute, let's do a little thing like this. Is me just making you shake off the I'm cool energy? Okay, so we're being like total dorks right now. Imagine you're a tiny little mouse singing a squeaky song in a high voice. If you're a little mouse, make a sound. What do you think like a mouse would sound like Like oh, I'm a little mouse.

Genevieve: 7:02

So I've done this before with one of my clients, mila, where we sang a Taylor Swift song which was Love Story. Love Story by Taylor Swift OK, this is so cute, where we did a challenge to sing that song as if you were a little adorable mouse. Ok, it's a very silly thing, but we're going to try it, okay.

Speaker 1: 7:24

So if I'm just a little mouse now. I'm just like a little mouse, I'm scurrying along and I'm just thinking about the one I love, romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting. Oh yes, do you see how I'm like?

Genevieve: 7:39

taking you somewhere as the character. I'm not gonna read my entire mouse script like yeah, that's great.

Speaker 1: 7:47

Oh, we're gonna try to climb up. Oh, that's awesome.

Genevieve: 7:50

Whoa that was difficult and think about the casting director. Oh, I love that. That was so good.

Speaker 1: 7:56

Let's hear the song because every night I lie in bed.

Genevieve: 8:01

What Darn. We really liked her, but the song, eh, we don't want that to happen.

Speaker 1: 8:09

Stay in your mousy energy. Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone, I'll be waiting.

Genevieve: 8:16

See, I didn't even sing that perfectly, I wasn't even hitting the notes perfectly, but I was being the character. Okay, so I know this is kind of like a wild episode because I'm kind of just talking to you like you're my friend, but I really want you to get that energy going. Okay, now, I'm sure you've heard something about a tongue twister. To practice with. Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers. But try it really. Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers. Now, let's say it slowly, like the turtle. Well, you know, peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers.

Genevieve: 8:56

This is completely ridiculous, but you guys have to be willing to be ridiculous and take yourself there. Okay, now we're all warmed up and let's talk about singing in character, but also picking the right song to sing in character. So let's think about this Does your character have a high voice, a low voice? Do they speak quickly or slowly? Do they have an accent? All of these things we have to think about and really make sure are we singing as that character? So I take that back to Princess Anna, who was kind of silly. She would trip, she would do stuff that was like, oh, that was awkward, and all of that that needs to come in to the song. Don't know if I'm elated or gassy, but I'm somewhere in that zone Because, for the first time in forever, I won't be alone.

Genevieve: 9:47

Now, if you can tell, I absolutely love that song for auditions. If you're playing a character that's quirky, funny, is, you know, going to go through some mishaps, or always tries to do it, but they don't always get it right. To me I think that song is like excellent, consider the feelings of your character, all right. So, again, like I'm saying, princess Anna's kind of quirky and she kind of she's dreaming for something more, right, so that song is really great for that. But let's say, are they happy, sad, are they angry, scared? Okay, let those feelings come through in your singing voice.

Genevieve: 10:22

So, once again, act first, sing second. Your face should be making all the facial expressions. Your body I want you to use your body, Even though it's voice acting, even though it's voice acting with singing, moving your body. That little bit can help you feel more like the character, like I won't be alone. My hands are out. I'm kind of like wow, I'm looking up to the sky, like, oh, okay, we just really want to be in there. And the extension of your speaking voice should go seamlessly into your singing voice. Okay, so, from speaking, now I'm singing, now I'm speaking again, I'm singing and I'm speaking again. It should be able to be just like that, you guys.

Genevieve: 11:05

Okay, then listen to the music. So, does it sound happy? Does it sound spooky? If it sounds like spooky, well then you should be in a spooky vibe. Okay, really, like every little thing I'm doing. I hope you can hear that how I'm really adding to the story. I'm bringing you in and making you feel something Once again. Who are you? What's happening? How are you feeling? Take me there, okay, same way, with voice acting, where I'm saying I don't want you to sound like a kid reading from a paper for the song. I don't want you to sound like a kid auditioning for something. You know what I'm saying. I want you to sound like a kid who's in the middle of a script, like this could have happened in an actual cartoon, okay, and you're just making it real. These are just things for you to think about and again, ask yourself does it sound like my kid is in a movie right now? Because that's what we want.

Speaker 1: 12:02

Okay.

Genevieve: 12:03

Just remember practice makes better. You've got to keep practicing this stuff, you guys, and you should start recording yourself. You should definitely, even if you just have your phone and you're filming yourself. Sometimes, if you guys are doing on-camera auditions and you need to submit a song, that's even more pressure because the camera's on you while you're singing. But just start doing that. Pick a song. Why don't you pick for the first time in forever, just to try. Okay, you could do Count On Me by Bruno Mars. You could do Count On Me by Bruno Mars. You can count on me like one, two, three and I'll be there. Okay, Excellent, excellent audition song too.

Genevieve: 12:43

I just want you guys to start thinking about what song could you do, and I do have a list of 20 audition song ideas. That also will take you to the instrumental and the lyrics. So this is like a big folder I can send you to if you guys are interested. That is at GenevieveGoingscom forward slash songs and you can get. You can download that list and you can download the actual instrumentals to really sing to, Because if you are auditioning you're in this business it is going to come up that they are going to want a song. So why don't you start working on picking your song now and making sure that you can sing it in character? It's kind of like a little project I want you guys to take home now. Why don't you pick one song and sing it in two different ways? Maybe you're singing it as a character that's really happy, and maybe you're singing it as the villain you can count on me like one, two, three and I'll be there.

Genevieve: 13:47

Ooh, she's evil, she was just nice. You can count on me, like one, two, three, and I'll be there. See, which one do you want to be there? Probably the second one. Anyway, again, I'm just trying to get you guys inspired. Think about this stuff, and it's your job to make me believe you. So, even while you're singing, keep it in character. See you next time, successful Yawn. While you're singing, keep it in of my coaching packages at wwwgenevievegoingscom, you can do this.

Speaker 1: 14:38

Yes, I know I'm gonna be successful.