HOW TO INTERPRET A SONG YOU DIDN’T WRITE

As singers, we often find ourselves performing songs penned by someone else. Whether it’s a classic standard, a pop hit, or an emotional ballad, interpreting a song you didn’t write can feel both liberating and challenging. How do you bring authenticity to lyrics and melodies that weren’t born from your own experience? The answer lies in your ability to connect, internalize, and personalize. Here’s how to interpret a song you didn’t write and make it truly yours:

Understand the Story and Emotion

Every song tells a story or coveys a message. Your first task is to figure out what the song is really about and how it feels.

• Relate it to Your Life: Maybe you’ve never experienced the exact situation described in the song, but can you recall a moment where you felt the same way?
• Build Empathy: Use your imagination. Step into the shoes of the character in the song. What would you feel in that moment?

Bring your own emotional truth to the performance makes it relatable and real.

Make Thoughtful Vocal Choices

How you shape the melody and phasing plays a huge role in interpretation.

• Dynamics and Tone: Choose when to go soft and tender versus powerful and bold. Match your vocal intensity to the emotional content.
• Phrasing: Don’t be afraid to change up phrasing to emphasize certain words or moments. A subtle pause or elongation can change everything.
• Inflection and Color: Experiment with tone color, airy, nasal, bright, dark, to match the mood.

Your voice becomes the paintbrush to color in the emotional canvas of the song.

Stay Honest, Not Imitative

It’s tempting to mimic the original artist, especially if the song is iconic. But your job isn’t to copy, it’s to interpret.

• Honor the Song, Not the Singer: Stay true to the essence of the song while letting your version shine through.
• Find Your Style: Whether you’re soulful, jazzy, theatrical, or pop-oriented, bring your unique sound to the piece.

Audiences connect most with authenticity, not imitation.

Final Thought: It’s Not About Ownership, It’s About Belonging

You may not have written the song, but it can still belong to you in the moment you sing it. Interpretation is your gift to the song, and to the audience. It’s your change to say, “Here’s how I feel this. Come feel it with me.”

#michelleostrove #voicelessons #singinglessons #pianolessons #vocalcoach #voicecoach #michelleostrovevocalandpianostudio #trending #voiceteacher #singingteacher #pianoteacher #momusic  #michelleostroveblog #losangeles #newyork #atlanta #Nashville #boston #gainesvillega #sugarhill #buford #lula #LA #ATL #NYC #singer #singing #supportthearts #thearts #dreams #chasingdream #chasingdreams #celebrityvocalcoach #careergoals #piano #sing #gainesville #flowerybranch #lakelanier #lanierislands #lawrenceville #oakwood #cumming #braselton #momusic #Dahlonega #Suwanee #Dawsonville #Chicago