Nikki Yanofsky trumps Lady Gaga by a musical mile
By Diane Sokoloski/Columnist
Lady Gaga and singers of her ilk could learn a thing or two, or three, from Nikki Yanofsky, the spunky, adorable and barely 17-year-old Canadian jazz singer from Montreal.
Fans of the 2010 Olympic Games most certainly remember dark haired Yanofsky belting out the Olympic theme song; I Believe.
I am sure most people became tired of the badly overplayed theme song but it wasn’t the best showcase for her talent anyway. She is described as a jazz-pop singer but in my opinion it is in the jazz that her true talent reveals itself.
For those who haven’t heard Nikki Yanofsky yet, I highly recommend that you check her music out. Bravo! television recently aired Yanofsky in concert at the Concert Hall in Toronto. I watched the show and all I can say is, wow.
There Nikki, the teenager, stood on stage in a simple black dress with a little belt around her waist and running shoes on her feet. No heaving hunks or choreography required. No revealing outfits or overexposed naughty bits to titillate the audience. No attention getting stunts like climbing out of golden eggs and hanging from poles. It was pure musical gold. Her humble performance persona was refreshing and her range and vocal gymnastics puts Lady Gaga et al. to shame.
Yanofsky scat sings like an old pro. Scat is the technique of singing in such a way that the voice mimics an instrument, for example, a horn. Even if a person does not like jazz, scat singing is an example of true vocal ability. The proof is in the performance. Yanofsky is beyond her years in talent and I look forward to her career.
Gaga, along with a good number of other pop singers at the top of the charts, including Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion and even the Glee gang uses a hideous invention called Auto Tune.
Auto Tune is a computer program designed to help singers who can’t stay in tune and it results in a robotic vocal sound. Auto Tune is used so much in pop music that singers themselves have protested its overuse at awards shows. A trained singer with talent does not need Auto Tune.
Due to the complicated nature of jazz music, singers like Yanofsky can’t really make use of the device anyway. Singers must practice their craft long and hard to train the body to hit those notes and stay in tune.
Gaga’s latest ‘hit’ is called ‘Born that Way.’ Gaga wasn’t born that way, she bought herself in a store.
Yanofsky’s remarkable skill at such a young age makes it seem like she was born that way.
By Diane Sokoloski/Columnist
Lady Gaga and singers of her ilk could learn a thing or two, or three, from Nikki Yanofsky, the spunky, adorable and barely 17-year-old Canadian jazz singer from Montreal.
Fans of the 2010 Olympic Games most certainly remember dark haired Yanofsky belting out the Olympic theme song; I Believe.
I am sure most people became tired of the badly overplayed theme song but it wasn’t the best showcase for her talent anyway. She is described as a jazz-pop singer but in my opinion it is in the jazz that her true talent reveals itself.
For those who haven’t heard Nikki Yanofsky yet, I highly recommend that you check her music out. Bravo! television recently aired Yanofsky in concert at the Concert Hall in Toronto. I watched the show and all I can say is, wow.
There Nikki, the teenager, stood on stage in a simple black dress with a little belt around her waist and running shoes on her feet. No heaving hunks or choreography required. No revealing outfits or overexposed naughty bits to titillate the audience. No attention getting stunts like climbing out of golden eggs and hanging from poles. It was pure musical gold. Her humble performance persona was refreshing and her range and vocal gymnastics puts Lady Gaga et al. to shame.
Yanofsky scat sings like an old pro. Scat is the technique of singing in such a way that the voice mimics an instrument, for example, a horn. Even if a person does not like jazz, scat singing is an example of true vocal ability. The proof is in the performance. Yanofsky is beyond her years in talent and I look forward to her career.
Gaga, along with a good number of other pop singers at the top of the charts, including Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion and even the Glee gang uses a hideous invention called Auto Tune.
Auto Tune is a computer program designed to help singers who can’t stay in tune and it results in a robotic vocal sound. Auto Tune is used so much in pop music that singers themselves have protested its overuse at awards shows. A trained singer with talent does not need Auto Tune.
Due to the complicated nature of jazz music, singers like Yanofsky can’t really make use of the device anyway. Singers must practice their craft long and hard to train the body to hit those notes and stay in tune.
Gaga’s latest ‘hit’ is called ‘Born that Way.’ Gaga wasn’t born that way, she bought herself in a store.
Yanofsky’s remarkable skill at such a young age makes it seem like she was born that way.
