This is quite possibly on of the truest quotes I’ve ever heard of when it comes to singing and performing. Before I start rambling, performances are interpreted based on the individual. What I get from a singer or instrumentalist’s performance may be received in a completely different way by you or anyone else. That being said, I truly believe life experience greatly improves and enhances a singer’s performance style.
I’ve seen many performers who attempt to sing a song containing a message or theme that they aren’t emotionally cognizant of. I don’t necessarily emphasize age as a factor here–though, if I’m being completely honest, I’m less inclined to believe a ten-year-old who sings “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman” than I would a thirty-year-old or even someone in their twenties. People who haven’t experienced things such as romantic love or death will have a hard time relating to their audience when they sing songs about these topics.
Even though I believe that life experience enhances a singer’s performance of a song and that vocalists shouldn’t sing about particular topics until they’re emotionally and mentally capable of doing so, if a song speaks to you, do it! I am completely for vocalists at least trying a song or style of music at least once to see how it feels and what happens. You only progress by experimentation and through trial and error. If it doesn’t feel right, you can always table the song, come back to it later, and try it again. Types of music, artists, and specific songs come to us at different phases in our lives. It only makes sense that some of the music you perform might not work now, but could turn out to be part of some of your best performances later.
This may seem cliché since people say it all the time, but it really is true. Go out and live your life. It can only make your music and your performances more real, more believable, and more enjoyable. Go out and meet new people, fall in love, travel (if you can). Experiment with and listen to different types of music, take risks, and push yourself way out of your comfort zone. These life experiences not only shape who you are as a person, but help you to better relate to your audience through song, making you a better, well-rounded singer and performer.