Interviewing an NYVC Student: Songwriter & Recording Aritst Charity Nathan

A note from Abby: 

A number of my students have a common goal when they start voice lessons: to get out of their comfort zone and try something new. I always find this admirable and am inspired by those who truly follow through and explore new techniques as well as other aspects of musicianship and performance. I asked to interview Charity because she is one of the students who has set this goal for herself. She began as someone who rarely sang alone outside of her home. Now, after months of focus and hard work, she has two popular performance videos on social media, her first original single released everywhere, and multiple NYVC live performances under her belt. Her impressive progress and continued vocal journey can serve as an inspiration to us all!

Interview with NYVC Student Charity Nathan

How long have you been taking voice lessons? 

I’ve been taking voice lessons for about 9 months.

What was your musical experience prior to beginning lessons?

My musical experience was mostly just going to singing in my church/school choir as a child and singing at home for my family .

What was it that made you decide to start studying voice? 

For me studying voice has always been something that I knew I needed to do to kickstart my singing career, but what got the ball rolling for me was when I realized that I wasn’t content with my life without pursuing music professionally, so I decided to take a chance on myself and put all my fears aside.

What has changed for you (vocally or otherwise) since beginning voice lessons?

After voice lessons, now I have the capacity to sing stronger and for a longer duration of time. Also now I can sing on the spot with a reduced feeling of anxiety/nervousness.

When you first started studying with me, you mentioned the idea of “getting out of your comfort zone.” Can you talk a little bit about what that entailed for you?

Getting out of my comfort zone entailed me getting out of my shell. For me that was attending Karoke night/recital at NYVC, doing a project where I was able to show cases my talent on social media, partaking in the songwriting class and actually perform the song we wrote to my peers. 

As a student in my Songwriting 101 workshop you wrote a fantastic new song. Do you feel that your vocal technique work has made a difference in your songwriting and/or vice versa? If so, how? 

Yes, for sure. Songwriting/voice lessons has definitely helped tremendously with writing music especially my new single Lonely Abyss that dropped June 6th… Prior to songwriting class I just listened to music because I loved the way it made my feel. Although viewing music in that light isn’t a bad thing, when writing/singing songs you have to also incorporate the structure/technical aspect of music. Which is what I had the pleasure of Learning at NYVC.

Now that you’ve released successful videos as well as your first original single, has your comfort zone changed at all?

My comfort zone has most certainly changed after the release of my first video. But prior to that, Karaoke, the recital and performance at the end of songwriting class (all at NYVC) have a huge role to play in assisting me with getting out of my shell. 

Do you have any tips for singers who are struggling with getting out of their own comfort zones? 

Just do it! I know it sounds cliche but 9 times out of 10 we often let our own fears stand in the way of our success. So for once take a chance on yourself. 

Where can our NYVC community find the work you have released so far?

You can find all the music I’ve put out on most social media/ streaming platforms like:

• Instagram and TikTok: @charitynathan_
• YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Pandora, and Amazon Music: Charity Nathan

Anything else you would like to share with us about your vocal journey and music career? 

I just want to take the opportunity to thank Abby (my voice lesson/songwriting instructor), for believing and giving me various opportunities to showcase my talent that really helped me dive into my music career.