NYVC Singer Spotlight: Wes Lieberman

How did you discover your passion for singing?

I have always loved singing, but I discovered it was something I could pursue with a theater nonprofit program I was a part of in middle school, called San Francisco Arts Education Players. The Players taught me that singing, like everything else, is a skill that needs to be trained, and that hard work is more valuable than talent.

What’s something recent or exciting in your singing journey?

Recently, I have been exploring and strengthening my mix voice. It is something I have never
understood how to do until a few months ago, and it is opening up a new way for me to sing. I am
getting better at singing higher and lighter, and in turn am able to sing in pop styles that were alien to me before.

What is an interesting or funny fact about you?

These types of questions make me instantly forget everything I care about and have ever done. Let’s see... I am a bartender and aspiring mixologist, I am incredibly passionate about phonetics and linguistics, and I spend my idle time daydreaming about planning the perfect dinner party.

What led you to studying at NYVC?

I did a lot of research into teachers in Manhattan, and NYVC seemed like a high-level institution
without being pretentious. I have bad experiences with teachers who exalt one method over others
(Lamperti, Garcia-Marchesi), since there is no right way to sing other than what your voice needs at the moment to sing the way you want. Specifically, I started lessons with Andy King, because his training and expertise were in line with what I needed at the time.

Who or what are your biggest musical influences?

Vocally, Josh Groban; lyrically, Bill Callahan and Leonard Cohen; musically, Ben Folds; theoretically,
Thom Yorke. That being said, most of my performance experience and training is in musical theater, and nothing compares to Raul Esparza singing and playing “Being Alive” from Company.

What styles of music do you sing?

I mostly sing musical theater, but also sing pop/rock and a bit of classical music. I also write my own music: mostly alternative pop but also some musical theater, opera, and orchestral.

What is one piece of advice you'd love all singers to know? 

Your abilities as a singer end where your mental image of yourself as a singer ends. The belief that youwill never be able to sing in a certain way is self-perpetuating. The most damaging thing I ever did to my voice was box myself into the idea that I was a baritone, and therefore could not sing tenor notes. Throwing that away has helped me learn that my voice will keep growing as long as I have the confidence to believe it will and the dedication to put in the work.

What is the biggest challenge you've faced as an artist? 

Much like almost every person my age, my biggest challenge has been trying to find where I fit into the ecosystem of the world. Am I a musical theater performer? Am I a cabaret singer? Am I a singer-songwriter? Am I a bandmate? Am I a composer? Am I meant to be a scholar or a critic? Am I even meant to do this at all? There is no steady or linear path in this industry, which makes it so hard to know what choices to make. The biggest hurdle to being an artist is finding your identity as one.

What has been your greatest victory as an artist?

My biggest moment of validation was likely when I was chosen to sing UCLA’s Alma Mater at my
graduation ceremony in front of the whole school of theater, and my biggest proudest achievement was unlocking my mix voice, but no moment is more fulfilling to me than sitting alone at the piano and coming up with the perfect lyric to express how I’m feeling. Knowing that my thoughts, hopes, fears, and desires are tangible, are able to be shared with others, is worth more than any performance or skill or acknowledgement.

Where can people find more about you and your music? 

People can watch some of my musical theater performances on my website and my
Instagram (@weslieberman), and they can listen to my original music on my TikTok (@weslieberman). I am also working on recording and releasing some music to Spotify and Apple Music—and one song I wrote with a fellow NYVC student!