Name: Serenity Stewart
Age: Old enough to know better!
Job Title and Description: Vocalist and Recording Artist
College/Major: Mohawk College/Mass Communication
Website: www.serenitystewart.com
Twitter Handle: @songsofserenity
Her Campus: What does your current job entail?
Serenity Stewart: Researching music and arrangements, rehearsal, vocal exercises to keep [my] voice in shape, choreography, performance coaching, meetings with publicists, media interviews and personal care appointments.
HC: What is the best part of your job?
SS: Music is such a great stimulus, affecting mood and taking the mind on a journey. Singing great music, and being able to share that music with others, is a wonderful way to give back.
HC: When and how did you decide that you wanted to become a singer?
SS: I was singing when I was a child, but did not make the decision to adopt singing as a career until much later in life (after I re-evaluated my priorities and felt it was time to do what I really loved).
HC: What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
SS: The difficulty is being a solo artist. It is quite different from being part of a large band with several vocalists who carry some numbers with you and also solo. The instrument playing band members are also creative people and frequently find other avenues that take them on new roads, leaving you with the challenge of replacing a member and rehearsing them to get them up to speed.
HC: What song represents your career journey the most? Why?
SS: “What Kind of Fool Am I?” Kidding aside, I think the song “Windmills of your Mind” by French composer Michel LeGrand and lyrics by the fabulous duo Marilyn and Alan Bergman.
For me, the lyrics embody those moments when you are so totally caught up in a new love (for me, my singing) that you have fragmented recollections of other faces, places and sounds. You are whirling so fast [that] you cannot catch up with yourself. Then it’s over and you’re not sure how, why, or at what point you should have or could have known. The music moves along quickly and hauntingly in keeping with the lyrics.
I also feel it can represent how quickly the dance of life is over, so pursue your dream.
HC: Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
SS: My vocal engineer. Some would call [him] a vocal coach, but he truly assisted in my transition from singing as a coloratura soprano to finding and being comfortable with my chest voice. I could not have done my CD project without having had the opportunity to work with him.
HC: What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
SS: “Every possibility begins with the courage to imagine it!”
HC: What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
SS: Mistakes. I’ve made a few… but then again… too few to mention…( I just love Frank Sinatra).
If I’m not making mistakes then I’m probably not in forward motion on my career path. My biggest mistake this past year was not being well-prepared for a performance date and, in addition, my father-in-law passed away an hour before the show. You can never know what will come up and being prepared is the best way to fly. The band and I learned that you cannot rehearse too much, practice does make perfect!
HC: From custody battles to being a single mom, you’ve faced several adversaries. How have they impacted your career and how have you overcome these personal trials and tribulations?
SS: I believe that the many trials I faced were the catalyst for personal growth, which naturally affected who I am as a professional, and made me more resilient. We morph through our experiences and the toughest ones shape us in unimaginable ways. I read self improvement books, attended community seminars on topics of interest and became a member of social groups. I opened my mind to alternate possibilities and learned to actively listen. I found that if you follow your heart and are happy, you have less external needs and you create time to pay attention to your inner needs. My inner journey assisted in my pursuing this career and enhanced my outward social journey. We are not meant to be isolated beings – I totally “feed” off being with others.
HC: What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
SS: Do not decide what you want to do based on ideals of glam life, media attention, monetary remuneration and so on. Go with the three C’s – calling , conviction and commitment—and give yourself back to the world each day.