📖 6 Minute Read | Performance Tips | Article by Veronica Start
Let's talk, singer to singer.
If you've spent any time coaching or teaching, you know how much energy goes into the voice itself: pitch, breath, tone, phrasing. That's the work everyone assumes is the whole job.
But there's a bigger (and tougher!) question that doesn't get asked nearly enough: what's it actually like for other people to work with you?
I wanted a real answer, so I just went and asked. In August 2026, I surveyed 75 musicians and music professionals, instrumentalists, other vocalists, producers, engineers, bandleaders, people at every stage of their careers, about what it's really like collaborating with singers.
I figured pitch would top the list.
It came up. But it wasn't close to the whole story.
The bigger picture
Seven things kept coming up, over and over, in the responses:
- Timing and rhythm — 49%
- Volume and mic technique — 49%
- Pitch and intonation — 37%
- Song preparation — 35%
- Stage presence — 35%
- Ego and attitude — 32%
- Counting in and cueing — 32%
(People could name more than one topic, which is why the numbers don't add up to 100%.)
Here's what struck me most: hardly any of this is really about having a beautiful voice. Musicians were talking about listening. Preparation. Communication. Awareness. Confidence. Stagecraft. Knowing where you are in the song and what's happening around you.
That reframes the whole conversation, doesn't it?
Timing and rhythm
Almost half the people I surveyed said this is where they most wish singers would grow: the rushing, the dragging, the missed entrances, losing the groove entirely.
A lot of them talked about really listening to the rhythm section. Staying locked into the pulse. Knowing exactly where you are in the form at every moment.
I get why this happens. Most of our training as singers is built around melody, tone, lyrics and rhythm can end up feeling like something that just happens in the background. But the musicians standing next to us clearly don't experience it that way. To them, it's foundational. And for singers, well, it should be, too.
Volume and mic technique
This tied for the top spot, and it doesn't surprise me one bit.
People mentioned inconsistent volume, standing too close or too far from the mic, cupping the grille (we've all seen it), not knowing how to ask for what they need in the monitors, and generally not understanding how live sound actually works. This came up constantly in the conversations happening around the survey too.
For us, the mic can feel like this simple thing we just... sing into. But for everyone else in the room, the band, the engineer, it's one piece of a much bigger system, and when we don't understand our part in it, everyone feels it.
Pitch and intonation
Yes, pitch showed up. More than a third of respondents flagged it: going sharp or flat, struggling with harmonies, losing accuracy when things get demanding.
But honestly, the most interesting thing here is what didn't happen: pitch didn't dominate the results the way I think most singers would expect. That doesn't mean it's not important. It just means the musicians around us are listening for a whole lot more than whether we're landing on the right note.
Song preparation
More than a third of people pointed to singers simply not knowing the song well enough: showing up without the lyrics locked, unsure of the arrangement, fuzzy on cues, unclear on how the song ends.
One idea kept resurfacing: rehearsal is where a band works on a performance together. It's not where one person starts learning the material for the first time.
Stage presence
Also named by more than a third of respondents. Musicians talked about wanting singers who connect with the audience, bring real energy, and stay engaged the whole way through, not just during the parts where they're singing.
Here's the piece that's easy to underestimate: as the singer, you often carry the responsibility of holding the room's attention, even in the moments you're not singing. What you do between phrases, between songs, or while the band handles something technical still shapes the experience for the audience.
Ego and attitude
Almost a third of respondents named this one, but the comments were far more layered than “singers have big egos.”
Musicians said, again and again, that they genuinely value confidence and leadership on stage. The frustration only showed up when confidence tipped into defensiveness: blaming others, brushing off feedback, or treating the rest of the band like they exist purely to support the singer.
Nobody was asking singers to shrink. They were asking singers to be a better collaborators.
Counting in and cueing
Nearly a third of people also brought up something a lot of singers never get formally taught: how to count the band in and cue what's coming next. Missed entrances, shaky starts, unclear endings, losing track of where you are in the song.
A few respondents mentioned the small, constant signals musicians rely on - drum fills, eye contact, a shift in body language. These are subtle skills. Nobody hands you a manual for them. But once you're playing with other people, they start to matter a lot.
So what makes a singer great to work with?
This wasn't just a list of complaints. Musicians were just as clear about what they love.
The singers they want to work with again show up prepared. They listen. They adapt. They communicate clearly. They bring confidence without letting it curdle into ego. They connect with the room.
Collaboration was the thread running through nearly every response.
A great voice matters. There's no question about that. But the singers people keep calling back are the ones who are also musical, prepared, adaptable, expressive, and tuned in to the people around them.
That's the exciting part. Because none of these attributes are fixed. These are skills. And you can build every single one of them.
There's more coming
Has to be said that this wasn't a scientific study. It was a survey that reflects the experiences of the 75 people who chose to respond, nothing more. But I think it gives us plenty to sit with.
Over the next few articles, I'm going to dig into each of these seven areas. I'll explore why they matter, where singers tend to get stuck, and what we can actually do about it.
Want the full survey results?
I put everything together in a free report: the complete breakdown, respondent quotes, and practical takeaways across all seven areas.
Download the free report here: What Musicians Wish Singers Understood
"Getting better at singing" is never just about the voice. Sometimes the thing that makes people want to work with you again has almost nothing to do with whether every note was perfect. It's about becoming a stronger musician, performer, and collaborator too.
- Veronica Start
© 2026 Soul Singer Assertiveness Coaching | Veronica Start