Lead vocalist
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The lead vocalist in
The lead singer also typically guides the vocal ensemble and band with visual cues to indicate changes of tempo or dynamics, stops or pauses, and the starts of new sections (unless there is also a conductor onstage, as with a big band or unless an instrumentalist bandleader is providing this role). The lead vocalist also typically speaks to the audience between songs, to give information about the songs (such as who wrote them or why it was chosen), introduce the band members, and develop a rapport with the audience. The lead vocalist may also play a leadership role in rehearsals, unless there is a bandleader who takes on this role. If the lead singer is a singer-songwriter, she or he may write some or all of the lyrics or create entire songs (including chords and melodies).
Examples of a lead vocalist in rock music are Freddie Mercury from Queen and Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones. Similarly in soul music, Smokey Robinson was the lead singer of The Miracles. There may be two or more lead vocalists in a band who rotate singing lead between songs or within songs, such as with The Beatles or Fleetwood Mac, or two or more vocalists may share lead vocals on the same lines, as was often the case with ABBA.
Terminology
The lead vocalist may also be called the main vocalist or lead singer. Especially in rock music, the lead singer or solo singer is often the front man[2] or front woman, who may also play one or more instruments and is often seen as the leader or spokesman of the band by the public.
In K-pop, the lead vocalist is often referred to as a vocalist with the second-best vocal technique.[3]
History
It is uncertain when the term "lead vocals" was first used, but it may have emerged in the late 1930s, when rich vocal interplay with multiple voices where one or more voices may dominate began to impact on North American popular music, which was previously dominated by solo vocals.
Academic David Horn has written:
The influence of US
backing group into the guitar-based British 'beat' groups of the 1960s, and in US groups such as The Beach Boys. From these various points – including Motown – it went on to become a standard device in much rock and pop music. In some bands – most famously, The Beatles – the role of lead singer alternated (in this case, principally between two performers), while in others – for example, Herman's Hermits – one lead singer dominated.[4]
Characteristics and exceptions in rock and pop music
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2015) |
There are as many types and styles of lead singer as there are styles and genres of music. However, the lead singer of a group or band is usually the main focus of audiences' attention.[5] The lead vocalist of band is sometimes called the "front man" or "front woman", as the most visible performer in a group. While most bands have a single lead singer, many others have dual lead singers or other members of the band that sing lead on particular songs. The lead singer often defines the group's image and personality to the general public.
In rock music, the lead singer is often the band's leader and spokesperson. While lead singers or spokespersons for any musical ensembles can be called a front man, the term is used very widely in rock music. Since the position commonly has an expanded role from simple lead vocalists, there have been cases in which the front man for a band is someone other than the lead vocalist. For example, while the lead vocalist for the band Fall Out Boy is guitarist Patrick Stump, the bassist and lyricist, Pete Wentz, is generally called the front man, both in the media and by the band members themselves, since he represents the band in most interviews and contributes most to the band's image in the popular media.[6]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0826463227.
- ^ "Definition of FRONT MAN". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ Pham, Jason (4 September 2020). "25 K-Pop Fandom Words Every K-Pop Stan Should Know". StyleCaster. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ a b David Horn, '"Lead Singer", in Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World: Volume II: Performance and Production, A&C Black, 2003, pp.103–104
- ^ "Role of the Lead Vocalist", Vocalist.org.uk. Accessed 2 May 2015
- ^ CARAMANICA, JON (12 December 2008), "The Frontman in the Background". The New York Times. (accessed 19 January 2009)