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[0:00] Alan Seales: Welcome back to the Theatre Podcast. I'm your host, Alan Seales, and this is intimate personal conversations with the industry's biggest names. This episode is with somebody who you may know as Rebecca Moore or Rebecca EA Moore, but she's known by her YouTube name, Rebecca Vocal Athlete. She is actually the first YouTube influencer that I've ever had on the podcast, but she has a tie-in to Broadway and performing because she is a very well-trained vocal coach, and she blew up on YouTube just in the last couple of years with posting vocal coach reaction videos, which is obviously a trend that people have latched onto now, but she's been doing it for a while. She's super fun, super funny to talk to, just a nice person.

She's also an advocate for mental health, which, of course, she weaves into her coaching because something she told me, I was saying, like, oh, I'm just a baritone. I can't sing like a tenor, and she goes, well, that's your first problem. You're telling yourself you can't sing like a tenor. So she weaves the mental aspect into her coaching, and it does very well for her. So check the show notes for ways to connect with her if you want any sort of coaching and obviously subscribe to her YouTube channel. Please leave a rating and a review wherever you're listening now. Find me on Instagram and Twitter at Theatre Underscore Podcast. And now, everybody, please enjoy this episode with Rebecca, Vocal Athlete.

[1:37] Alan Seales: Today's guest is a vocal coach, mentor, singer, songwriter, YouTuber, and entertainer with more than 20 years of experience within the music industry and an ongoing professional training in reputable vocal techniques, methodologies, vocal anatomy and physiology, and voice research. She's grown massive social media followings with her videos and was actually after watching her react to a medley of people singing The End of Defying Gravity when my interest was piqued and I started to dive into who she was. And then, in addition to the obvious love of performing and singing, I discovered that she's also very transparent about her journey with mental health. I immediately knew I had to talk to her. Rebecca Moore, known all over the interwebs as Rebecca, Vocal Athlete. Welcome to the Theatre Podcast.

[2:26] Rebecca Moore: Hello. Hello, hello, hello. I'm Alan and fellow humans.

[2:32] Alan Seales: Fellow humans. Yes, you are. Okay, so you were watching this video. I somehow was I went down this YouTube rabbit hole, as you do. And then I was just watching reaction videos. And I ran across a reaction video of you just watching this medley that you put together of Defying Gravity. And then Natalie Weiss was one of the clips that one of the people you reviewed. And Natalie's been a past guest on this podcast. I'm obviously local here to me in New York. And I was like, oh, RVA, I got to figure out who you are and why you are and all of these things. And you're just diving through your social media channels. And then the videos and stuff on YouTube. I knew I had to talk to you. And I want to get into later how one becomes a sensation on YouTube because I just this whole that whole world of influencers just weird to me.

But first off, let's start out with this normally where we start is this tell me about who you are, like, how did you get into performing? What was baby baby Rebecca Vocal Athlete? What was she like? I guess I want to meet her.

[3:40] Rebecca Moore: That's such a weird thing to say. It's I guess, like a lot of people, performers, singers, dancers, it started really young. And it was it was it's an on-off journey, I think through not being sure, you know, like, in terms of confidence. So it was very much I know there's something in me, I know I like to express and create. And, you know, it's taken, it's been an interesting journey and a hard journey. And, you know, like life is, you know, comes up with all sorts of things. And it, I think there's like a calling, and it keeps coming back to you. And it's something you can't ignore sometimes. So it just, when I was bought, was I? Yes, I was standing good. Very young. I say my mom, my dad says I was two years old.

He has an older accent. I don't know if you know, from Manchester. And he was like, you were dancing upon to the TV at two. Okay. And it was music. And then just a lot of adoration of voice, of sounds, of mimicking of Disney sounds. You know, singers, like Snow White. And I think there's always been a fascination and from six years old in my first impression, and then knowing my mom was laughing, so I didn't have to go to bed too early. And then using that as a weapon, so to speak. And, yeah, there's many facets to the voice. And it's not for me, it's not just about singing, although I am wholeheartedly, I love songwriting, I love singers, I love watching singers, I just, you know, that world where we can all just delve into and lose ourselves, or connect or whatever, you know, all these many things.

So it started young, like a lot of people, and then I'm obsessed with film as well. I'm obsessed with like, script writing and things like that. But I guess, music, singing, songwriting, impressions, you know, vocal, just the ways we express ourselves, it's always been, it's always been there. It's just a funny way to get there sometimes.

[5:39] Alan Seales: There's a lot of different ways that if somebody, as you just described yourself, there's, I guess there's the scientific route, there's the physiological route, there's the performing route, there's the independent artist route. And I know you put out your own music, and I think you just have an album that came out this month in February, right? So we should...

[5:59] Rebecca Moore: My plan was to release, I'm like, I want to release a song every six weeks. I haven't done myself justice. When people are like, where's all your music? I'm like, I have an album out, which was two years ago. And then I've written songs before that. So I have lots and lots of songs. They're not obviously all going to be very, very good. So it's a matter of like, I can just write a song in 10 minutes, but it doesn't mean it's going to be good. So I need to think, you know, is that song worthwhile? So I have a couple of producers that I work with. So I bounce off ideas, and it's just, that is a very pleasant world to be in. It's very cathartic and enjoyable. And usually the best songs are just those that I do.

Sometimes I just upload on YouTube, just an improv, hair's a mess. That's never part of the plan. But if I have an idea, and I need to run with it today, I watched. People listening like, why does she add about George? So I need to run with that idea. And I think maybe it's like, creators are like that also. So you just, when it's there, you have to roll with it, you know? Or practice, practice is very important. There's an improv or an improv, usually the songs come from that.

[7:12] Alan Seales: Right, right. But you got so much into the science and the physiology behind voice too. So, I mean, why not just wholeheartedly dump yourself into songwriting? Where did the desire for the education come from? Where did the desire for the like, learning the physiology and doing the voice teaching come from?

[7:26] Rebecca Moore: That's purely really to help others, you know, again, because I'm so fascinated and to have a different area of, I'm always like learning, I'm always, for me, I don't claim to know it all. In health as well, I spent nearly a week just learning about health. And, you know, that's why the vocal athlete, it comes from the mind, the body, and, of course, the voice. So implementing those three, you become a really good singer. So this fascination, you know, there's so many areas that it stems from, like, and for me, learning about the voice, the mechanics, that's fascinating. Just like, wow, look at that muscle do that. And because of that, that happens. But if you change that, and then you do that, and then if you think about that, and you, or manipulation, there's just, it's a fascinating, you know.

[8:22] Alan Seales: I look at people, I bring up Nick Kroll a lot on this podcast. I'm a huge fan of Nick Kroll, and like the ability, I don't know if you watch Big Mouth on Netflix, but he does like 24, 27 voices or something. It's just insane. And then you have people like Alex Brightman, who does the Beetlejuice voice. So, you know, eight shows a week. Yeah, he's talking like this eight shows a week, and he doesn't hurt himself. So that's like using a vocal fold that everybody has, it's a muscle that you have to train that he knows how to tap into that the rest of us just don't, right? Have you looked at his videos? I think he's posted his scope, what's it called? When you put the scope down your head.

[9:06] Rebecca Moore: Yeah, yeah, to see.

[9:13] Alan Seales: Yeah, I think he posted on his social like when he first started Beetlejuice of him doing the Beetlejuice voice and showing his larynx being used in a way that we aren't using. Fluctuates, like the sort of rising of it and then lowering and then the, do you see the vocal folds?

[9:28] Rebecca Moore: Yeah, yeah, yeah, because we're looking at the vibrational frequency and if they're going, yeah.

[9:32] Alan Seales: Yeah, I've seen things like that. I haven't seen his, but do link me. I'll write it down if you've got a minute.

[9:37] Rebecca Moore: All right. I'm a very, I'm always writing notes. I'm a bit old school. Yeah, I got my phone, but uh.

[9:43] Alan Seales: No, I'll send it to you. But it's interesting because all of that stuff, you know, getting into voiceover artistry and just being able to sing it, you know, it's, it's interesting to me as a baritone at best. And I've always, I've, I've been like the look of the tenor, but I've never been able to sing that. And, but I've had voice teachers.

[10:07] Rebecca Moore: Not yet.

[10:07] Alan Seales: Right. Well, that's, that's what they said. They're like, they're like, I said, well, I can sing it in falsetto. And they said, well, if you can sing it in falsetto, then you can sing it in full voice. And I was like, I don't think so. But, but, well, you know, there are, there's always that teacher who's like, I can bring it out. I can bring it out. And I totally get that. I just never had the drive at the time and the money at that point in my life to do this sort of thing. And it's, I mean, do you find this sort of thing? Do you have kids come to you or even adults come to you? Like, I'm 40. Could you say, all right, Alan, I can, I can get you to sing that high C mixed belt, whatever it is as, as a, you've only sang baritone your whole life. Like, where do you approach this kind of thing?

[10:49] Rebecca Moore: I'll, I'll first of all say, stop. So when you say things to yourself, your body reacts and it believes it. I can't sing. I'll say you're saying that, but I'm only, or whatever, you know, a baritone, I'm only, or this, I'm that, I'm this. So we very much pigeonhole with everything in life. Oh, I couldn't do that. Cause I get that a lot. I couldn't do that. I couldn't do what you do. Am I right? Well, you probably couldn't. It sounds really mean because you're telling yourself that, yourself that, and there, there's a psychological thing that happens that you just, you, your body responds to that. And it's like, yeah, I can't do that. You know, and the mindset and that's why that thing is crucial.

So I'll say whatever anyone has said to you in the past, teachers or whatever coaches and kids or friends, forget that and start even at the basic level that you could be like, oh, I know all this. And it's just, cause you never know. There might be something that you didn't know. Like I always say, I don't know at all, but there is a lot of new information coming out all the time. And it's a, it's about, it's about getting what's what works for you, what techniques, and you might have, there might be something that's missed. And then I will do my utmost, my best. I might do a diagnostic test as quickly scale-wise or whatever, simple. And then you can just hear, even through someone speaking, how they're going to sing.

Not always, it's not always the case. And then it's about developing and moving on. And, and for you, you're saying it's a basically increasing range, but with that, you want power. And with that, you need, you know, like there's different elements that come into that. So I'd be like, okay, okay. You'll go. So your goal is to sing like what's a high C, is it?

[12:25] Alan Seales: Sure.

[12:26] Rebecca Moore: So baritone.

[12:26] Alan Seales: Yeah, we'll go with that.

[12:27] Rebecca Moore: Tenor, tenor level. So I'm like, okay. And then I'll go to work, do this, try that, try slightly different. Okay. How's your breathing while we're doing it? And your posture? Because posture plays a massive part, but you kind of forget. Exactly. And I do, and that's just bringing awareness. I'm constantly, they're like, oh, my posture's bad and I'm quite tall. Lean into the microphone. That's my thing.

[12:51] Alan Seales: Yeah, I guess.

[12:52] Rebecca Moore: It's a million things to get you there, but it takes time. It takes time. As you know, I didn't have the time and I didn't have the money. So you need to invest, not even really the money sometimes, but that helps.

[13:02] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: The only difference between successful people doing something is because they're obsessed with it. Not really much else going on. You're obsessed and you apply and you do it every single day. You're going to break. I'll allow that. If you want to be good at something, do it every day. Don't listen to the negative talk or whatever. And stay motivated. But you generally, like the singing journal I've got, I created, you know, habitual practice. But you apply that with anything you want to be good at.

[13:43] Alan Seales: Yeah. Well, when did you bring in the mental health aspect of this? Or when did you realize that that was one big piece of the puzzle? Because you mentioned that several times in our conversation already. The first thing you say is, change your mindset. I said, I can't do it. But yeah, I can't. Right, right. So where and why did that start coming into play?

[14:04] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: I think because of my own personal journey, I've had depression and anxiety. And I used to be really like, there's shame. I don't talk about it. And I think there's so many people that suffer anyway. So I'm like, well, yes, it's not what is a big deal. But, you know, it's like, you know, and especially the creative, like, I don't know the statistics on that. But when you're a creative as well, and you have these highs and you have these lows, you know, and so like I was saying, I do have confidence, but it's something I've had to work at, you know, and I am an avid believer in, if it helps, self-development, you know, and where some people be like, well, that's a lot of rubbish. I'm like, that kind of saved me.

So I just, I love it, like reading or, you know, a bit of Tony Robbins, a bit of Wayne Dyer, a bit of spiritual, you know, Eckhart Tolle or aspect to it or the business side, Gary Vaynerchuk. Oh, my God, have you heard of him? That was my half impression that I didn't quite want to go into. That's the Lola from Big Mouth. Oh, my God, have you heard of him?

[15:07] Alan Seales: Yeah, no, Gary. Yeah, Gary Vee, it's, I mean, God, I've lately in episodes been talking about Clubhouse and I actually was in a room with Gary Vee the other day.

[15:23] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: I keep hearing of Clubhouse. I'm not missing out on a club. Oh, it's the latest and greatest. Everyone's, you know, getting inside. Everyone's on there. It's so weird right now. Anyway, yeah, but it's the most successful people that I've seen, a lot of them are just like unabashedly out there from a positive mental perspective. It's not like I'm super smart and I have all these great ideas. That's half of it. The other half is I'm willing to take the chance and and failure makes me want to succeed more versus failure makes me want to crawl in a hole.

[16:06] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: Yeah. You want to fail. Actually, I did a video. I know people like what, but actually inviting it, allowing it because you're going to unless you don't put yourself out there and you live in a comfort zone. I get it. It's cozy. You're not going to grow. Growth is doing something, you know, so it's just it's really difficult. I know because I struggle with it as well. Now and again, there are times like what if someone dot dot dot people are always, you know, the greatest thing is in the world, the greatest dot dot other people, but generally because they're unhappy. You've got to remember the people putting you down are generally those who aren't, you know, doing much mainly in their lives. And you have to remember that. And actually, I'm always a bit like you need a hug, you know, around. Come over here, big guy or big girl, you know, so.

[17:00] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: But it's not about them anyway. You don't want to feed. I generally don't. Well, I say to others as well, it's just so important in terms of the singing or every this. I mean, it applies to everything. But singing wise, if you you're you can't let them dictate your future. I still get you can't sing. I'm like, well, I know I can. I'm not saying I'm the best. I know I can hold a tune. So but they're still going to be. You can't sing. Thank you. That doesn't there's no there's no serving. You're not really YouTube trolls don't count. I know. But I still I get it. I still get it. And that's cool. I'm like, well, I don't get lots of them. Feel free if you want to. I'm glad you feel threatened by my singing enough to tell me.

Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm sure you sound like an angel. Right now, everybody. Yeah. Why don't why don't you start a YouTube channel, buddy? Hey, but why don't you do it? Your name? Yeah. Yeah. Beautiful. Yeah. Everyone in America's a gangster.

[17:55] Alan Seales: So the YouTube channel, you have one point twelve million subscribers joined April 28th, 2012. And so, yeah, you have over a million subscribers in just a matter of like like eight or nine years, which is pretty damn good. And it took me to get a million in, I think like it was either two years or a year and a half, I forget, because it took me one year because I wasn't on it for that. I mean, I was on it, but I would post like once every forever. I just wasn't dedicated.

[18:34] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: Yeah. Yeah. I posted 2012 was just me singing from like stand by me. And I didn't say post for another month or two. You know what I mean? It's very sporadic. But the growth came when it was 2018, maybe so. Wow. Because it took me a year to get a thousand subscribers. And then there was a point where I was getting that daily or maybe for a good run and say 4000 subscribers daily. So from, say, 2012 to say 2018, nothing really. And then from 2018, I was in the vocal coach reactions. That's where it changed.

[19:12] Alan Seales: That's what I was going to ask was what what it was that that kind of brought this up. OK, so this is even more of a recent thing that I that I initially thought. So you've only been we'll put in air quotes, a big YouTube influencer for just like two years, basically, which, yeah, it's been really full on. Amazing. No complaints. Right. But there's there's there's a lot to it. And there's there's so much you learn that it just sounds like, oh, you're a YouTuber. Like, why don't you get a proper job? I'm like, yeah, OK, why don't I? Well, you can make a lot of crazy YouTuber. You can. There's a lot of copyright issues that do that. A lot of people doing YouTube anyway have to deal with. And it is that can be stressful.

You're just like, oh, that work I've done and I'm like free advertisement for your band that now suck. So, you know, like no. So for me, it's just like mixing up a bit. I don't generally just do the vocal coach reactions, although they are predominantly very people like them, you know, and that's I've always been a bit like, I don't understand, but I'll do it anyway.

[20:10] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: I watched the unboxing of your one YouTube award, the one with the plaque that YouTube sends you when you hit one million. I know. Yeah, it is actually a good weight. The other one, not so much. But this one was adequate. I think the the the whole the whole like influencer side of things, it's so it is so much work, I guess, to get to that threshold. And then once you're there, I know people who would have, you know, that have a couple hundred thousand Instagram followers and they get like five figures to post a single Instagram story. What are their numbers and who? It's clear I'm doing something wrong. I mean, like, seriously, this sort of world is just so I mean, it's not foreign. It's it's obviously been there. But for me to have multiple jobs and multiple kids and multiple interests, I'm just like, I can't I can't focus on it long enough to make it turn into something.

[21:15] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: No, I know you mean. And actually, I haven't uploaded in I'm not sure when this will go, but like three weeks. So I was quite ill and I wasn't sure what was wrong. I've had tests and not to go like this or anything, but it felt like a virus. But then my friends, they say, I don't know how you do what you do. I'm like, well, I don't know. I don't know. I need to pay. I'm always like, I need to pay. I need to pay. I need I need all these people that would just rinse my funds. But it can be really lucrative if you're doing it for that. Probably wrong reasons, but whatever or different. But you've got to like for longevity, do what you love, you know, but but absolutely. There's like multiple websites that come from it, you know, which is amazing.

And I've met so many amazing people like and the opportunities, you know, like talking to Alan, of course. I mean, he's of course. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. So this is. But you're right. It's multifaceted. And I guess it helps if you have people to help you. But you want to start to get a phone. But it's it's got to help you with your with your vocal coaching business. And I would assume that now I mean, so two years of your success, one of them has been stuck in quarantine. So obviously, yeah, that's been much anyway.

[22:32] Alan Seales: Don't worry about it. Anyway, I'm like, what's locked in? So I mean, I'm sorry. What is that? Wow. Well, don't anyway. So I'll just. But yes. Yeah, I don't. It hasn't it. I mean, it's definitely been harder, but it's because I would go to the gym, for example, and that would be my little as a human. I'll talk because it's very insular what I do. It's me and my camera and my camera. And I always realize there are people behind there. At some point they will see this. But it's it can be quite a isolating job. But I think it's probably better if I work on my own. If it was a collaborative thing, that's fine. But do you ever do you ever feel like you've missed out or you're not? You're missing out on something from, you know, the West End obviously is there.

You're in the UK. Are you in London, by the way? I guess. No, no, no, I don't have to say exactly. And I'm in America. I'm like, I'm miles away. They're like, that's just up the road. And I know it's not an hour and a half away. Like, that's quite a good time. But I'm in New York, so like three miles is an hour to get anywhere. I totally feel you.

[23:42] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: Yeah, I guess, you know, with being in the UK, there's the West End, there's all that stuff. And do you is that something else that you've wanted to do in life? Or is it just you want to do their independent recording artist track? Because there's no there's no right or wrong to either thing. It's just like you said, what you want to focus on. Focus. What's that?

[24:01] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: Um, I find it really hard because I don't know anyone out there giving the answer. I love doing so many different things. Of course, we're like writing your own music. You can't get any more. You can't get better than that. But you're like, wow, that came from me. Where did it come from? I don't know. So that's just an amazing thing to be able to do or connect to whoever wants to listen to it is always a beautiful thing and lovely. And then there is like the musical theatre world, which I know I've had, like, why aren't you doing that? I'm like, well, I'm just not. I don't know. I didn't go down that route, although I did a little bit. Is that a siren? Yes, I'm in Brooklyn. Of course. You're just like that. It's just my friend. I didn't even hear it. I didn't even hear the sound. I'm like that. I'm very like, I think I'm just used like when I hear voices like, you know, always, always very much there. I don't know where.

[24:50] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: So yeah, musical theatre, as we would say, fascinated as well. Because I mean, I sang, was it Don't Rain on My Parade, my channel, not that long ago. So I was like, and sometimes I just get the feels where I need to sing something belty and big like that, or a Disney classic or maybe a medley, you know, because it's amazing. Or see a show. I need to see more shows when we're allowed. Well, there aren't shows. There's no shows to see. Well, one day when online, it's not the same. Last show I saw was Wicked, actually.

[26:04] Alan Seales: I guess in my experience, there's a lot of people who I sort of feel are similar to you, that are very introspective, very into their own mental health these days as an adult, not quite knowing how to process that as a child, that feel the need to... I guess need is maybe not the right word, but you know what I mean? It's part of who you are to have to express by writing your own music, writing your own lyrics, writing your own... like you've got three guitars hanging in the back, I assume. Two ukuleles, one guitar. I know, I don't even... I don't bother saying to people now, because I know they look like that, because they're baritone ukuleles, one electric. I can't even do that fingerpick, it's done the opposite way around.

One guitar, which I don't really play the guitar much. I just fell in love with all the ukulele. Maybe I was a little bit lazy, and I just thought, well, this is way more easier, and I just want to really get out lyric. For me, it's not about like playing really well, although I understand if you see a guitarist, I'm like, whoa, that's amazing, and I also like the riffs and the runs. For me, it was just like... and then give someone else the job of producing, although I do have an Ableton Live, which I have over a year, and I do plan just to play around and have fun with that. But it's another thing to learn, which should be fun, but I don't want to see it as a task, oh, got to learn the Ableton Live now, produce music, or just play, have fun.

Well, no, it's hard. It's hard. It's really hard to keep up with all this, especially technologically. Everything's changing in lockdown. I mean, you've got, obviously, your home setup, your home studio looks great here. From what's in frame, like out of frame, it could be like boxes and, you know, cobwebs. They look like boxes, but they're sound panels. They look disgusting and blocky. No, these are sound panels behind me, all this wood panel. Are they? They look like floor thingies. Yeah, that's why I got them, because it's, like, cool. And I put the twink, I put the fiber optics. That's a fiber optic kit from Amazon that I put in there. Oh, Amazon. Real, real through. That's up this high street, but sorry. We're going to take a short break. Stay tuned for more of the episode.

[28:22] Alan Seales: July 2016, your big operation.

[28:31] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: Oh, yes. Yes. Fun day out. So, July 2016, big operation, and there's not much that I know from other than what you post on social media, obviously, which is that you had an ovarian tumor, and so now you have the big operation to remove both ovaries and fallopian tubes. Am I accurate?

[28:43] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: Yeah, they were quite kind. They left one ovary, which is quite sweet.

[28:47] Alan Seales: Oh, did they?

[28:48] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: Yeah. Actually, they gave me the option. I don't know. I want to do northern accent again, but do you want them all? Do you want, do you want, I was like, no, maybe just keep one, you know, so not like a full hysterectomy, whatever, lovely young angel, you know, so yeah.

[29:09] Alan Seales: So, was that, that was 2016, and then obviously the uterine didn't come into 2018. I guess your mental health, did that take a hit at that time, or was that just like more of a challenge to overcome, and felt good to go, I mean, obviously didn't feel good to go through it at the moment, I assume, but when...

[29:28] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: Recovery was the worst thing. I was very, I've got this cocky thing in me sometimes if I'm, if I'm addressed for the problem, like, uh, because I said to the doctor, I say, wait, I ask weird questions, or questions people, maybe people don't ask, a bit strange, but I was like, uh, hey doc, and they're like showing me the ovary, whatever, the cyst or tumor, and oh, this is bad, and I was like, yeah, I can see that, um, what's the chances of me, thanks for that, clearing that up, what's the chances of me having cancer, and then she said, and it never was cancer, it was, you know, benign, but, uh, I don't know, six out of ten, sorry, the accent's terrible, um, I was like, oh god, that's higher than I thought, because I was thinking, it's not that, I don't get that, um, and then I was treated as if I had it, had cancer, and I was like, that word just triggers me, and I'm like, ah, that's really bad, so I just spent, before that one, I was like, IBS, um, but my stomach was growing, and when I was lying down doing yoga, I could just see this lump, and I was like, oh god, and then I was like, fine, I'll go to the doctor, but it wouldn't stop growing, and I, my health, I, I, I cleaned out gluten, and wheat, and sugar, which feed, I don't have to go too deep here, but for certain people, but, you know, I did a lot of research, and I read, I just, I, obviously, doctors are amazing, and, and, and they, they help so many people, but I, I'm a very curious person, and I've been obsessed with health, actually, since a long, you know, since, um, at school, secondary school, I used to be really cool, and pop into the library there, and read health books, so, I was smoking up the, at the end there, on the field, it was me, you know, I've always had this, like, not obsession, but curiosity, like, about the body, and how it can heal, and, but anyway, so, they were like, well, we need to operate, it's like, now, type thing, but, um, and it, and it, it did shake me, and it, it did, I lost so much weight, I was like an actual skeleton, um, when it came to, god, it's a very long story, but I'll keep it short, when it came to recovery, and the recovery was the hardest, and then I had an infection, then I, it was literally, like, I was just like this in bed, oh no, life, life couldn't get any, for me, at that time, I know people have everything going on, but couldn't get any, couldn't get lower, I could go into it, maybe every whiskey, not that I'm drinking right now, by the way, very, cleaning everything out, um, it was, it was really hard, but I, I didn't do the poor me victim, I, I was very conscious, I didn't want to, I didn't really talk about it, maybe unhealthy, but I just, because it is what it is, I know it sounds, it's kind of a horrible saying, but it, it, it happened, what are you going to do about it, so I was like, well, I'm going to recover, and have juices, and sort of cleanse myself at the same time, feel good, at least, I'll do my part, what I can do, and then it was a matter of, like, I need to walk, which is kind of hard, so I didn't walk for a very long time, and then, um, my goal was, like, to get to the end of the lamppost, sorry, where the lamppost, where my house is, and I was like, oh, that's quite, ah, see what I can do, you know, so it's very, it's, it's very strange, because you're so, when you're, you take life for granted, for the gratitude, so there's, and then I just delved into self-improvement, you know, like, so to fix the mind, that was like, uh-oh, and, and, and to, to make myself better again, and it's, like, meditation, yoga, so that's been, like, maybe, I don't know, since 2016, it was a very long time ago, whatever years, um, and I've just been delving in that world, and I still do, I still do, it's like, I have to, and then I, and then I like to share that information, which people seem to like, and they're like, thank you for that video, or, or at the end, I'll do this, this kind of spiel, like, kick your kind of bum kind of thing, and, and just do it, kind of, you know, but there's, there's, there's hustle and flow, so, you know, you just take what helps you, and don't take what doesn't help you, and then, and everyone's different, we all heal different ways, so.

[33:38] Alan Seales: Has your approach to singing and songwriting changed since, since that? I mean, before, you kind of smirked when I said that, I guess I'll stop.

[33:43] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: No, no, because I never thought of that, I was like, oh, I don't know, I'll have to, like, listen to the word, I don't know, sometimes it, it just comes out, so I don't know, and then some people have said, are you okay? I'm like, well, yeah, I'm fine, it's just, sometimes, it's, like, sometimes hard to sing about love, although I do want to write, sort of, musical theatre songs as well. I wanted to do one on Bridgerton, actually, someone said, have you seen the Bridgerton musical theatre thing? I was like, oh, it's been done, I don't know, there you go, I haven't seen it, but I had that idea, I was like, well, I don't think I'll be, you know, probably completely different, so, it probably has changed, yeah, maybe darker, maybe, but at the same time, you know, Golden Daffodils I wrote, that was, that's quite a sweet song, I suppose, like, the connotations there, but.

[34:29] Alan Seales: Yeah, I just meant, I guess, what I was curious about was, if you're, if you feel the need to, to write your own songs on a, on a stronger basis now, like, before, it was just, oh, I'm going to do it, because it's there, and now.

[34:38] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: Yeah.

[34:39] Alan Seales: That, you know, you've sort of had this experience that, that, I guess, is a reality check, for lack of better term, you know, are you now just waking up in the morning and saying, oh, I got to write a song today, because I, I feel, like, my emotions are stronger, or my emotions are less, or, for, for me, it's, I take this back to myself, and think, like, oh, I'm still, I'm invincible, I've been fortunate enough, and I realize this is incredibly lucky to not have any major illnesses in my life. I blew out my knee in high school playing soccer, but that was an easy ACL repair. I put easy in quotes. Killed, killed my professional soccer career, not that I had one. And I, I feel, like, if I was physically unable to move, like, I'm such a physical guy, I play with my kids, I wrestle with, I got two boys, I wrestle with them, and if I was physically just unable to move, then I, I just don't, I don't know who I would be, if that's kind of okay to say, I guess, because, I guess, one of the closest things I got was, for a couple days, I had a, I had a vasectomy, and a couple days, for, like, a week after that, I'm supposed to lay down, and I can't wrestle, and I can't pick up heavy things, like my children, and they're used to just, like, coming up and tackling me, and I couldn't do that, and I, I didn't, I felt, like, I was letting them down, I felt, like, I was letting myself down, and I knew it was temporary, so it didn't, like.

[36:09] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: That's the thing, all things, well, there's a saying, isn't there, all things will pass, or something, in the end, like, yeah, lockdown one day. You're in time, Boris. So, let's not get into politics, I don't, purposely don't do that, I mentioned Trump once, because it rhymed with the words, and like, don't bring in Trump, I'm not, it just rhymed with the word, oh my gosh, like, don't do it, or religion, I'm not stupid, don't worry, God forbid you have an opinion. So, yeah, it's temporary, yeah, so there's, there's always things, like, throughout your life, you'll have, but hopefully, like you said, you haven't had anything major, but I used to say, I don't know, I mean, you're saying, do you have, I don't, I don't process it now, I don't think about it, unless someone asks me, so I'm like, yeah, I had that thing, it was a lovely story, it's so beautiful, I guess I came out of it, like, I'm going to say yes to everything, type attitude, and I did reflect, like, what was I doing before, now what, oh, I felt maybe, I thought I was, I was doing things, and, and, and being kind, you know, let's remember all these things that we forget, like, let's get those numbers up, and how many views in that video, it's like, that's, it's almost irrelevant, if you, you feel like your health is in decline, you need to, you need to, something's not right, and you need it, whether it's mental health, or physical, or usually, it's the same thing anyway, through the gut, anyway, you just need to focus on yourself, you know, and just, and then don't worry, because usually things pan out, or, you know, you just do the best you can, and then for me, it's just, it's just about learning, and then obviously, seek medical help, of course, but not become so reliant, like, oh, I've got this, like, help me out, what is, what, you know, like, yeah, and for me, relaxation is key, because I am, as you can probably tell, through the video, I'm very, like, very energetic, very lively, but you can't, I can't sustain that, you realize, through the years, it's unsustainable, and it's not, I don't find it's natural, although I am, I am like that, but there, you need downtime, you know, yeah, but for many years, I was just like, bam, bam, bam, bam, you know, because I like giving, I like doing what I do, but I just have to say, just in a minute, I'll be back.

[38:25] Alan Seales: Yeah, no, I get that, it's pacing.

[38:28] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: Because it's insane, as soon as you go on Instagram, bam, as soon as you go on YouTube, bam, you know, and it's all there, so much information, it is amazing, but you have to, I'm very bad with time management as well, so I'm really sending myself here.

[38:42] Alan Seales: Do you have time to unplug? I mean, do you schedule time to unplug? Because I would imagine the constant, with hundreds of thousands of followers, and billions of YouTube subscribers...

[38:51] Rebecca Vocal Athlete: I know, they're so nice, sorry, I love you.

[38:54] Alan Seales: The comments, the comments and the interaction with followers and all this takes so much effort, that it, you know, it becomes, it is a job in and of itself, if you want to maintain it.

[39:05] Rebecca Moore: Social media, I get it. There's jobs for that. But literally, I am doing it all. People are like, what? And I'm like, I can't help it. Because I want to reply genuinely to someone who's like, oh, you make me smile. Or something like, oh, you help me in my life when I'm feeling really low. I watch your video. Or more than that as well. Like, oh, you help me with depression. I'm like, really? You know, like, for me? Well, that's what they're saying. I'm not saying it. So all these amazing things, or just through voice as well. Like, oh, I can sing better now. I've taken your advice. Or it could be so many things. I feel like I do want to be there. But I know physically one of me, a few people, it's not easy. But I do try and interact. Because I know I'm not above anyone or anything. And I do try my best to sort of be there for people. I can't do as much as I can without burning out.

[40:01] Alan Seales: Well, how do you manage? You said you're bad at time management. But how do you manage the disconnect from the internet? Because I'm always very conscious of like, I don't want my phone to be the first thing I look at in the morning. I don't want it to be the last thing I look at in the morning.

[40:17] Rebecca Moore: Yeah, all these things don't do. Yeah, right. Right. It's just I don't I don't want to be chemically addicted to notifications. Right? Because your brain puts out right.

[40:25] Alan Seales: Well, yeah, brain puts out. Have you seen that show? What's it called? Social Dilemma?

[40:39] Rebecca Moore: Yes. It's so clever. Yeah. Social Dilemma. Yeah. And that the scroll. Yeah. You know, the way we are triggered to, I can't remember the exact scientific, you know, but it is but it's all very scary. But you have to you have to be in control. Don't let it because you're the you're the what do they say? You're the consumer or the product or something like that. You know, we're like, you're not what you think you are. Like what am I? Hence the adverts and the. We're not as I guess we're not as in control as we think we are.

[41:19] Alan Seales: No. And it's all about money. And we think we're gaining something. But actually, it's all about, you know, that. So I've taken emails off my phone. I'm doing well, guys. There's no one here. Sometimes I look over there. I don't know. I have it. You have stick figures over here. Hello.

[41:37] Rebecca Moore: Yeah. So I've taken off email. This is like a slow process. And you think I would have done this a long time ago, but. Because it can be really demanding, but at the same time, like I say, I like giving, so I find it hard. I'm like, but I don't know. And then you can spend out. I still I still look at my my comments. I know a majority. Sorry, I'm wrong. I don't really do that. But I'm like, but they're your people. You need to, you know, obviously, the ones that are just quite generic and not so much. But those who have spent time. Right. I just I don't know. I'm a bit strange. So I just think, well, they've given up their time. I mean, I can't sometimes. I try and read everything, actually. I've spent a good few weeks off, actually. So when I go back in, I have to be at a state where I can do that, you know.

[42:29] Alan Seales: Right. Right. No, I get it. I get it. I mean, there's a lot of comments out there. There's a lot of trolls out there, I think. I mean, you were saying earlier, people tell you you can't sing. And obviously, I know I do. I don't laugh. I'm like, oh, it's a good thing. I'm confident in something. I mean, that's somebody's personal opinion. But if you hear that long enough.

[42:48] Rebecca Moore: Oh, yeah. Imagine if you're starting out or you're not so sure or or family members. I'm out of stories through all the years I've I've coached. I could tell so many stories and I'm like, I still get what out of it, you know, you know, like the first time you're vulnerable, you put out a song. It's my soul. So, yeah, yeah, it's my soul. And if what your soul's disgusting, you know, like, I don't know. Right. I see it like that. It's it's very you're very vulnerable. And to express yourself in a very beautiful way, whether it's on virtual, you know, whatever, it doesn't matter what the voice to me doesn't even matter if it's about just doing what you like doing. Of course, you can learn and get better.

But, you know, just sing, just sing for yourself, you know, at least at that level, sing because you enjoy it and because you like it. Do not. It's hard. Do not let others dictate. Just remember where the source is coming from. Who is saying those things? Well, usually, but if it's a family member, can they think probably not? Are they sad? Probably, you know, like they're not they're not going to really be happy in their own lives.

[43:57] Alan Seales: But people don't think that they're like, oh, yeah, most negative comments I've most negative comments I've found come from people who are just trying to make themselves feel better. I mean, that's that's the cliche thing to say is that somebody's putting you down because they don't like themselves. So like a bully.

[44:11] Rebecca Moore: Right. Right. And you can hide behind the anonymity of the Internet. And yeah, I mean, YouTube comments are just horrible, horrible anyway. But for every negative comment, there's got to be like a bajillion positive ones. There's way more. So I screen capture. Is that sad? Maybe some of the comments because I'm like, I could be in tears. There's positive affirmation. There's so much love. And I'm like, where do I put that without looking like an egoic human who's just obsessed with me? Like, oh, there was like a little little wall or someone makes like a fan page. You really want to do that just for me. That's insane. Thank you. Thank you. I don't say much more. It's like, thank you. Yeah. Well, so much more this.

But if your mindset is negative, you you you are what you think. So, you know, you're thinking life's bad. I can't sing, which, you know, like I said, we'll go through it, whatever. But then you're more likely to attract that. But that's like law of attraction. You can go down that route, that kind of thing or just. But it's true. You know, I don't see Will Smith really sort of questioning himself. And that's great. I do. I do. I admire people like, wow, that's so cool. And I like so confident or certain people. And I think that is amazing. But everyone is human and everyone has a weakness and everyone still goes to the toilet. Every single person that people admire and that no one is any different. We're all born the same, just different cultural reason, environmental, you know, from that level.

[45:43] Alan Seales: And I cut that crap straight away. That's interesting to me. You say everybody still wants to be liked. Right. And I yeah, everyone wants. Yeah, it's I've interviewed some super big names on this podcast. And like, it's funny to me because some of the biggest, biggest names who hit stop on the recording and the first thing they say is, was that OK? Is that is all right? No. Yes. You gave up your time. Of course it's OK. I know. Right. That's like, wow. Well, even if it like, yeah, I'm just always I love doing podcasts, podcasts by them. They're really fun. Maybe you should have one.

[46:16] Rebecca Moore: Do you know what? Don't because that's another thing. I want to do podcasts. How do I do it? I just want to talk in this kind of calm, calm way that people talk about the accent quite a lot. And I don't know. I just do that all day long. I think I really shrug high pitch.

[46:36] Alan Seales: You could you could do you could do like the British ASMR going to bed or this. You know, there's a place for the what is it? I just recently discovered like the the the relationship ASMR. Like someone told me about it. I wasn't seeking this. No judgment for those who need it. But it's like it's like, hi, honey, how are you doing today? I'm holding your hand. We're cuddling in bed. You know, just like romantic things that that especially. Yeah.

[47:03] Rebecca Moore: Yeah. Like stroking your hair. Just really. You should do that. Well, with the British accent, Americans still flip over British accents. My hair.

[47:23] Alan Seales: That's my big, big walrus mustache, man. Pass me the whiskey.

[47:28] Rebecca Moore: Oh, my gosh. So. All right. So let's wrap this up with the three standard closing questions that I ask everybody on the podcast. The first one is what motivates you?

[47:43] Rebecca Moore: Long pause. That was needed. Dramatic pause. Others.

[47:50] Alan Seales: Sorry. Pause. Sorry. Is that OK? You're like, that's not good enough. You know, there's no there's no wrong answer except for that one. Just kidding.

[48:02] Rebecca Moore: So mean. Just kidding. Just kidding. Just kidding. OK. So the second question is what advice would you give to your younger self and younger people listening now starting out down a similar path?

[48:10] Rebecca Moore: You're good enough and you're worthy.

[48:16] Alan Seales: Fair. OK, last question. Hardest one. If you can only see one show for the rest of your life, but you can see it as many times as you want, what would you see?

[48:25] Rebecca Moore: Singing in the rain. Yes. Oh, she said it right. That was probably my easiest. Actually, sometimes I take forever because the brain isn't engaged. Singing in the rain. I actually wrote down, you know what I did? I'm like, well, I'll do my research as in not really. But I just wrote down, you know, because sometimes. Not there's things going on, but I wanted to remind myself like what it like the shows that I really like. And there's three shows I haven't even seen Hamilton. I'm horrendous and I'm disgusting. Judge me now.

[48:59] Alan Seales: That's not positive energy. You're not horrendous. Does it count? But I didn't really mean it. There's an edge on it. I filtered it. I don't like West Side Story, you know? Yeah. Yes. Yes. Some of the classics. I just I don't want to say that Phantom of the Opera is a hub, and I say I grew up on VHS tapes of West Side Story, Music Man and Singing in the Rain. So those are my singing. Oh, my three jams are good. It's so good. Yeah. Yeah.

[49:31] Rebecca Moore: I always I always go like, watch my mouth and nobody gets it. And I can't stand it. I can't stand it. I don't understand. Yeah.

[49:43] Alan Seales: Okey dokey. Okay. So tell us where we can find you online and how can we book voice lessons? Subscribe to your amazing videos. Give us all the socials.

[49:53] Rebecca Moore: Okay. So website, RebeccaVocalAthlete.com. Most things are on there. I have Wizzio where you can upload your singing to me or of course I do lessons. But if you just want a quick response, Wizzio.com forward slash Rebecca Vocal Athlete. Deep breath to the belly and Instagram Rebecca Vocal Athlete. And I think Twitter. Does anyone like Twitter? Any Twitter fans out there? RVA. Underscore. Official. I'm so good at this. I have Patreon as well. There's so many websites, but then you're a bit like, okay, we need to like wrap up. We'll put them all. We'll put them on the show notes. But yes, now you are everything is done digitally anyway. So anyone who is in any country, obviously for your schedule can schedule a voice, voice lessons.

Yes. Voice lessons I am doing. And I forgot to mention Spotify, but now it's, I know I don't want to confuse people more so, but RVA, R dot space B space A. And that's why I'm going to choose. I've chosen a new artist name just to make life easy. Who wants life really hard? It happens. It happens, right?

[51:07] Alan Seales: We can find more of me at the theater podcast.com. I have Patreon too at theater podcast.com slash Patreon P A T R E O N. I'm on Instagram and Twitter at theater underscore podcast. Please leave a reading, leave a review wherever you're listening. This has been edited by Matthew Hendershot. Thank you to Jukebox the ghost for the intro and outro music. I'm wearing this shirt today. And then Rebecca Moore, AKA Rebecca Vofl, Vofl, Vofl athlete. I need to get my warmup. Rebecca Vofl athlete, vocal athlete. Thank you. Wait, I prefer that. Vofl athlete. Rebecca Vofl athlete. That's too much there.