Davids continues, "What people don't know is they found the voice, they just didn't have the look. They had the look, but [not] the voice I'm not the only person that can sing Whitney Houston. What they were looking for was Davids was eight when she knew she wanted to be a singer. In the absence of music lessons, Houston's records were her teacher as she moulded her four-octave range and style around the icon's approach to singing.
It proved both blessing and burden. When Davids started pursuing a professional career, she was told by record labels that she sounded too much like Houston. Today, she has spun the shadow of Houston into success. On the show's opening night in Cape Town, she finished the first song by saying, "My name is Belinda Davids, in case you didn't know.
The audience is screaming. Somewhere, someone keeps shouting, "Lekker, Belinda! Through a show honouring Houston, Davids has made a name for herself. Each night of the taxing tour, she performs a surreal sonic feat onstage. Houston possessed a voice that felt limitless. The Newark-born singer was surrounded by musical talent. Her mother, Cissy Houston, was a singer. Soul singer Dionne Warwick was her cousin. And the legendary Aretha Franklin was her godmother. Houston forged her formidable voice from these influences and her mother's teachings, earning the nickname "The Voice".
She possessed power in every vocal register. As she went higher, her voice retained its strength. Her range was said to be five octaves. In Houston's songs, there are certain signatures. At the end of sustained notes, when most singers run out of steam, she added a controlled, powerful vibrato as a final kick.
In her riffs, she journeyed up and then down musical octaves, stacking several notes into one syllable in a technique known as melisma. Everything was held together with remarkable breath control. Houston could sing beyond ordinary human capacity. She reminded us that the voice is an instrument. Most singers attempting Houston's catalogue find in her songs the ceilings of their ability. In the tribute show, Davids takes on more than 20 of Houston's titanic songs. As each one reaches its peak - demanding a combination of high notes, power and various vocal skills - the audience holds its breath, preparing for potential failure.
It's the same every time. In , in front of New York's notoriously difficult to please Apollo Theatre crowd, host Steve Harvey asked Davids what she planned to sing. Because we know 'em. The audience expressed its scepticism plainly. By mid-song, as Davids' voice ascended to its upper reaches, the crowd was on its feet while Harvey paced the stage, incredulous.
Davids held it down. In performance, she stood up to the near impossible standard of a near impossible voice. When she closed saying "Thank you, Apollo", it was as though she had been rehearsing this since her days in Gelvandale. Davids recreates an experience that is holistically Houston.
It's in the way she shakes her head from side to side mid-note, how she moves her fingers as if sprinkling notes over the crowd, the way every movement of her body seems to summon sound. At this stage in her career, Davids is developing a sense of play in her performance, adding her own Houstonesque riffs to the songs. While she is currently working on an album, offering a sense of the music Houston might have been making today, she maintains that "what I need for people to understand is that I'm not trying to be Whitney.
Because if I was trying to be Whitney, I would fully steer my career into that direction. But I'm not. She calls the country her spiritual home. At the start of her tour, Houston announced the setting up of the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children and pledged money from her concert tour to help launch it.
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Details Go to top. Shotlist Go to top. Pan across audience. The songs are still beautiful and by no reason should failed relationships make one hate a song. Instead, what I want to share with you are the details of the tribute show of this amazing and legendary artist:. Prompted into auditioning last-minute by a friend, the Port Elizabeth-born Davids, who now resides in Cape Town, was one of almost 15 singers who tried-out for the demanding role, but Director John Van Grinsven knew immediately that she was the star he was looking for:.
Fans can look forward to updates to the musical production, including new choreography and costumes this time around. Tickets for this spectacular show can also be purchased via Computicket at either www. I have a folder on all my devices that hold music with a folder of my collection of her music. Fingers crossed. I will always love you …. This song is so beautiful.. Anyone who can hit those notes are amazingly talented! All her songs remind me of something growing up.
Wow this would be a awesome opportunity as Whitney Houston is one of my favourites. I love all of her songs.. I cannot choose one. Good luck!
Me too! Skip to content. South African residents only 2. Prize is not exchangeable for cash nor transferable 3. Competition ends at midnight on the 8th of June If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share. I LOVE comments, so do let me know your thoughts below
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