Si canta como si parla

I was nine years old, standing at the front of the school courtyard, with the national anthem rumbling in my throat and every eye in the school on me. From that moment on, I knew that singing was something that made me feel alive.

The voice is just like a muscle: if you don’t work it, it weakens over time. That’s exactly what happened to me—not because I lost my voice, but because my singing ability became limited to what I had learned in the past, and to trying to sound in tune when singing my favorite songs.

The curtain rises

That desire to express myself didn’t stop at singing. Years later, I dared to explore another art form: dance.

I joined a dance academy to move and have fun. My full intention was to learn jazz, but the only schedule that worked for me was for reggaeton. Despite my dislike for the genre at the time, I dove in without hesitation and enjoyed every class, every movement, and the challenge of learning the choreography to perform in sync with my classmates at the Christmas festival at the theater in Gómez Palacio.

Later on, I participated in a small Halloween festival. I played the role of Bellatrix. It was incredible—the feeling of becoming someone else. My ability to pull off a witch’s laugh earned me the part, and I think I nailed the physical characterization as well. For that role, I had to memorize a couple of lines for the show.

More recently, I returned to the stage to perform “Help” by The Beatles with a music group I joined while resuming my vocal lessons. The Beatles are one of my all-time favorite bands, and it was deeply inspiring to be part of a tribute to them. Hard to believe, but true: the stage overwhelmed me more than I expected—I forgot part of the lyrics and mixed up the main verses.

Soft skills

During the pandemic, I joined a Toastmasters group, which, among many things, helped me improve my diction, reduce filler words, and gain more confidence when speaking in public. (I still get very nervous speaking in front of people, but mastery comes with practice).

A few weeks ago, I met a voice coach who specializes in Italian opera singing. That’s where the phrase that gives this article its title comes from: “You sing the way you speak.” The origin of the quote seems to still be uncertain. What makes it so powerful is its meaning: we should let the voice flow from within, in its most natural form—singing as we speak—focusing on good diction and excellent posture.

The issue is that from childhood, we are taught to modulate our voices, to not shout, to speak softly—as part of fitting into society. This can lead to insecurities and other challenges later in life.

I also came to realize how important diaphragmatic breathing is—not only because it’s essential for singing, but because it’s also a critical part of giving birth (the diaphragm mirrors the pelvic floor muscle).

This type of breathing is literally when you inhale and your belly expands like a balloon, your ribs widening as well. In my case—and I say this without complaint—my mom taught me to “pull in my stomach” from a young age. Thanks to that, I had (or used to have) envy-worthy abs. But it also led me to breathe mostly into my lungs while keeping my stomach tense and compressed.

Now, I practice the natural method of breathing (like babies do) and I’ve resumed singing lessons, not just to improve my karaoke performance, but to express myself better with the people around me.

One last fun fact: I used to stumble and even stutter sometimes when speaking because I would get ahead of myself. I managed to control it by placing a pencil in my mouth, under my tongue, and speaking out loud to myself.

Life is, yes, about accepting ourselves, daring, reinventing—but also about self-reflection, self-recognition, and always, always improving.

Halloween 2022