If you’re not a singer, and you need someone else to provide the lead vocals on your demo, make sure you choose a vocalist with a sound and style that is compatible with the song. If you don’t, there’s a danger that any mismatch between the singer and the feel of the track could weaken the demo’s ability to sell the song.
You first have to choose the music genre that best suits the song—e.g. pop, rock, dance or country—and decide if the song requires a male or a female singer. The next step is to find a vocalist who is comfortable with this type of music, has the right voice for it, and can capture the essence of the song.
You also have to make sure that your rough ‘memo’ demo gives the session singer a good idea of how you want the vocal to sound (no matter how good or bad your own voice may be!).
If the purpose of your demo is to pitch a song to an established artist, don’t make it too hard for people to imagine the artist performing the song. Even if it is a potential hit and a perfect fit for the artist, don’t expect a busy producer or A&R manager to take the time, for example, to translate the crooning style of the singer on your demo to the raunchy vocals of their R&B artist!
To make your song believable, the vocal style on the demo should be as close as possible to that of the artist you’re targeting.
Any suggestion of incompatibility in the vocals could obscure the quality of the song itself—and may result in a rejection letter.
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