Don’t make the mistake of singing the lead vocal on your demo if you’re not really a singer. You have to be brutally honest with yourself and ask: Does my voice sound professional enough to help sell the song? Or am I better at writing tunes than singing in tune?
Obviously, if you’re writing for your own band and you have a great lead singer—or if you’re nurturing a talented new band or solo artist—then projecting the song through their vocals shouldn’t be a problem.
However, if the purpose of your demo is to secure a publishing contract or to pitch a song to a producer, you shouldn’t try to cut corners by singing on the demo yourself—especially if you know the vocals won’t be as good as they need to be, or if your voice just won’t be right for this recording.
If you really believe in the song, you may have to invest in hiring a professional session singer to highlight the song’s true quality and hit potential. If you can’t afford to do that, maybe you have a friend who can sing in tune and phrase and enunciate words well. Either way, it’s essential to find the right singer for the song.
If you’re making a stripped-down voice/piano or voice/guitar demo (as opposed to an informal rough demo), the quality of the vocal becomes even more important because it is completely exposed for all to hear. The voice carries the entire responsibility for creating a positive first impression when a publisher or A&R rep hears the song.
Even if it’s a full studio demo, you can’t try to hide a poor lead vocal in the mix. As mentioned in the previous section, the voice always has to be upfront to enable listeners to hear the words clearly and to help sell your lyrics as well as the music.
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