These kind of intimate sessions are always a blast. Such a cool vibe in the studio with just a few singers working on a piece not for the score but for something inserted into the film.

The men on that gig did such a killer job in this session, with their earthy tribal grunts and it’s always a little thrill of mine when we get to sing on the film company’s logo, this one being the iconic 20th Century Fox Film logo. Also how exciting to see this little gem in the Fox studios halls, an orchestra of Apes from the original film!

I grew up watching the Smurfs so being able to sing on this new animated feature with my girls was a bit nostalgic. There really is hardly anything else that brings me so much joy than to be able to record with my girls. It was a full, 8 hour day of recording, so when the studio teacher would call for the kids, four other women and I would record little bits here and there in the interim. Emily even got a little melodic solo in the opening scene! Ahhh… It’s not easy doing a step out solo in front of your peers with the composer standing right in front of you, but that girl has got nerves of steel! She pulled through like a trouper and I couldn’t have been more proud.

One reason I love singing Michael Giacchino’s music are the hidden gems he manages to work in here and there! I’m always looking for the moments where he’ll slip in his children’s names… and maybe the occasional pet too… ha!

If ever you hear the contemporary Star Trek theme with it’s iconic solo, that is my friend Elin Carlson, pictured in the maroon shirt… I looked at her as soon as my eyes took in what we were about to sing and grabbed a quick photo to be able to remember how epic it felt to get to share this musical moment with her!

Michael is always so gracious to come out after the session is over to give a big thank you to the singers, to which the singers always roar in applause. We know we are incredible fortunate to be able to do what we love for a living and for composers like him who make it possible.

Composers Jeff Danna and Mychael Danna (who also composed for Life of Pi and Little Miss Sunshine) did an incredible job of incorporating strong Latin vocals. I even found a moment where I got to sing a shout out to myself “Mo-Do.” We really got to use our “out-door voices” and I LOVED IT! The producers even had all us singers autograph several movie posters. Ha! That was fun for me 🙂

I was so blessed to have been able to sing with my girls once again on the animated motion picture “Sing.”