Meet Vanessa Davis

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vanessa Davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Vanessa, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?

2023 was in incredible year for me in many ways. I was standing on the pinnacle of local success – getting dream performances I had applied for, receiving local awards, and writing some of my best songs. My creativity was at an all-time high. Then, in a different area of my life, I got the news I had been waiting for, for seven years… I was pregnant! Knowing that it can be more difficult to sing during latter pregnancy, and not knowing how much mental capacity or energy I would have once the baby came, I wasted no time and booked into a recording studio. In the summer of 2023, I recorded my EP, “The Triplets” and released it at my birthday party/concert in August. Yes, that’s right folks, I put on concerts for my birthday; I’ve been doing it for years. And since this year was a very big birthday (first-time motherhood at 40 – yes it’s not too late to see that dream fulfilled!), I pulled out all the stops by doing a tribute-style concert of my own music. I asked local musicians, all friends, colleagues, and music students of mine, to perform some of my original songs, and I performed others. Towards the end of the concert, I announced my new EP, selling everyone on this being the big announcement for the show (which I marketed as being full of “special guests and surprises”). Then, after I previewed the new songs in medley form, I invited one last special guest to join me on stage – my husband, who is known for his behind-the-scene work at my studio recitals and performances, and is not known to be the one in the spotlight. I wrote a special pregnancy announcement song that can still be found on my YouTube channel today. In the following months, I played a few more songwriters’ rounds and tribute concerts, then started turned down gigs in December, as baby was due in January. Well, baby had a surprise for us as well – he came three weeks early, not in his intended month, or even year! On December 17th, 2023, we welcomed our baby boy into the world and knew that life would never be the same.

Now for part 2 of the story – motherhood! Does mom-brain exist and does it affect the day-to-day? In my experience, absolutely. This paragraph is for the ladies who are moms, those hoping to be a mom some day, and to the people that love them. My best advice is to make adjustments. I have not stopped writing, performing, teaching, or doing interviews, but I have become more selective and realistic with what I take on. An interviewer recently introduced me saying that I was “proof that you can have and do it all!”, to which I say and enthusiastic “Yes!” but also “No!” Yes, your hopes and dreams do not need to go away or be put on hold because you become a parent, but there is much to be said for realistic goals and priorities. When you think about it, no one in any sense can have it “all”; but we can have as much as we can fit into a 24-hour day (minus about 8 hours for sleep). All this to say, it’s ok for your priorities to change. It’s ok to take a break from, or re-prioritize a passion. For me, this meant cutting down on my music-teaching hours (4 days a week from 3pm-8:30 down to 3 days a week from 3pm until 7pm), and saying no to gigs that require a longer driving time. I am fortunate enough to be able to work from home and make my own schedule. This has allowed me to stay at home with my son during the day and teach or gig during the afternoons and evenings (and weekends), when my husband takes over baby duty.

I know not everybody’s life looks like mine. I know that not everyone is able to work from home and have the help of an amazing partner. Whatever your situation is, don’t worry about “having it all”. Put your highest priorities at the top and then make a reasonable amount of time for your art, or whatever it is that makes you tick. Invest in the things that would make you feel less “you” if you couldn’t do them. My hierarchy has always been family first (before baby this just meant spending time with my husband and investing in that relationship), and it hasn’t changed that much – only my time has! Babies take a lot of time and energy, so right now I’m not writing or gigging as much, and that’s ok. Family is still at the top of the list, followed by work and creativity (teaching and writing/performing). Avoiding burnout – for me – has looked like skimming a little from the second tier to meet the needs of the top tier. But both tiers are still present and accounted for!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Here’s a bit about me – where my music journey and studies began, and where it’s taken me. I began my musical love affair at a very young age. Born into a musical family, I developed a love for jazz music from my dad, a trumpet-playing professional jazz-musician; and classical music from my mom, a second-generation piano and vocal teacher. I was raised studying classical music and completed many levels in the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto’s program, including the ARCT Level in all theory subjects (Music History, Harmony, Analysis, and Counterpoint), Level X in Voice, Level IX in Piano, and Level I in violin, which I studied briefly as a young adult. I received the RCM metal for the highest exam mark in my province six times, which is quite a feat! In 2009, I spent a year in Australia, where I completed my Certificate IV in Music Ministry.
I grew up competing in the Saskatchewan Music Festival circuits and won countless local awards, as well as Musical Theatre and French Art Song at the Provincial level. I began writing my own piano compositions at ten years old, and started writing for voice with piano accompaniment at age 12. My songwriting really took off when I enrolled for a Classical guitar course at my high school. This happily (or unhappily) coincided with the new experience of break ups with stupid boys, which was great inspiration for my emerging love of songwriting. I wrote many songs for voice and guitar, as well as Classical guitar compositions throughout my high school years and beyond. To date, I have written nearly 200 songs and perform them at Songwriters Rounds and Showcases, open mics, and full-length gigs in Kentucky, where I now live. As a music teacher, I began in Canada in 2001 and I continue to teach lessons in piano, voice, guitar, ukulele, theory, and songwriting in my own Kentucky home. I have had several vocal students go on to perform on Broadway, in touring casts, and on television, not to mention many who have gone on to complete vocal or musical theatre performance degrees at the University level.
In recent years, my accomplishments include 9 Lexington Music Awards: Best Pop (2019), Music Educator of the Year (2022), Female Vocalist of the Year (2022, 2023), Singer-Songwriter of the Year (2022, 2023, 2024), and Album of the Year for “Pretty Little Cabin: A Quarantine EP” in 2022, and “The Triplets” EP in 2024. In May it was announced that I have been nominated for four Josie Music Awards, and I look forward to attending the Awards Ceremony in October at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House.
I pride myself in my ability to write interesting melodies, accompaniments and lyrics that reflect my often-serious, but usually subtly-humorous take on life lessons, love and loss, mean people, etc. During a writing session, I can usually be found in my music room, laboring meticulously over every lyric and melody line until each song has found its perfect balance of concise story-telling and poetic mouth-feel. My voice is often compared to a Disney Princess, which suits me just fine, since I am one on the inside anyway.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Obviously, being a music educator, music education is very important to me. I’ve never met a professional athlete who doesn’t train – why would we think that singers and other musicians don’t need training in their field? Musical knowledge not only enriches your experience as a singer, it also allows you to be a better communicator when you’re working with a band or collaborating with other musicians. Tip #1: Learn to speak the language.

Another thing that has always been important to me is follow-through. When I accept a gig or a project, I am not going to flake. I am going to show up prepared to work hard at rehearsals. I am going to show up early to a gig. If you ask me for 10 love songs for an engagement party, I am going to show up ready to perform 20 so that you can pick and choose. Tip #2: Exceed people’s professional expectations.

Artists are entrepreneurs. When I was starting out locally, I was “pounding the pavement”, playing many open mics and gigs that didn’t pay well, or even at all. You can’t start out as a performer thinking that everyone will pay you top dollar for your time when they don’t know your talent or reputation. Work hard. Show up. Be grateful. Make connections. Go to other artists’ shows and support them. Collaborate. When you are well-established, you can be more selective, choosing the gigs you want because they appeal to you either for the payday or for the experience. Unfortunately, our current gigging culture is such that the market is flooded. There are all levels of talent ready to play for peanuts, and you can’t change that. But you can show up as a polished package, exceed people’s expectations, and garner more interest for what you have to offer. You can rise up to be the “cream of the crop”. Don’t expect others to know you’re great; but expect yourself to be great. You will find yourself more fulfilled if you take the pressure off the public and challenge yourself to be your best under all circumstances, whether three people show up and you make $2, or you’re playing to a crowded room at a well-paying gig. Also, know that fame is not the only marker of success. If you spend your whole life chasing fame, you may spend your whole life being frustrated. Instead, make specific goals and work towards them. (Ex. I really want to get to play that huge tribute show this year! – Make connections and work on your repertoire to make it happen!) Tip #3: Be flexible in your definition of “success”. If you are getting more opportunities than you did last year, you are succeeding.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

Comparison is every artists’ worst enemy. Social media is not far behind.
We waste so much time and energy thinking to ourselves, “How come SHE got to play that festival?” or “Why did THAT band get nominated for those awards?” …the implied second half to that question is, “and I didn’t”. We all have jealous thoughts sometimes. We scroll through social media looking at all of the artists and bands that seem to have more going on than us. This to me, is the most overwhelming feeling – the “I’m not doing enough… I’ll never be doing enough!” feeling. Arriving is a myth. Progress is the reality. If you find yourself jealous of an opportunity that others have, look into that festival or awards show and find out how to apply. I am a huge supporter of lists – lists of goals and how to achieve them can help with that overwhelming feeling when you look at each step and work towards your goals in a practical manner. I’ve had countless conversations with artists who feel like quitting every other day. I’ve seen many social media posts from artists wondering if they should just “give up”, as they will never get what this other person or band has. This feeling is pretty typical of independent artists today – I even wrote a song about it once (“It’s Lonely in the Middle” states, “Yesterday felt like quittin’; today I never wanna stop”)! No one’s path is the same. No one’s success looks the same. Be ok with creating your own path. No one is offering you gigs? Put on your own concert and invite others to play (I do this anyway!). Can’t break into a certain festival network? Network with bands who have, and learn from their journey. Others are nominated for an award? This doesn’t happen by accident: there’s probably an application process that you’re unaware of! All of life is one step at a time. In fact, every job is one we want to quit sometimes! It doesn’t mean you should give up. It means you should identify what is making you feel that way, and make some realistic goals.

That’s the practical side. The artistic side is to remember that you are unique and have a unique way of communicating your art to the world. Don’t take that away from others. Put it out there, even if only a few people hear it. It’s better for the world to have art and music, and it wouldn’t be quite the same without you. So there.

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