Meet Darci Monet

We were lucky to catch up with Darci Monet recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Darci, thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.
It wasn’t really that hard…I took it as a big, fat sign from the Universe that I wasn’t supposed to be chained to a cubicle for a living in the first place, but that as a highly intuitive and creative individual, I was laying my talents to waste by doing so. I was fortunate to recognize that my number would soon be up, as I had been tasked with teaching my “helper” in the Philippines (read: my replacement) over instant messenger. That took about six months, so I just socked my money away and was in a good spot when the hatchet fell and I was finally laid off. I was able to start my voice coaching studio then and have been in business ever since; about 15 years.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I do many things as a creative and intuitive person, but when you pull back all the layers I believe what I am at my core is a healer and my modality happens to be the voice. I was pretty much born singing…my mom likes to tell me that as an infant, when I’d wake up in the morning I wouldn’t cry to let her know I was awake, I’d be holding my toes doing the la-la-las. I’ve never stopped! I’ve also always been a writer, conversationalist and a big fan of make believe, so if there was a stage nearby, I wanted to be on it, sharing stories, mine or otherwise. Did a lot of theater as a kid, took all the lessons (violin, piano, eventually voice) and I got paid for singing in a church for the first time at 15 and never looked back. I started my career in music in upstate New York, moving to Nashville, Tennessee for college and to kick it all off with my big girl pants on, where I had the great fortune to sing on stage and in the studio with Dolly Parton, Steve Winwood, the Judds, Amy Grant and more, and now here I am in Los Angeles. Eventually I morphed into coaching singers as a way to pay the bills after what should have been my “big break” in my effort to become a working studio musician in L.A. failed to launch. See, I am the voice singing “The Rose” in the 2004 smash indie film “Napoleon Dynamite,” not Bette Midler, but (long story extremely short), while I was paid $100 on the day I recorded it, I was never credited in the film and have never been paid any residuals. The production went on to ride Bette’s name for press purposes. Everyone else who worked in the film watched their careers level up or outright skyrocket, while I couldn’t even get my SAG card. I’ll be honest…I carried the bitterness, anger and pain of that lost opportunity around with me for many years and allowed myself to go insular, pack away “Darci the Artist” and just mind my business and teach people how to sing. But the interesting thing is that I kept getting (and still do) clients who, like me, struggle with shame, low self-esteem, feelings of failure, imposter syndrome, etc., and it keeps them from fully realizing their potential. Utilizing my intuitive gifts and my own story, I’ve been able to help them break through those barriers, believe in themselves and keep going. I was convinced my days as an artist were over at that point, content to put all my focus into my vocal studio, until a business coach I was working with this past year recognized I was “congested” emotionally/mentally/spiritually because of my “Napoleon Dynamite” story and that I needed to take that narrative back and empower myself. This revelation was an a-ha moment for me. So, I’ve decided to record a full length version of the song (we originally only recorded the few seconds required for the scene). Some of my students who grew up with the film offered to play on it and I will be unleashing it upon the world (hopefully) around February 1st. I am crowdsourcing the project in order to do a proper PR campaign. Anyone who’d like to be involved with helping me in this healing process can find out how to do that at http://releasingtherose.com. People have told me my whole life that when I sing, it moves them, heals them, makes them feel like they aren’t alone. I’ve had voice students who’ve tearfully thanked me for being a mentor to them and a soft place for them to fall. I can only look back on all my experiences till now – the extreme highs of singing with world famous icons to the extreme lows of missing my “big break” and see how it’s all coming together to create my next chapter. And it looks absolutely nothing like I thought it would or planned for. Who knows what’s in store for me ultimately, but I am excited to find out! Music is the universal language for a reason…because it heals people. And I am very grateful and proud to be a cog in that cosmic wheel.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Self-awareness/spirituality/mental health – there is nothing that matters more than this for success in any professional occupation, but especially in entertainment and creative fields. If you do not have a spiritual practice of some sort or put daily time into strengthening your mental/emotional wellbeing, you will fail. Full stop. This is a lesson I learned the hard way and it took me way too many years to even realize it. This must be first priority. Everything else will fall into place when it is.

Sacrifice – I don’t think the quote by the great motivational speaker Zig Zigler ever gets old: “Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.” In the entertainment and creative industries, nothing is more true. Take the classes. Hire the coaches. Learn the craft, the art form, the history, the skill set. Master them. And make the sacrifices necessary to do so. For instance, don’t tell me you can’t afford to take voice lessons from me when I see your butt twerkin’ in the club five nights a week on Tik-Tok. Preparation requires sacrifice; time, financial, personal. There’s no two ways about it. Sure, some people get lucky, are plucked out of obscurity and tossed onto the fame boat for reasons we’ll never know. But the rest of us have to pay our dues.

Resilience – you can never quit. Even when things take a turn you weren’t expecting, be open to a detour because it could give you more than you ever expected. When you have that burning desire to do something/be something in particular, accept the reality that every “no” is only one step closer to a “yes.” Be a honey badger.

How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal clients are talented, career-aspiring, semi-pro and pro vocalists and performers. I help them uncover their maximum vocal prowess, build their vocal strength and help prepare them for careers as vocalists and performers. I utilize my intuitive abilities when appropriate to help them overcome debilitating limiting beliefs and emotional or mental barriers that potentially hold them back. I also provide consultation for songwriters to help them improve their craft. I offer my Sing Like You Mean It Strategy Sesh at half price for potential clients ages 10 and up.

Contact Info:

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