A few years ago I watched a remarkable documentary called 20 Feet from Stardom. This film follows the careers of several back-up singers—men and women whose names you probably don’t know, but who had enormous influence on music you’ve heard all your life.
They sang with the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, and many others. As we hear through interviews and archival footage in the film, their talent, skill, and craft transformed the songs they worked on. These iconic songs simply would not have been as rich, as full, or as good without the back-up singers.
We work with other people, even if we work alone. There are elements of our jobs that we do with others, whether they are back-up singers, editors, co-workers, partners, virtual assistants, outside vendors, the UPS guy, or the barista who keeps us caffeinated. Take time to notice what layers and levels they add to your work. Should they be singing lead?
And if you’re in that role, (sometimes we sing lead and other times backup, even in the same job), notice how important your note, your harmony line, and your choreography are to the whole of what your team does.
