A Conversation with author, Angelina Kalahari #Singing #performers #breathingtechniques @angelinakalhari

A Conversation with author,

Angelina Kalahari

MA: I am very excited to introduce you all to a dear, dear friend of mine, Angelina Kalahari. I am sure you will all join me to give Angelina a warm Coffee Pot welcome.

Angelina, before we begin, would you mind introducing yourself to my readers?

AK: Thank you so much, Mary Anne for such a warm welcome. I’m very lucky that my operatic singing and performance career lasted over thirty-five years and I got to travel to many different countries. I sang at the world’s most beautiful venues, including Buckingham Palace when I was invited there by Queen Elizabeth II.

But travelling for singing, was mostly a lonely pursuit and books weren’t always a good option to take along – this was before eBooks became as popular as they are today. So, I started to write my own novels, plays, children’s novels, short stories, etc.

When suddenly, I became ill and was told my singing career was over for good, not only was I grateful that my teaching qualifications came in handy, but I continue to teach voice and singing, as I had done throughout the years whenever I wasn’t singing. And I was able to change the direction I used my voice in a different way in my writing.

MA: What an amazing career you have had, and to sing at Buckingham Palace — Wow! What inspired you to write Breathing for Confidence?

AK: Breathing for Confidence is the first book in my first non-fiction series, Your Voice, Your Superpower. I’ve been thinking about writing this series of books for the past three years. Many of my students had asked for it. And as I’m slowly letting go of the singing side of my life, I feel this is my swansong – my last contribution to the world of all my experience, techniques and an obsession that has driven me to achieve dreams I never even knew I harboured.

MA: I have read Breathing for Confidence: Your Voice, Your Superpower and I thought it was brilliant, but I especially liked the way you presented it. How did you come up with your setting and your character?

AK: I have chosen to write Breathing for Confidence as a story because I know it’s the best way we learn and remember what we’ve learned. Also, that way, readers can experience with the main character what it’s like to go through the training and learn the techniques.

Jake Tyler, my main character, is an amalgam of all the amazing performers, wonderful singers and great students I’ve worked with over the years. I’ve learned so much from everyone and now it’s time to give back what I’ve learned in a way that I can’t do one-on-one.

The setting is London, where I live, but it could be anywhere in the world – the setting doesn’t detract from the techniques.

Many of my singing students come from a wide range of styles - from opera and oratorio to jazz, musical theatre, pop and rock and all have benefited from these same techniques. However, my students have also included public speakers, company executives, banking industry executives, aeroplane flight attendants, teachers, young adults preparing for university entrance interviews, lawyers, actors, TV personalities and even a judge.

Even though Jake is a singer, these techniques are proven to work for anyone who wants to enhance their voice through training. 

MA: There are many books in the non-fiction genre. Can you tell us three things that set your series apart?

AK: Yes, one – these books are short because they focus on each individual technique for voice. Through my years of teaching, I have found that because the voice is such an intricate instrument to learn, most students focus on one technique at a time. More advanced singers often want to study one technique and then must buy an entire book on voice to get to that one thing they need. Writing the books in this way, helps with that problem immensely.

Two – because I write the books as a story, readers get the opportunity to learn with the main character as though they’re the ones being taught the techniques directly. The main character, Jake, goes through most of the most common issues with each technique. So, it is a way for everyone reading the books to learn the correct technique and to avoid doing it incorrectly.

Three – as far as I know, no other books on voice has ever been presented in this way. There are vast numbers of voice books already out in the world – some of which are purely academic, others that delve into techniques, but none of them do it in the way I am presenting these books. I know this is the way students will get the most out of studying techniques using a book. Of course, these books can also be used in conjunction with studying voice anywhere, not only with me.

MA: One last questions! Can you tell us what you are currently working on?

KA: I’m currently working on the next book in this series, Voice Placement, Vowels and Volume, which follows on from Breathing for Confidence.

I’m also working on the next novel, Heat in the Desert, in my contemporary romance series, Desert Love.

MA: Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by the blog and chat with us today.

KA: It has been an absolute pleasure.

If you want to know about breathing optimally then check out this fabulous video that Angelina has made.

Scroll down to find out more about Angelina’s fabulous new book.

Breathing for Confidence:

Your Voice, Your Superpower

By Angelina Kalahari

Start breathing optimally today for better health, great voice production and amazing confidence.

With over 35 years teaching, singing, acting, and directing experience and having been recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for her contribution to music, Angelina Kalahari is proud to present the first book in her fabulous new series — Your Voice, Your Superpower.

In Angelina's vast experience, she has found that stories are the best ways to learn and more importantly remember what we have learned. Angelina has chosen to use the story of an imaginary voice student, Jake Tyler, to illustrate how important breathing is to improve your health, voice production and self-esteem.

So, what are you waiting for? Let Angelina show you how to breathe optimally in a way that supports not only your voice for speaking or singing but also your physical, mental and emotional well-being.

The Coffee Pot Book Club

★★★★★ 

Highly Recommended

Read the full review HERE!

Pick up your copy of

Breathing for Confidence:

Your Voice, Your Superpower

Amazon • Kobo

Angelina Kalahari

Angelina Kalahari has worked for over thirty-five years as a professional actress, stage director and operatic soprano, performing around the world. She appeared on many diverse platforms, such as opening the busking scheme on London Underground to a recital at the Royal Opera House and everything in between.

She holds degrees in drama and opera and in 2005 she received recognition for her contribution to the music, culture and economy of the UK from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

Angelina has always regarded herself as a storyteller, either through music or through acting and directing. She honed her storytelling skills from a young age, writing and telling stories to her siblings at bedtime. It became a habit through the years and a solace while travelling for singing.

Born in Namibia, and having lived all over the world, she currently lives in London, UK, with her husband, her fur cat daughter, a rapidly diminishing population of house spiders and a smallish herd of dust bunnies.

She writes non-fiction books on the voice, her specialism and obsession for over thirty-five years, contemporary romance to explore love, women's fiction to understand love and middle-grade novels to give love. What more is there than love?

Connect with Angelina: Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Pinterest • Linkedin • Goodreads • Amazon Author Page.