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Aiden Feltkamp enjoying a night of music.
It's probably not thought about widely by others outside of the trans musical community, but music composition and trans voices often conflict with each other. Think about it; you're changing your body to make you feel authentic to your gender, but your voice doesn't exactly follow.
Furthermore, if you are a singer, that can be devastating. You want to be able to express your authentic self both in body and voice. There is a lack of musical compositions that are trans-inclusive, so Aiden K. Feltkamp decided they would create an anthology of pieces that transgender folks could use, and it's quite a milestone concept.
Aiden explains in the interview below how and why it's important to have inclusivity in the musical world. There are many questions with complicated answers, but it's an eye-opening story about something you probably haven't thought of before.
Aiden K. Feltkamp talks about trans voices and musical compositiion.
Aiden K. Feltkamp
For people such as myself who need a basic explanation of this project; can you tell me what it is and why it’s important.
Of course! As an opera singer, you mostly learn and perform music from 50-400 years ago. However, there are composers creating opera and classical art songs today. In the field, we call this New Music.
This anthology collects New Music -- songs from operas, art songs, and musical theater songs that have been written by living composers -- that feature trans and nonbinary voices. To be eligible for the anthology, the song had to meet one of three criteria: either the music was written by a trans or nonbinary composer, the text was written by a trans or nonbinary writer, or the music was written for, and performed by, a trans or nonbinary singer.
As a trans nonbinary opera singer myself, I found it difficult to find repertoire that aligned with my gender experience. This anthology was, at first, a project to rectify that. Then, I realized that many voice teachers with trans or nonbinary singers, as well as presenters who wanted to diversify their programming, wanted a place to find repertoire for/by trans and nonbinary performers. This anthology fills all of those needs in our industry.
There isn't an existing anthology of vocal works for trans and nonbinary singers (believe me, I've tried to find one!). So this is the first. It's important for that reason, and for the others, I've explained above.
How are trans voices different and why would they need compositions in varied ranges that are not typical in traditional music?
Since trans people span the gamut of genders and ranges, the compositions must also. This is especially important because so much music written for women sits in the treble range, but feminine people can possibly have voices in the bass and treble ranges. The same goes for repertoire traditionally written for men.
What is voice Dysphoria?
In relation to trans and nonbinary people specifically, this is when your voice doesn't match your gender identity and therefore causes you gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is feeling discomfort or distress (to varying degrees) because your body differs in some way from your gender identity.
While most transmasculine people find their pre-HRT voice dysphoric, I didn't. Sometimes my speaking voice pre-HRT would cause people to misgender me as female and that would lead to gender dysphoria, but I didn't feel that my speaking or singing voice pre-HRT was at odds with my gender identity.
Sweets by Kate Stonewall
Tommy Venus
Despite my personal experience, this is a serious issue for many trans and nonbinary people and leads to a lot of gender dysphoria. This is the main reason that I'm working with the Musical Mentors Collaborative on GEMM club: a program that provides free voice lessons to underprivileged and unhoused trans and nonbinary people.
Kim Petras is a popular pop diva whose range doesn’t seem forced. In other words, it seems biological. Are pop music voices easier to manipulate because of technology as opposed to live music which requires more training?
Every voice is equally biological. If we're talking about technique, there are different vocal techniques for different genres of music. It could just be that Kim Petras' voice is naturally better suited to a pop style of singing. It's also possible she could learn to sing more classically if she wished. Production on pop songs can hide technical "flaws" (such as intonation issues or taking a breath where it's less than desirable) where live music cannot, but classical music can also be produced in a way to hide these things. Classical music tends to be more exposed, just as a facet of the genre, and the technique can be more complicated, but I don't think that one genre or style of singing is more forced than another.
Connecting to Songs as Your Authentic Self
What advice would you give a trans person who just sings casually with the radio or in the shower but suddenly feels self-conscious after transitioning?
Is there a psychological thing that happens, say to a trans female, when a past favorite song features a male lead singing about “male” things then suddenly that person transitions and they revisit that same song? I can only speak from my own experience here.
Written by Aiden K. Feltkamp
Aiden K. Feltkamp
NewMusicShelf Anthology of New Music: Trans & Nonbinary Voices, Vol. 1 is available on Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com and wherever books are sold. Visit https://newmusicshelf.com.
The 'Dark Times' video was shot by Lola Raban-Oliva and Jean-René Étienne and edited by Joji Koyama, under the artistic direction of Eliza Douglas. Douglas is an acclaimed artist who has held solo exhibitions at Air de Paris, Paris, Jewish Museum, New York and Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin, among others, a well as having collaborated with artists including Hercules and Love Affair, Antony and the Johnsons and Devendra Banhart, alongside being Anne Imhof’s closest collaborator. Together, the pair have been working together since 2016, with Douglas composing and performing music for Imhof’s performances in this time.
Billy Bultheel is a composer and performance-maker based in Berlin and Brussels. His practice combines heavy electronics with medieval and baroque polyphony. From 2012-2019 Bultheel has been developing musical aspects of Imhof's performances, movies and installations and composed music for Imhof's pieces alongside with Eliza Douglas and Imhof herself. Billy Bultheel has a BA in music from the Royal Conservatory of The Netherlands and an MA in Choreography and Performance at the Justus-Liebig University, Germany.
Anne Imhof's SEX began as an art show
SEX was composed during the formation of Imhof’s art show of the same name. Exhibitions of SEX are immersive, atmospheric events, creating environments inhabited by groups of collaborators. During the day, visitors are able to explore Imhof’s installation of paintings, sculptures and architectural interventions for free. Then in the ticketed evening events, the spaces will come alive with music, lights and live performances. The evening performances contain strobe lighting and explicit content.
Adrian Searle described the evening shows at the Tate Modern thus:
I am left with a head full of images. A man thrashes at his own shadow with a bullwhip, the rhythmic echo of whip against wall a metronomic ricochet through the space. A waltz, set to a heartbeat pulse, becomes a wrestling match, or a tender embrace as the couple slowly falls on to a mat. A procession passes through, bodies lifted by their companions. Carrying becomes caring. Or are they being led to an auto-da-fé? A man looks down at the milling audience from a high gantry, as though he were on a balcony, watching the street below.
Adrian Searle, on SEX as staged at The Tate Modern
Anne Imhof, Douglas and Bultheel, reworked the songs from how they appeared in the show, the result is a compelling record that acts as an accompaniment to the SEX performances, as well as standing alone as a progressive collection of contemporary compositions.
Check out the video for 'SEX" here:
Anne Imhof, Eliza Douglas, Billy Bultheel — Vivaldi youtu.be
Ms. Zdan's love of music began at an early age. So early, in fact, that she doesn't ever remember music not being a part of her life. “From the time I was 5 and started singing at school choir I knew I loved it.” For Ms. Zdan being in the music industry was not a choice. “It's just always been there, it's in my blood. I started writing songs and playing guitar around 12 or so around the same time I was discovering my folks’ record collection and realizing this whole other world of rock and pop music.”
BRANDY ZDAN - PROTECTOR (OFFICIAL VIDEO) youtu.be
Before becoming a solo artist once again, Ms. Zdan was part of the duo Twilight Hotel. The experiences she went through with her co-singers and co-musicians served her well to prepare for spotlight alone.
“We are all just a sum of our experiences and I've had many,” she said. “I've been blessed to tour all over the world in the various groups I've been in. It's also just broadened my horizons and kept my chops up.” You can tell the experiences have suited her well in her music quest. Not only is she a phenomenal singer, she is also a musician. She has the talent to play guitar, steel, and accordion among others.
My favorite song of Ms. Zdan's is “Does Everything Break.” The haunting guitar riffs and Ms. Zdan's voice pair quite nicely and tug at the depths of your soul. By going back to her roots and becoming a solo artist, Ms. Zdan has been able to come full circle. Older and wiser with a sound that reflects this knowledge. “This is where my heart is,” she said. “It's in singing my own songs. I started doing that back as a teenager playing coffeehouse gigs around my hometown. I knew I'd always come back to it. I just wanted to wait 'til I knew what the vision was.”
Ms. Zdan's new single is a let loose and have fun, tongue in cheek, anthem that will have you tapping your feet along to the beat. “It's a chatty girl talk song,” she said. “To be perfectly honest, it's about being more manly than most of the men I date. It seems the well of manly men who get their hands dirty, can change your tire, and carry your amplifier is running dry.”
BRANDY ZDAN - THE WORST THING (OFFICIAL VIDEO) youtu.be
Ms. Zdan is very involved in social media. She gives her fans updates via her Facebook page or her personal website. I asked whether or not Ms. Zdan felt social media allowed her to have a closer relationship with her fans and have an ear to what the fans like.
“Absolutely!” she said. “In this modern day music industry, the connection with fans is the most important thing. I funded my album from these fans who care so greatly for the music, it's the least I can do to stay connected with them. As I do with my favorite artists, I like to see their process and get a glimpse into their world.”
Speaking of favorite artists, Ms. Zdan's musical influences run the gamut of musical types and genres. “My Canadian heroes will always be Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, but I have a love for guitarists such as Blake Mills and Bill Frisell. Right now I'm on a pop/rock kick that has definitely influenced my writing.”
Ms. Zdan's wish-list of venues she has yet to play is an ode to her hometown area. “I would love to one day play Massey Hall in Toronto,” she said, “as well as The Burt in my hometown [Winnipeg, Canada], but yes, the list is long with the usual suspect venues in the major US cities.”
What can the fans who attend her concerts expect? “Rich guitar tones, to the point rock/pop songs, and high energy.” As an artist Ms. Zdan can stand her ground. She has the ability to sway an artist to feel heartbreak one minute and then feel pumped up the next.
“I will say that I am an artist first,” she said, “but I am an artist who likes to entertain and I don't think there should be any shame in that. If you are going to be a performing artist there needs to be showmanship. I think that's why I've gravitated towards rock and pop lately and less from folk and Americana. I wanna turn the lights down low, put on a show and sweat, dammit.”
If you've watched any of her videos showing concert footage or showing Ms. Zdan sitting on a chair with just her vocals and her guitar you get the feeling that you are missing out on the full extent of her talent by not being there in person. I, for one, can't wait to see Ms. Zdan in person because I know that I will be blown away.
And if Ms. Zdan wasn't in the music business...”If there was something else to pursue then I'd be doing it right now. I tell people, if there is something else you wanna do, can do, then go do it, cause music/art is a hard, wild rollercoaster ride not for the faint of heart. As a fan, I'm glad I'm on the ride.”
