A lifelong musician, Calpernia Addams found herself facing a problem that many musical transitioners encounter: transitioning her voice. Well known for the speaking voice training materials she produced with business partner Andrea James (“Finding Your Female Voice“), she quickly realized that transitioning one’s speaking voice was almost entirely separate from transitioning one’s singing voice.
“I grew up in a musical family, so playing and singing was just something everyone did. No one was expected to sing or play like a pro. It was just a life skill you learned how to do, like cooking or gardening, except it was artistic. After transition, I was always afraid to even try singing live, but when I was asked to write a song for my television show (“Transamerican Love Story“) I decided to just give it a go and have fun. I’ll never be able to do the American Idol style singing, but I can write songs and communicate them in my own voice, imperfect as it is, and that communication is what I really value.”
The title track of her first album, “Stunning”, first appeared on episode five of her show. It’s a fun play on the Hollywood excess and vanity which she has encountered in her entertainment career. With outrageous lyrics like “I turn down three-ways with Brad and Angelina” and a humorously primitive music video, the song has become an underground hit with alternative clubs in LA and sells on iTunes, Amazon and Calpernia’s website. It has been remixed by Lucian Piane, Jer Ber Jones and Matthew McPeck following Calpernia’s own original mix.
“Stunning” was followed up with a dancey cover of the classic “True Colors“, the burlesque-inspired “Next!” from the upcoming film “Transproofed” and bitchy dis-rap “Miss Dis“. Remaining true to her past notoriety as an edgy performance artist, she followed these club-friendly tracks with Goth versions of Disney classics “Some Day My Prince will Come” and “Once Upon a Nightmare (Dream)“, then a haunting version of “One I Love“, an ancient Medieval love song featuring Calpernia’s fiddle playing intended to recall her childhood roots as a Bluegrass and folk musician.
“Transproofed“, which features “Next!”, was directed by Andrea James, who co-wrote and co-starred with Calpernia.
“I do all the initial recording, singing, instruments, mixing, mastering and promotion myself. I’m learning as I go, so the most polished tracks are the ones remixed by the professionals like Lucian, Jer Ber and Matthew. But I’ve learned that if you sit around and wait for people to do things for you, they may never get done. I like learning and doing myself. And I hope people can enjoy my work.”
Paint (Kosmetix Mix) Maxi-Single (Click to open iTunes)
Hey kids! The final mix of “Paint” is up on iTunes! It’s much sexier than the preview version on YouTube, check it out! I also finally got the gorgeous and sexy DJ Branwen Somatik mix of “Miss Dis” up on iTunes FINALLY. You can get either one solo for 99¢ or get both plus my creepy cover of “All the Pretty Little Horses” as part of the “Paint (Kosmetix Mix) Maxi-Single”!
Hey kids, I’ve been working up new songs for my upcoming Halloween Eve performance at Miss Kittys this Friday, and ultimately for my new weekly “Unreal” show beginning on Fridays at West Hollywood’s newly-made-over-for-performance Hamburger Mary’s. Here’s a preview of my version of “Amado Mio”, indelibly performed by Rita Hayworth in “Gilda” (a movie that has inspired some very significant behind-the-scenes things in my life), as well as covered by Grace Jones (AMAZING version, look it up!) and Pink Martini.
I’m figuring out how I want to jazz this version up… I added some electric guitars and some effects on the piano, but I’m keeping it subtle. And of course, I used every plugin and filter known to mankind on my voice… I never said I was a natural talent, ha ha! But it IS me singing here!
Cal-pal Selene Luna is featured here in a clip from the San Francsico performance of her amazing one woman show “I Don’t Care Anymore“, performing the song I was lucky enough to get to write for her, “Callin’ It Out”!
And here’s her dancing to the eponymous Phil Collins hit:
iTunes
