Every singer carries a story that never quite makes it onto the stage. Singers Having Coffee is a podcast built around exactly those stories, the honest conversations about music, training, doubt and growth that most of us only ever share over a hot drink with the people who truly understand.
If you have ever wished someone had simply told you the truth about life as a singer, this is the show that finally does.
What Singers Having Coffee Is Really About
The idea grew out of years of conversations between working musicians, the kind that happen between rehearsals and after gigs rather than inside a classroom. So much of what shapes us as singers is never written down anywhere.
The lessons learned the hard way, the moments of doubt, the small decisions that quietly changed everything, these are the things we tend to keep to ourselves.
The show almost carried the title things I wish my music teacher had taught me, and that spirit still sits right at its heart. It is a space for the conversations we should all be having with one another, opened up for anyone who wants to listen and learn.
There is also a gentle wink hidden in the name. Singers are often told online that coffee is off limits, and yet most working vocalists happily drink plenty of it.
The title is a quiet reminder that the rules handed down to singers are not always as fixed as they appear, and that real life rarely fits neatly into the advice we are given.
The Conversations Behind Singers Having Coffee
Each episode is a genuine sit down conversation rather than a polished lecture. The guests are colleagues and friends, professional singers, teachers and performers who are willing to speak openly about the parts of the journey that usually stay private.
Some of these stories are joyful and some are hard, but every one of them is deeply human. The recurring threads you can expect to hear include:
- The pressure that builds around singing, and what it costs when that pressure becomes too much to carry.
- Imposter syndrome, and the strange experience of being a gifted singer while still feeling like you are not good enough.
- The harm done when young singers are pitted against one another instead of being encouraged to grow.
- The pull toward a life in music that feels less like a choice and more like something you simply cannot put down.
Who You Will Meet on Singers Having Coffee
Part of the joy of the show is the range of people who come along to share their experiences.
Some are well known, and some are quietly brilliant voices you may never have heard of, which is exactly the point, because some of the finest teachers and singers are not the famous ones.
Among the guests you can look forward to are:
- Taran West, an incredible singer and life coach who stepped away from performing because of the pressures that surrounded it, and who speaks honestly about that decision.
- Anthony Utama, a friend from New Zealand who left his marketing career to travel the world busking and grew into a professional singer along the way.
- Anna Hawkins, a full time professional singer thriving without a record label, who revisits the strange experience of being set in competition with another young singer back home.
- Jarn Lega, a wonderful professor of singing who has lived with imposter syndrome despite his gift, and who reflects on always feeling chosen for the second group.
Why Singers Having Coffee Matters for Your Own Voice
It would be easy to assume that stories about hardship would feel discouraging, but the opposite tends to be true.
These experiences, however difficult, are the very things that shape a singer into the artist, teacher and performer they eventually become. Almost every guest arrives at the same quiet conclusion, that as hard as those moments were, they would not change a single thing.
Hearing that from people who have walked the road ahead of you can shift the way you understand your own struggles, and remind you that doubt and difficulty are part of growth rather than proof that you do not belong.
Singing is often described as a hard road, and it is true that it is not all roses and unicorns. Yet so many singers choose this life because there genuinely is no other path that feels possible for them. That drive, the sense that music is simply part of who you are, runs through every conversation on the show, and it is something any committed singer will recognise in themselves.
What You Can Take From Singers Having Coffee
If you are working on your own voice, there is real value in listening closely to these conversations. A few things worth carrying with you as you listen:
- Treat the advice you are handed as a starting point, not an unbreakable rule.
- Notice when comparison or competition is draining your confidence, and choose growth over rivalry.
- Let the hard seasons inform your singing rather than stop it, because they often become your greatest strengths.
- Stay curious about the human stories behind every voice you admire, including your own.
Come along for the ride, subscribe wherever you listen, and let these conversations help you grow, learn, and feel a little less alone on your own singing journey.
If you want to learn more about how you can learn to implement these singing techniques into your own voice, let’s sit down for a chat and discuss if the vocal academy is the right fit for you. You can join us here.