China Forbes from Pink Martini

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This month’s guest is China Forbes, whose voice is heard around the world. She’s the lead vocalist for the globe-trotting band Pink Martini. You might have seen her on Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show, or over 70 different symphonies. You can hear her voice on duets with people like Michael Feinstein, Carol Channing, and Rufus Wainwright. And she’s performed in venues from Carnegie Hall to Red Rocks, the Sydney Opera House to the Grand Rex in Paris.

Our conversation takes us on a fascinating journey: from growing up with a bipolar father through her first musical endeavors as a student at Harvard (She graduated cum laude.) Meeting Thomas Lauderdale, her decision to give up a career in NYC to join a band way out in Oregon, and striking a balance between motherhood and art.

We also talk about her solo projects, how to sing in 25 different languages, vocal fold surgery, and how to pack just two suitcases for a world tour.

Buckle up and enjoy!

For full show notes, transcriptions of this episode, and more offerings for singers, you can visit my website HERE.

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You can find China Forbes on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pink Martini’s website.

The songs from today’s episode are (in order of appearance): Una Notte A Napoli, ‘78, Sympathique, Rise, and Hey Eugene and are from Hang On Little Tomato, ‘78, Sympathique, Rise, and Hey Eugene (used with permission.) To listen or download, go to Pink Martini’s STORE or HERE on Apple Music.

Here's the link to the solo podcast episode I mentioned in this episode: Learn To Talk So You Can Save Your Voice For Singing.

Theme music for the Podcast was composed by John Smith. He helps me edit all the podcast episodes too. (Thanks, honey!)

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