Since none of the recording studios are open currently thanks to Covid-19, artists are being forced to find new and creative ways to produce their music at home without the use of any high-tech equipment. From impromptu kitchen jam sessions to good old-fashioned singing in the shower, nothing is off-limits.
One of the coolest places to produce music was recently discovered by singer and actress Lauren Paley.
She did a rendition of “Hymn To The Sea” from the movie Titanic that will send chills down your spine.
Paley’s secret was that she sang it in a stairwell.
The cement walls surrounding her created an acoustic effect that was hauntingly beautiful. The video of her performance that she uploaded to YouTube is something that you have to see for yourself.
One of the interesting parts about “Hymn To The Sea” is that it has no words.
However, everyone knows the classic melody. It is actually played on bagpipes in the original version by James Horner.
However, Paley decided to simply hum the melody for her performance.
Because of the amazing acoustics of the stairwell, it sounded much like a synthesizer or a choir of many people singing at once.
“If I heard this while coming down the stairs I’d think I was dead & just entering the gates of heaven.” said one YouTube commenter.
The sound is like nothing of this world.
It evokes so much emotion and immediately transports us back to that famous scene in the movie where the Titanic begins to slowly sink. It’s a moment of pure melancholy, yet, one filled with incredible amounts of love.
However, Paley explained that she was just singing as she normally would.
There was no specific name for the technique that she used and the real magic was created by the stairwell acoustics.
“For me it’s just singing on a specific vowel with no words 🥰 since there are no words to hymn to the sea,” Paley wrote on Instagram.
It sounds simple, however, for most people, it would be pretty much impossible to replicate.
Paley has such an amazing amount of control over her beautiful voice and hits all of the notes perfectly. She was completely in key throughout the entire performance.
After a request from a fan, she even uploaded a shorter version to her Instagram featuring the sound of waves in the background.
It was a very nice touch and somehow, fit the mood perfectly. Of course, her fans loved it too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_0vBfrhkAc/
Paley’s social media popularity is growing by the day.
She has a habit of doing song requests quite often, and on TikTok, she currently has over 700 thousand followers.
“I sing in stairwells,” her bio reads.
It’s a short and sweet description of what she does. However, it’s the truth.
The same stairwell where she recorded “Hymn To The Sea” has now become the location of several more videos she has produced.
A few of her other stairwell recordings include “Bring Me To Life” by Evanescence, “Pure Imagination” by Gene Wilder, and “Once Upon A December” from Anastasia. All of them are totally unique and just as haunting. It’s a cold cement stairwell, yet, we can just picture the ocean waves gently crashing away against the rocks as the sirens call.
It just goes to show that you don’t need a fancy recording studio to make great music. Even if you are stuck at home all day, with a little creativity, anything is possible.
Watch the full video of Lauren Paley singing “Hymn To The Sea” in the stairwell below.
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Source: Lauren Paley – Instagram
