We recently connected with Figaro Nove and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Figaro thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I was still a young child when I first started taking piano and voice lessons. But it wasn’t till I moved to the United States from the Philippines, during my high school years that I took my craft seriously. I joined both Madrigals and Concert Choir as well as taking Music Theory AP classes. I owe majority of my theory knowledge to my first mentor, Mr. Barry Isbell. If I were to restart everything, I would still do the same thing.
After high school, I auditioned and worked for Best Agency, who gave me the opportunity to perform as an opera singer. I started overseas and continued in Las Vegas for a total of 8.5 years. I invested so much into private voice lessons, eventually leading me to semi-professional competitions and accepting lead roles in both musical theatre and opera productions.
I am so grateful that I learned and polished my craft through classical music. Although I don’t perform classical music as much as I did then, I will always treasure the skills I’ve developed.
The most valuable skill throughout my career has always been my understanding of music theory. Without it, I would have struggled to learn songs and how to write them. As I continue to grow as a person and musician, I believe that you can never have enough lessons.
My self-esteem and confidence has always been a challenging factor to my growth. Today, I focus more on my mental health so I can be the musician I want to be.
Figaro, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started singing when I was about 7 years old and pursued a career at 19 years old. After graduating high school, I auditioned for an agency based off Las Vegas called Best Agency. I wanted to be a gondolier, rowing gondolas and singing Italian songs at the Venetian Hotel Resort and Casino. When I auditioned, I sang an Italian aria that my mentor in high school taught me. The agency seemed to have liked me a lot. So instead of starting off as a gondolier, they cast me into the Streetmosphere Program, which was the opera program.
College didn’t seem to be working out for me so I decided to receive most of my experience through live performances more than in the classroom. Even though I sang the same repertoire during my time with the Streetmosphere shows, I expanded my personal setlists, hired private vocal coaches and teachers, attended masterclasses in Nevada and California, competed in several competitions, and performed in musicals and operas.
Now living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I am pursuing my craft outside the classical genre. Exploring Jazz, Pop, R&B as well as writing and performing my own original music has been very rewarding. I would say, it is currently dictating the direction I want to take with my career. I primarily sing, either as the lead singer of my band, The Figaro Nove Band, or performing solo acts as a singing pianist. My original style is best described as Jazz Pop. I’ve taken many inspirations from artist like Scary Pockets and Post-Modern Jukebox when it comes to building my repertoire. I hope to create Jazz arrangements of modern and well-known music.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Any professional musician will tell you that they have experienced performing for different crowd sizes from packed venues to literally just the bar staff. I’ve gotten used to be the one creating the vibes wherever I perform. However, nothing beats singing someone’s special song and having a very meaningful connection between them and myself as a storyteller. It is purely a metaphysical journey that highlights the depths of our existence.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I don’t think most non-creatives would understand the amount of immeasurable time and labor required to prepare for studio recordings or live performances. Musicians invest a lot of their money and energy into the craft that the audience doesn’t see. Nowadays, if you’re trying to make it big with the indie artist route, you pretty much have to be an influencer on top of working on music and managing five other things.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/figaronove
- Instagram: @figaronove
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@figaronove4618?si=Dr5cLRqAPK-mNMef
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/nkPxUwApTj3oPsEBA
