We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marilyn Senga Sharp a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marilyn Senga, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

When I was younger I always characterized “success” to be doing music full-time- I just was so passionate about music in whatever form it took. Now, every job I work whether it be singing jazz gigs, an opera season, concert performances, an album recording, or voice lessons all contribute to me making a full-time living off my craft. I’ve always referred to doing music & living as a creative to be a patch-work career. It’s a complicated, sometimes haphazardly stitched together lifestyle to be able to sustain paying the bills.

It’s been slow progress getting different jobs and connections and it definitely did not happen overnight. The biggest thing for me was to have consistent income. Gig work is good but not always reliable. Sometimes it involves commuting and not being compensated for the time and gas it takes to get there. Sometimes it involves really busy seasons, like Christmas, when every one wants a jazz singer at a private party or an opera rendition of O Holy Night – and other times there’s a dry spell of nearly zero demand for performers. In order to have a stable income it was really necessary to have monthly contracts at certain establishments (for example, singing every second Saturday at a local restaurant) as well teaching voice lessons. This allowed me to have something more consistent that I could rely on week to week.

Knowing what I know now, a major step I would’ve taken early on is to come to terms with the fact that you have got to make your own opportunities. Auditions are great but you also know so many talented and hard working musicians. Get together and plan projects, reach out to local venues and see if you can use their space and discuss what that would look like. You have to be your own self-advocate and trust in what you do and want to share with the world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a freelance vocalist in opera, jazz, and metal. I got my undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance from Mississippi College and a Masters of Music from the University of Florida. I was classically trained and primarily focused on opera and musical theatre for most of my early work until around 2021. I’d always loved jazz but it was around then that I really started considering pursuing singing it. Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Misty’ was constantly on repeat- I just thought it was one of the most romantic songs in the world and wanted to sing it.
I decided I wanted to take the plunge and learn a bunch of jazz tunes so I talked to a friend and local composer of mine, Jane Kozhevnikova and we booked ourselves at a local venue. Now I had one month to learn two hours of jazz, some of Jane’s originals as well as an hour of standards. That really kicked it into gear and forced me to create a set-list in a way I had never done before. I’ve since joined a jazz group called Dave & The Hiptones and we play a mix of jazz, pop, and musical theatre.

I also listened to a lot of rock and metal growing up. It’s been a constant influence for me but was genuinely something I never saw myself doing. One day I saw a “Vocalist Wanted” poster from a local band called Apex. I kept walking past it thinking “what if”. Eventually I reached out and talked to them and we met up at a local medieval faire and hit it off. They are all extremely talented musicians and very open to my own interpretation and style within their songs. It has been a great collaboration and we’ve since become like a little family. We are working on releasing a few singles right now and aiming to release our first full album soon.

I still do opera and classical performances, I just finished up an opera with Bold City Opera in Jacksonville last month, as well as some other freelance vocals for rock, metalcore, classical, and jazz albums. I definitely keep busy!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

In the opera world it’s sometimes really frowned upon to be a crossover artist. It’s definitely gotten better lately but I remember growing up in the field and it being an awkward conversation to even want to sing musical theatre- let alone join a metal band! I think ultimately it’s important to learn good foundational techniques so you can sing efficiently and without hurting yourself. I always want others to feel they can play, explore their craft, and follow through on the things they want to explore.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Go to local shows! Buy merch and stream their music. Think of your local scene as a thriving farmers market to tap in to and contribute to. Also, support children in the arts. It is never a waste to have a child be creative. Advocate for arts program funding in your area- so many young creatives are being stifled by an overly industrialized, capitalistic mindset that tells us being creative is less important than working 9-5 for a job that does not care about us. Being creative is a fact of life and a vital, integral part of being human and it is being tamped down and defunded before our very eyes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marilynsharp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smisemarilyn?igsh=MW01aGtvdDZjczQ4&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/14iEMzyJrr/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@marilynsharp?si=RpEaRxoQufBAHu5W
• Other: Apex: @apexbandmusic
  Stream ‘Symbiotic’ & ‘Ascending Icarus’ on any streaming platform. Album coming soon!

Image Credits

Billy Tatum, Tanya Consul, Kristy Guo, Joshua Mazur, Onna Maya, Maureen Joan