Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yolanda Thomas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yolanda, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

From a very young age, like most creatives, I had no other desire to be anything else but a ROCKSTAR.

My high school careers advisor didn’t have the same vision. In fact she suggested something more safe like data entry! How insulting! Ha ha!

Her only knowledge of the industry and various careers a creative could pursue was limited to suggesting I could maybe play piano and sing in the background of some bar. But when she asked how good I was at playing piano (I only tinkered), data entry was her very next suggestion!

As I was also a dancer and songwriter from a very young age, I had visions of me singing and dancing in my own music videos! Or commanding an audience of at least 10,000 people. As I did regularly in my living room…. in my head.

I never got signed to a major label and was no Britney Spears or P!nk, but in Australia I did perform numerous times to audiences of over 10,000, charted on the ARIA charts, TV appearances and formed my own band Yolanda and the Stolen Boys where I not only appeared in my own music videos, I also filmed, edited and promoted myself.

I had always dreamed of living in LA, so 10 years ago I relocated here from Australia. Since then I have achieved some big goals of not only meeting, but performing with my idols. Johnny Depp, Steve Vai, Joe Perry, Gavin Degraw, Members of INXS, Guns N Roses, Nuno Bettencourt and David Hasselhoff who is huge in Australia.

I soon realized you cannot wait for a label to take control and do everything for you. And besides It was more fun learning every aspect of the business myself.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started songwriting at the age of 7 ( first songs were really bad! lol) Dance lessons from age 10, Vocal lessons from age 14. Since the age of 20 I have worked as a professional vocalist, dancer, instructor & choreographer. From age 28 i was signed to a distribution label and released original music under my band Yolanda and the Stolen Boys. I managed every aspect of the band myself in Sydney Australia and somehow got us gigs in Los Angeles like The Whisky A Go Go and CBGB in New York.

This path perfectly blends to being a PERFORMANCE COACH teaching Vocal and Movement Coaching for Singers & Musicians ​. www.HollywoodPerformanceCoach.com I also own a company Groove Zone www.hiphopcourses.com that teaches hip hop dance to adult absolute Beginners in Sydney, Australia and Los Angeles, USA.

Artists spend so much money on just vocal or guitar lessons and then they can still be awkward as F…. on stage. I say invest a little on gig preparation.

I recently got booked to sing “Great gig in the Sky” by Pink Floyd at a theatre in North Carolina. It’s the hardest song I’ve ever had to sing. I don’t take vocal lessons any more but I knew I had to prepare extra for this song. I hired a musical director for 4 lessons to help me prep and feel prepared. It made the world of difference to my confidence to feel prepared and have outside ears on the song.

I also teach vocals and movement in a lesson or whatever the client wants to focus on. You can have a great singer singing pop and then be walking out of time on stage and It just looks awkward. If you are selling cool, you cannot be awkward in your body. If you are celebrating your awkwardness however, then go all out and be awkward and inspire others.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I strive to train any client to achieve the ultimate… “The best version of themselves!” By offering nurturing and constructive feedback of a client’s current abilities and tools on how to reach their goals,

My motto is ​”Make them fall in love with you -It’s so much more than technique!”

I’m always analyzing performers and the audience response to them. Why is the audience disengaged and talking when this great singer is on and then the next singer who reveals how nervous they are, get more praise?

It’s all about authenticity and letting the audience see YOU! The more you hide yourself from an audience (lack of confidence, being unprepared) the more the audience disengages. An audience wants to be SEEN & FEEL something. As soon as you get over yourself and realize it’s all about the audience and not you, then more people will watch you.

That’s why I also work with artists on how to communicate with their audience. One headlining artist (who was new to performing) said “I’m just not going to talk in between, i’m not confident with It. My response was “well they are just going to think you’re an asshole! Remember the audience doesn’t know you at all. Let them in”

So we did mock runs where I pretended the guitarist was having a technical difficulty and couldn’t start the next song immediately. The artist had to cover with talking. He said something like “oh no Bobby is having technical difficulties and now I have to talk to fill the gap and i’m shit at talking to a crowd”
“PERFECT!” I said. He was so shocked. “Really so I can just say what’s on my mind?” YES!

The more an artist reveals themselves and can just live in the moment and in their bodies and not in their head, not only does It engage a crowd more but it’s where you can access the GOLD in those moments.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love breaking through peoples limiting beliefs. Usually “I’m not good enough” This is at the center of my Performance Coaching and Groove Zone business.

I grew up in Australia where I would say that self confidence is much less than the average American. Infact its very frowned upon in Australia to say that you are good at something. We have a term the “Tall Poppy Syndrome” It means if you get too popular or confident Australians will cut you down. Many Americans are horrified when I tell them this exists.

When I relocated to LA It was a culture shock that I had to learn to speak of my talents as they were, and not downplay them. When I visit Australia now, after living in LA for 10 years, I can hear the language very clearly of my very talented friends that cut themselves down and underestimate themselves. It doesn’t do you any favors!

It explains why many people at the top of the charts who are not that talented but had a strong belief in themselves, who were able to inspire a team around them and made It to the top. Ambition and confidence goes a long way. Just because you are a good singer means shit!

I currently manage a few of my friends part time because I can’t help myself. I just love It. It’s all the stuff I’ve done along the way in my own career. Building a brand, an online presence, a mailing list, collecting footage, creating their websites, managing band members. creating music videos, hiring dancers etc etc.

I love being the creator of every aspect of my career and businesses. I love meeting and helping others on their own creative journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hollywoodperformancecoach.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theyolandathomas
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yolanda-thomas-coach/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YolandaThomasLA
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/groove-zone-north-hollywood

Image Credits
Photo Credits: Tamea Angle Karuna Tanahashi William Greenberg