Welcome to the Sing Like No One’s Listening Blog Tour!
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Sing Like No One’s Listening
To celebrate the release of Sing Like No One’s Listening by Vanessa Jones on September 1st, blogs across the web are featuring original content from Vanessa, as well as 10 chances to win a finished copy plus a grand prize giveaway!
I’ve got a guest post from Vanessa that, if you’re anything like me, you’re going to love! I adore musicals (well, there are a couple that drive me crazy), and I love singing along with them! Check out the list Vanessa has compiled for us!
Top 10 Musicals to Sing Along To
by Vanessa Jones
It’s been well-documented that singing is great for you. Belting out a tune or two is said to lower cortisol levels and release endorphins—and the best thing is, it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are. All that matters is doing it. So here are my top 10 musicals to sing along to, whether you’ve had a bad day and need to sing it out, or you’re in a great mood and just want it to last all day.
1. Mamma Mia
I defy anyone to find me another show more packed full of sing-along anthems. ABBA on a Greek island. What could be better than that?
2. Dreamgirls
The voices in this show. . . Just amazing. I love both the movie version and the original Broadway cast recording. If you search on YouTube, there’s a rendition of “And I Am Telling You” by Tituss Burgess, which is brilliant. (And if you’re really geeking out, you can find Jennifer Hudson and Jennifer Holliday singing it as a duet. I don’t think there’s anything better than that.)
3. Annie
Actually, the beginning always makes me cry—but after that, it’s an uplifting story about a kid who refuses to be beaten, even when the chips are well and truly down. Hope is a powerful thing. My kids have recently got me back into it with the 2014 movie version, which is fresh and brilliant and just as joyful as the original.
4. Hairspray
Not only can you belt your way through showstopper after showstopper, but the beat is infectious. Seriously. You can’t stop it.
5. Hamilton
Even the soundtrack is electrifying. Better still, if you’re not comfortable with singing, you can give your finest Lin-Manuel Miranda impression and join in with all the rap. (So my mum says, anyway!)
6. Les Misérables
Admittedly it’s not the cheeriest of musicals (I think the title’s a giveaway!), but the songs are emotionally-charged and completely absorbing. Perfect for singing along to on rainy days.
7. Dear Evan Hansen
Beautiful ballads. Emotions running high. And Ben Platt. Enough said.
8. Waitress
The teenagers I teach tell me I CANNOT have a list of musicals without including this one. They’re all obsessed. And after seeing the show when it came to the West End, I was hooked, too. Possibly because it combines baking and musical theatre, two of my favourite things.
9. Six
Broadway was meant to get the show this year, but its release has been delayed. Seriously, though, you won’t know what’s hit you. It’s about the wives of Henry VIII, told in their own words with a dance beat. So catchy.
10. Be More Chill
This musical, about a boy who takes a pill that promises to make him cool (with disastrous consequences), really gets under your skin. My favourite to wail along to is “Michael in the Bathroom”, an anthem for anyone who’s ever been at a party and not known what to do with themselves.
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Praise for Sing Like No One’s Listening
“Jones’ novel has the expected Fame vibes that will delight any reader who loves stories of aspiring young stars learning their craft, but its exploration of Nettie’s complexities makes the story unique…. Jones offsets the narrative’s weightier moments with light and quirky ones, making it a fast read with staying power.”— Booklist
“Anglophiles, music and theater nerds, and those looking for some classic will-they-won’t-they romance will all find something to enjoy here. Jones writes her subject matter authentically, with obvious passion to balance the professional arts’ not-so-pretty struggles…. A touching portrait of healing after loss.”—Kirkus Reviews
About Sing Like No One’s Listening
A moving story of grief and healing – sure to be a pure joy for any musical theater aficionado.
Nettie Delaney has just been accepted into a prestigious performing arts school―the very same school her superstar mother attended. With her mother’s shadow hanging over her, Nettie has her work cut out for her―and everyone is watching. To make matters worse, Nettie hasn’t been able to sing a single note since her mother died. Whenever she tries, she just clams up. But if Nettie’s going to survive a demanding first year and keep her place in a highly coveted program, she’ll have to work through her grief and deliver a showstopper or face expulsion.
All may not be lost, however, when Nettie stumbles upon a mysterious piano player in an empty studio after class. Masked behind a curtain, can Nettie summon the courage to find her voice? Or will the pressure and anxiety of performing come crashing down?
All about finding and raising your voice, and not throwing away your shot, Vanessa Jones’s well-crafted journey of grief and healing will pull readers along with its strong narrative voice and satisfying sense of mystery.
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Read this Q and A with Vanessa Jones
About the author
Vanessa Jones trained at Laine Theatre Arts and went on to be a musical theater actor in West End Shows, including Sister Act, Grease, Guys and Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, and Mary Poppins. She began her writing career with a stage play for a fringe theater and also works as a freelance copywriter and editor. She lives in England with her fellow chimney sweep.
Follow Vanessa
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Enter the giveaway Ended
1 winner will receive a finished copy of Sing Like No One’s Listening. Check out the other tour stops for more chances to win.
US/Canada only
Ends 11:59pm ET on 9/20
Enter the grand prize giveaway Ended
1 winner will receive a finished copy of Sing Like No One’s Listening and a Wireless Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone!
US/Canada only
Ends 11:59pm ET on 9/20
I got “Eh, not so much” on my quiz.
I totally got “Eh, not so much” on the quiz! LOL
I’d love to see Hamilton in person! Disney+ just isn’t the same.
I got Eh, not so much
You may know what the theater is, and you might even know the name of a musical or two, but you’re definitely not a theater kid. No worries! There are plenty of other callings to explore even if pirouettes, soliloquies, and showtunes aren’t your strong suit.
LOL I got that too even though I love the theater.
I want to see them all in person.. I love the theatre!!
I do too! Before COVID, I had tickets to see Frozen in Cleveland, but it got cancelled 🙁
I got 3 Eh not so much
YOU GOT 9
You’re definitely a theatre kid, but you’re on the wait list
Maybe you’ve never performed in a starring role for your school musical, but you certainly know the difference between your average can of hairspray and the popular Broadway show and film adaptation. And you’re a steady ensemble player. Still, Cecile Duke won’t be giving you a final callback.
525,600 minutes…..
Thanks for the contest.
I got 3 Eh not so much. Dang it.
I want to take my granddaughters to see Annie one day.
I would love to see the Annie musical
My result is 4.
Cars is my favorite musical.
got “Eh, not so much.”
I got Eh, not so much
You may know what the theater is, and you might even know the name of a musical or two, but you’re definitely not a theater kid. No worries! There are plenty of other callings to explore even if pirouettes, soliloquies, and showtunes aren’t your strong suit.
I would love to see Cats in real life.