Classical Crossover Magazine, Winter 2013

the Yulia & Friends concerts have been running for a
long time. It's only recently that technology has
developed to the stage that I now give singing lessons
and regularly mentor singers around the world online.
Glyn has invested in state of the art technology so I
am set up to help singers worldwide. It's amazing
being able to prepare a singer in London for a local
concert or coach a singer in Wellington to prepare for
a Christmas show. I love it. Because my husband is a
brilliant trainer (he coached me!) and he is teaching
me to use the kinds of technology and training
methods that he has pioneered to transform the
accounting industry in NZ and Australia. My aim is to
further develop my training content so I can inspire,
encourage and empower a generation of artists. And
maybe we can sign a few to our label.
On the fashion side, what is your favorite type of
outfit to perform in?
I love French fashion and prefer youthful, creative
pieces. I don't so much go for ball gowns. When we
entertain audiences it's about putting on a costume
and inhabiting the role to present an authenticity to
the audience. Ultimately you wear the costume that
fits the message of the show and how you want to
express yourself as an artist.
You have performed with orchestras and in more
intimate settings with just a pianists or guitarist.
Which of these do you like more and you feel
better captures your essence?
Music these days is typically over produced, leaving
little room for the voice to be the star. This is because
most voices are recorded before they are well
developed. Producers then hide the deficiencies of the
voice in orchestration and in treatments like reverb
and overdubs. I am very old fashioned and believe
that an artist should be developed to their full
potential and only recorded once the voice is good
enough. Artists who push their music out too soon
and end up failing only have their impatience to
blame. For this reason, I develop myself through live
shows, often performing songs live for months or
even years before they are ever recorded. When I do
get into the studio, the voice is developed to such a
level that orchestration and production needs to be
minimal and the voice can be the star of the show.
Your husband Glynn Mclean is also your
manager. What’s that’s like?
On the commercial side Glyn is one of only a
handful of people in the world that has launched an
artist to an audience in the tens of millions.
51,000,000 people watched Divinas Live at Chambord
Castle in USA and Canada via PBS and PBT TV.
9,000,000 Russians have heard and seen me through
my win of the European Song Competition in Riga,
Latvia. Glyn produces all my live shows. He is an
exceptional live sound engineer, stage manager,
producer, negotiator and musician. On the family
side, Glyn is my soul mate, the great love of my life
and a wonderful husband and father. He has
dedicated years of his life, never taking any income
for his work on my career and has honored every
promise he ever made to me. It's like he is my gift
from God.
Looking forward artistically, what would you like
to accomplish in the next few years?
Over the next two years I am focusing on evolving
my artistry and music business around family. I have
established the relationships I need globally to create
and distribute my music to large audiences and I don't
need to rush getting albums out. I have complete
control of this. I aim to raise the money to invest in
owning my own rights holding and then partner with
record labels and producers globally. While I am
doing this, I want to develop other artists and channel
them through my networks. And I am going to
further develop myself as an author, inspirational
speaker and educator to help artists find their voice.
For the latest information about Yulia please visit her
website yulia.co.nz
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