Whether you’re having a wedding or throwing some kind of event, nothing ties everything together better than having the right band or singer performing. But, you can’t just have any singer perform at your event; you’ve got to find someone spectacular.

If you’re looking into hiring a singer, there are some questions you need to ask before making your final decision. Without the answers to these questions, hiring a wedding singer can be downright impossible.

Get ready to hire a musician that hits every note after checking out this list of questions, you need to ask each singer your interview.

Tips Before the Interview

Before you start your hunt for a singer, you need to take some time to prepare yourself. The first tip that will help you prepare is not asking closed questions.

When you ask these kinds of questions, interviewers can answer with a quick yes or no without going into detail. This could leave you without all the information you need to make a sound decision.

Next, as you’re interviewing people ensure you’re giving the artist the respect and attention they deserve while you’re interviewing them. You should do this because if you hope to work with them, they’ll remember the way you treated them before agreeing to sing at your event.

Lastly, don’t forget to do your research about the musician you’re interviewing. This means taking some time to dig into the past work of the singer like:

• Previous tours they’ve payed
• Type of music they specialize in playing
• Things they post on social media
• Differences of opinions

Once you do this, you’ll be prepared to take on the interview and hire a singer that’ll meet your needs. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, don’t forget to click here for more and continue scrolling through these questions.

How Do You Describe Your Music?

Pay special attention to how they talk about the music they play because this will give insight into whether they will work for your event. For example, if you’re hiring someone for your wedding, you might want to find a singer specializing in singing pop or classical music instead of metal.

Their description of their music should give you a general idea of what to expect if you hire them to perform at your event.

How Did You Learn to Sing?

This will provide you with some information about their upbringing in the singing career. It also will help you understand the limitations they might have as a singer.

This is helpful if you’ve got an extensive list of songs you wish for them to perform.

How Do You Handle Longer Events?

This question is crucial because if your event is scheduled to go on for hours, you need a singer that can sing and play for the entire event. Naturally, they will take reasonably timed breaks.

But, the last thing you want is for the singer to show up and they have to take a break every thirty minutes because they’re not used to having to sing for long periods.

How Do You Encourage Audience Participation?

There’s nothing like going to an event and seeing everyone sitting around looking bored, like they’re ready to go. As the singer, they share some of the responsibility for getting the crowd hype and ready to party.

What tactics does the singer use to get the crowd into the music they’re playing? 

What’s Do You Charge?

While the cost isn’t everything when hiring a singer to perform at your event, it’s one of the most important things to ask. Some singers require clients to have insurance if their equipment is damaged during the event.

While others calculate the cost of travel into the number of hours, they’ll be performing at your event. Ensure that if you hire this singer, everything you’ve discussed and agreed on is detailed in the contract before you sign it.

What Do You Need From Me?

If you’re hiring someone to perform at your wedding, they might sit down with you and your partner to gain some insight into the type of playlist you’re looking for. They may ask what your favorite genre of music is or if you have a list of songs you could provide them with.

If you don’t have anything in mind, you could ask the singer to put together a list of songs they’ll potentially sing the day of the event and have them send it over to you for review.

What Should I Expect the Day Of the Event?

The day of your event will be hectic; therefore, you need to know what time all the vendors will begin to show and set up, including the singer. When they start to answer this question, make a note of what you should expect from them the day of.

This includes communication between yourself and the singer and if they’ll need anything from you before the event to ensure they can do their jobs properly.

Do They Have a Band?

It’s not uncommon for singers to travel with a band that will play the music for them while they’re singing. If you don’t ask the singer if they have a band, you might be surprised when you have to pay the band members and the singer.

Knowing if they’ll be bringing a band with them will help you figure the band fees into the cost of hiring the singer and ensure you’ve got enough space for all the band members to set up their equipment.

Questions to Ask When Hiring a Singer

When you’re hiring a singer, there are specific questions you need to ask to ensure you’ve found the right singer. You’ll want to ask some questions about their training before becoming a professional singer and some about their current skillset and expertise.

Do you want more information on this topic or others related to it? Keep scrolling through this section for more.

With a lively music scene just begging you to dance and some of the best mixologists in the world showing off their skills, it’s no secret that Puerto Rico has some great nightlife. With San Juan at its epicentre, don’t be surprised if you end up at home later in the evening than you expected. Read on to find out about the legendary San Juan nightlife from the chill beach bars to the sexy nightclubs and everything in between.

La Placita De Santurce

You can’t create a list of events and nightlife in San Juan without first mentioning La Placita de Santurce. Known for fun parties and outdoor dancing, La Placita seems like an ordinary market during the day. Once the evening hits, however, it transforms into the neighbourhood’s favourite nightspot for end-of-the-week celebrations.

Visit on a Thursday or Friday night for when the charming market plaza transforms into an energetic street party. You can share a meal with a friend in the surrounding eateries before letting loose and dancing merengue or salsa into the early hours of the morning.

La Factoria

First opened in 2013, La Factoria has already made a huge impression on not just the locals but also on the world stage. It’s been voted one of the world’s best bars five years in a row and is renowned for its incredible cocktails that harness local flavours.

If you’re looking for more of a relaxed setting with an intimate dance scene, La Factoria brings the magic. You’ll find twinkling string lights, a labyrinthine layout, and old fashioned cocktails that make you nostalgic for a time you never got to experience.

Club Kronos

When nothing except dancing your heart out all night will do, Kronos is more than happy to deliver. It keeps things simple with minimal-style decor leaving a large space dedicated to dancing. Club Kronos is one of the best night clubs in San Juan, featuring a swaying crowd that fills the club to the brim, bouncing laser lights and epic effects, and different themed nights each week.

More San Juan Nightlife To Discover

If you’ve got extra time and you’re keen to check out more fun night life in San Juan, one of the best ways to discover more is to ask the locals to see where they like to spend their time. The city is filled with great nightlife so it’s easy to head out, see where the crowds are heading to and follow along. Here are some more night life in San Juan options to add to your list:

• El Batey
• El Bar Bero
• Club Brava
• Wet at San Juan Water and Beach Club Hotel
• Nono’s
• Jungle Bird
• Barrachina
• The Mezzanine
• Taberna Boricua

Help Planning Your Trip

Now that you’ve got your San Juan nightlife sorted, it’s time to plan out your days in Puerto Rico. From historical sites to turquoise beaches, San Juan can be as action-packed or laidback as you need it to be. Head to our Travel section for more fun things to do during the day that will make your San Juan vacation one to remember.

Ozzy Osbourne, Chris Martin, and Sting. What do these famous musicians have in common?

Just like Beethoven, all of them are struggling with various forms of hearing loss. But while the cause of Beethoven’s hearing loss is unknown, rockers like Sting have one thing to blame for their hurt ears: loud music.

Most of us know that exposure to loud noise can cause ear damage. But what about blasting music? Can loud music actually cause significant and permanent hearing impairments?

Continue reading to learn more about the science behind hearing loss and loud music and what you can do to protect your ears.

How Loud Music Can Hurt Ears

Our ears, the inner ears, to be precise, contain tiny hair cells that convert sound into electric signals. These signals are what the brain interprets as sound, music, or noise.

Each human cochlea has about 3,500 of these inner hair cells. It’s a meager number compared to other cell types with similar functions. Compare it to, let’s say, the photoreceptors in the retina that number in the millions, and you can see how that amount is incredibly low.

With so few to spare, you can’t afford to let any of them get compromised in any way. Unfortunately, loud, sustained sounds can easily damage these hair cells.

If the damage accumulates and eventually causes hearing loss, you can’t get it back. You may need to get a hearing test sooner than you think if you continue to listen to music on full blast.

How Many Decibels Is Considered Too Loud and Unsafe?

According to the CDC, any noise or sound above 70 decibels (dB) may start to damage your hearing. That’s just 10 dB above the average sound in a normal conversation. One of the dangers of headphones and other personal listening devices is that they can reach 105-110 decibels at max volume.

Playing music at 105-100 decibels can lead to hearing loss in as little as five minutes. As sounds get louder and your listening time gets longer, you’re more likely to sustain permanent damage to your hearing.

The 60/60 Rule for Headphones

To protect your hearing, the experts recommend the 60/60 rule. If you’re using headphones, keep the volume under 60 percent and only listen for 60 minutes at a time.

How can you tell if the music is too loud? Hold your earbuds or headphones at arm’s length. If you can still hear the music, then the decibels are unquestionably at an unsafe level.

Investing in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones may be worth your while. Since they cancel out background noise, you can enjoy your tunes at a much lower volume.

How to Safely “Rock On” at Concerts

Start wearing earplugs.

That’s how Chris Martin of Coldplay dealt with tinnitus and halted the progression of hearing loss. Now, all band members use molded plugs or in-ear monitors when they play.

You can use drugstore-bought earplugs before going to a loud concert. They’re serviceable but may fit poorly. But if you’re a regular at concerts and music festivals, custom-fit earplugs can do a better job at protecting your hearing.

Turn That Music Down

Your mom yelling those words to you isn’t a vague threat or because she’s being a “boomer.” Loud music can hurt ears to the point of hearing loss. Lowering the volume can go a long way to preserve your hearing so you can continue on your musical journey.

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