Have you ever taken a friend shopping with you before a big event… just to get a second opinion?

I do it all the time.

But for years, I didn’t do that with my voice.

I’d walk into the studio, spend thousands of dollars, pour in hours of work…
and never once ask:
What’s actually landing? What’s not?

No outside ears.
No real feedback.
Just guessing.

Then I heard something from James Bay that changed the way I think about performance.

He used to watch recordings of his audience during his shows.
Not himself—the audience.

He’d look for the exact moments where their attention dropped…
and then go back and adjust the song or his delivery to keep them with him.

That’s not luck.
That’s awareness.

And it’s a big part of why his music connects.

Early on, I used to get comments that I sounded like Dolly Parton.

I was horrified.

That wasn’t the identity I had in mind at all.

But looking back, people weren’t wrong—they were hearing the vibrato from my classical training.

That feedback wasn’t an insult.
It was information.

And here’s the twist…
The part I did want?
The emotional connection in the lyrics.

That’s something I’d gladly share with Dolly.

Here’s the point:

Your audience hears things you can’t.

Not because you’re doing something wrong…
but because you’re inside the instrument.

And if you’re not paying attention to that feedback,
you’re leaving clarity—and connection—on the table.

So let me ask you:

What do people say about your voice?
And more importantly…

Is that what you want them to hear?

Because once you know the answer to that,
you can start shaping your sound on purpose.