Where Voices and Vision Collide: Valerie Morehouse & Jeffery David
On one side of the glass, the mic waits. On the other, a life’s work begins. The singer opens their mouth, and everything depends on two unseen architects.
Valerie Morehouse is the secret weapon behind the voices of Sam Smith, Sia, Lainey Wilson, Gracie Abrams, Noah Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, and more; the vocal coach who keeps fragile cords strong enough to survive tours, TV slots, and endless nights on stage. She has just released her book, A Better Voice, part technique, part survival guide for anyone who relies on their voice.
Jeffery David has lived every role on the other end of the spectrum, co-producing God Only Knows, co-writing Echosmith’s anthemic Cool Kids and Bright, working with Zedd, Audien, Goo Goo Dolls, Mat Kearney, Seal, and rising star Gabriella Rose, and steering artists through the grind of management, releases, and reinvention. His fingerprints are everywhere, from radio hits to indie breakthroughs.
Together, their worlds collide in studios, backstage hallways, and strategy calls; one guarding the instrument itself, the other shaping the songs and the careers that give it life. They are collaborators and friends, bound by a shared obsession: artists who last, careers that matter, and voices that do not just survive the machine but outlive it.
ROUND 1: Setting the Stage
Valerie, your clients read like the top line of every festival poster. When do you know a voice is built for the long game?
Valerie: I can tell a voice is built for the long game when they take care of their instrument—training, rest, hydration, and living like athletes instead of pop stars. Discipline is the key.
“Technique without care leads to collapse.” – Valerie Morehouse
Jeffery, you co-wrote Cool Kids, Tell Her featuring Mat Kearney, Bright, Favorite Sound, and many others. Those songs have gone on to stream more than 2.5 billion times. Many of these hits are with the band Echosmith, who has had amazing success all over the world. Are they your actual kids?
Jeffery: Yes, Echosmith are my kids. We did not just make songs; we built a soundtrack that traveled the world. To think those catalogs of songs were written with my favorite people in the world is still wild. The connective tissue is vision. A hit is lightning. A career is the storm system you build around it. My job is to see years down the road while still in the writing room and to keep the process fun. Because when it is fun, artists stay open, and that is when the magic happens. Chasing a dream with your family is one of the most fulfilling things you could ever do.
ROUND 2: Survival vs. Stardom
Valerie, in A Better Voice, you argue that technique is survival. What is the harshest truth about vocal health that artists do not want to hear?
V: Many artists are afraid to train because they think it will change their voice. The truth is, if you do not train, you will cancel shows. You will deal with anxiety and vocal issues that only get worse. Singers are also afraid to train because they emotionally tie that to “not being able to sing,” which could not be further from the truth. Singers are afraid they will be told “they can’t sing” or that they have intonation or pitch issues. They think someone will try to change their sound or creativity. They are emotional beings, so asking them to think like an athlete is not always easy when they are usually—not all cases but most—wired differently than athletes or business folks. They are sensitive and creative, which makes them vulnerable to everyone who comes into contact with them.
Jeffery, you have seen artists burn out under pressure. What do you do when an artist wants the world, but their body or spirit cannot keep up?
J: I strip it back to care. That is the foundation. My wife is one of our creative directors and tour managers. She is a top pro who has run major tours, and on top of that, she has this ability to stop everything and care for people in a way that changes the room. That mix of excellence and heart is powerful. My team and I surround the artist with that same spirit of care, because the truth is, it is not the hour on stage or in the studio that breaks an artist. It is everything else—the endless travel, the pressure, the lack of rest. That is where people crack.
My artists have been on tours with Twenty One Pilots, Pentatonix, Neon Trees, and Daniel Seavey and at massive festivals around the world. The bigger the stage, the more critical the care. The wrong driver, tech, or tour manager can undo everything. That is why we surround them with people who lift them up, not wear them down. You cannot hand someone a dream without also protecting their humanity. Our calling is to love artists with the same intensity we bring to our own family.
“Hustle with kindness. Lead people to opportunity, not exhaustion.” – Jeffery David
For both of you, where do health and hustle collide, and who usually wins?
V: The hustle usually wins, until the body shuts down. Then it is vocal rest or worse. Many singers and actors who sing will not stop with the press days, photo shoots, Zoom meetings, content creation, shows, rehearsals, writing sessions, recording sessions, and more. They talk all day, every day, sing, write, and record—so they are always using their instrument. The only downtime is sleep, which they often do not get enough of either. It is very hard to tell an artist to slow down when their entire team has them scheduled to the max daily. It is always a fight between balance and life balance. I have had many artists end up with adrenal fatigue, vocal issues, and more because the hustle usually wins until they are forced to take a break because their mind or vocals are not functioning properly. It is often one of the hardest parts of my job—getting them to rest, unwind, and take vocal rest, and talking to their teams about diminished returns.
J: Hustle without health is a time bomb.
ROUND 3: The Indie Question
Valerie, when an indie kid with no training but a ton of fire walks into your studio, what is your first move?
V: It is always interesting. They usually have very little experience performing. I have to harness that passion while teaching them their anatomy and technique. Sometimes I am literally teaching them how to sing. I have to pull the reins back and teach them how to train, balance their voice, and control the muscles that get in the way. I also have to explain that the singing is most important, and if they just focus on auto-tune and shortcuts, they will be playing a short game instead of a long one.
Jeffery, you have turned garages into launchpads. How do you know if an indie artist is hype or the real deal?
J: You know they are the real deal when their story and energy cut through without smoke and mirrors. Cool Kids came out of that garage grit. Authenticity always tells on itself.
For both, is independence power or just another trap dressed up as freedom?
V: Independence can be powerful if you have the right manager and you know what you are doing. But without guidance, it is a trap.
J: Real independence is owning your story and choices. Not winging it. I truly love working with new artists. They are so grateful, and everything is special. Their first song on the radio, their first tour, their first album, their first red carpet or collaboration. When an artist is sitting on my couch with tears in their eyes because their song has come to life with my help producing, that is the best feeling in the world. Those moments never get old.
ROUND 4: Process, Flow, Truth
When you strip away the noise, what makes a performance unforgettable?
V: Passion. The artist is telling their story in a way that fans feel in their bones. You cannot teach that.
J: When I see fans completely lost in the moment during a show, I know the artist is doing their best work. I tell my artists all the time that the audience is not just a crowd; it is human beings. For that one or two hours, you have the chance to lead them out of their own lives and into the music.
Rick Rubin talks about songs coming through you, not from you. Do you buy that?
V: Yes. When I teach, I often feel like I am channeling from a higher source. Knowing what a client needs before they say it.
J: When I co-wrote Bright, it honestly felt like the song just appeared. We were chasing a feeling more than a lyric, and suddenly it was there—whole and undeniable. What blows me away is how it left our hands and became part of people’s lives.
“Silence is as important as the note.” – Valerie Morehouse
ROUND 5: Staying Human
You both pour into everyone else. What saves you from drowning in your own output?
V: Breaks. Vocal rest. Pilates. Walks with my dog. Boundaries.
J: Family. They reset me in every way.
What is the one ritual that keeps you grounded?
V: Fitness. Pilates classes, long walks.
J: Prayer and stillness before the chaos.
ROUND 6: The Future
Valerie, is the next frontier of vocal coaching more tech or more soul?
V: Both. You need technique to free the soul. I have to have both, as they work together. They are important for an artist’s longevity in this business.
Jeffery, the music business has changed so much in the last decade. How has that shaped the way you work?
J: Honestly, I love going left when everyone else is going right. I never chase playlists. Instead, I will chase a brand deal nobody saw coming, or line up a role for an artist to act in a film where their music is featured, or spark a collab in another country that no one expected. To me, every artist is a startup. You have to pivot, experiment, and crack the code in a fresh way.
“Every artist is a startup. You have to pivot, experiment, and crack the code.” – Jeffery David
But the fundamentals never change. Make people feel valued. Everyone loves you when your act is hot. The yeses come easy. The real test is what you do when things are not hot. Do you still show up for people? Because they remember. That is why when I am negotiating, I am not the manager complaining or making it hard for the label. I am the guy bringing a food truck to say thank you, or my wife is making her life-changing homemade hot cocoa for the team to encourage them to dig in.
Can you share an example of how you have approached deals differently?
J: One of my earliest brand deals taught me everything. We were short on tour money, so I asked for five minutes with the CEO of a major brand. I told him our mission was to spread hope and love through music, and now he was part of it. He asked the band to do a couple of social media posts and one store visit while we were on tour. I pushed back and said, “I do not love that deal. How about we do ten posts, five store visits, and give you guys four VIP tickets to every show on the entire tour?” He laughed and called me crazy for negotiating in his favor.
I went out of my way to make sure he and the company looked good and felt good partnering with us, and it worked. That year, we did another five activations together, and by the end, they paid for the bus on a whole new tour. That is the power of being a good partner and having a long-term vision for relationships.
ROUND 7: Rival’s Last Word
For both, twenty years from now, what do you hope your artists say about you?
V: That I gave them vocal health for life, balance, and guidance that they used their entire career.
J: That I built careers rooted in truth, not just moments.
If you could whisper one sentence into the ear of every young artist before they walk on stage, what would it be?
V: Have fun.
J: Remember why you are here.
What is cooler: burning bright for a year or building a career that matters decades later?
V: Longevity. There is no career if you do not play the long game.
J: Timeless always beats trendy.
What is the bigger purpose, beyond streams, beyond charts, beyond fame?
V: To touch audiences and leave music that still matters decades later, like Queen or Journey.
J: To spread hope, love, and joy through music. That is the mission.
VITALS
• Known For: The vocal coach behind Sam Smith, Sia, Gracie Abrams, Lainey Wilson, Noah Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, and more.
• Latest Drop: A Better Voice—her new book blending technique, survival, and the stories that keep voices alive on the road.
• Superpower: Hearing what no one else can and fixing it before it breaks.
• Currently Obsessed With: Teaching singers to rest as hard as they perform, so their voices outlast the industry.
• Last Great Lesson Learned: A strong voice begins with a calm nervous system.
• Known For: Co-wrote Cool Kids, Bright, Tell Her (ft. Mat Kearney), and Favorite Sound (Audien). Co-produced God Only Knows. Worked with Zedd, Goo Goo Dolls, Seal, Gabriella Rose, and Kyle Kelly.
• Latest Work: Artist development across multiple indie campaigns; breaking new artist Kyle Kelly, now on a world tour with Daniel Seavey.
• Superpower: Turning lightning into storm systems—writing songs that live forever and building careers that last just as long.
• Currently Obsessed With: Building careers that feel like movements, not marketing plans.
• Last Great Lesson Learned: Hustle only works if you lead with kindness.