Good breathing technique and vocal health, requires singers to regularly revisit their training, like any other instrument. It also requires singers to look after themselves physically, given the voice is within us and can't be dusted off with a bit of Mr Sheen, like a piano can!

Despite the title, this isn't a post about how to stay alive, more a top tip on how to figure out how to breathe properly when you sing!

When they're in the booth, vocalists are being asked to make words sound different to compliment the music and sounds. The results can be very effective, however there are also a large number of misunderstood songs

In the week Queen Aretha Franklin announces her retirement, Louisa has been reflecting on her heroes and idols, and which of them shaped her musically and as a vocalist (including, in her words ‘Queen Aretha’).