Doing What You Love: The Joys and Difficulties of Being a Singer

As with anything, doing what you love for a living is a hard road to travel. Sometimes people might feel burnt out and disheartened by their chosen profession, and left wondering whether they even want to continue with their careers. Yet others, like up-and-coming singer Gabrielle Long, relish the time they spend doing what they love despite the hardships, and look toward a happy and promising life in their profession.

In 2008, Long, like many, fell into her singing career suddenly without ever having had prior experience.

“I saw the ad of a cover band for a new singer posted in a music supply store in Ogden, UT, and I thought, ‘Hmm, maybe I should try singing’,” Long said. “Apparently [the band] liked me and thought I could sing, since they brought me on after my audition. After that, other people seemed to like my singing, which inspired me to decide that maybe [singing] was something I should look into.”

Since then, Long has experimented with various singing styles and has landed a singing spot with local Colorado band, Perpetual Dementia.

Before that, Long’s singing career almost ended prematurely. While exploring her newfound singing talents, she and her husband had a son; and it seemed that her fledgling singing career might need to be put on hold.

“I was contemplating on getting out of the music scene since we had a newborn, but my husband talked me into putting up a CraigsList ad for a band one more time,” Long said. “Perpetual Dementia was the only one to respond, and their music style was what I had been looking for for years, not to mention they are a highly talented bunch and very easy to get along with. The hardest part is finding and keeping a good band, and once you find good band mates, you hold on to them.”

Long has had the privilege of working with bands ranging from classic rock to 11- piece symphonic metal groups within the few years she has been in the music business. She’s also been able to adjust her voice to “something between Cristina Scabbia and Amy Lee,” and her musical style is between “death metal and Avenged Sevenfold”- a type of sound that is becoming a fast favorite among teens and young adults.

Now Long is looking forward to the endless possibilities that she and her band mates can accomplish in the coming years. Perpetual Dementia is currently recording a number of songs onto youtube to get the word out about their music; and prospects of moving to another state to appeal to a wider audience might be on the horizon. Whatever the case, Long is ready to tackle the next challenge and see where life takes her.

“My aspirations are the same as anyone else’s: to do what I love for a living with people I enjoy working with. I think all of us in Perpetual Dementia will be able to make that a reality pretty soon, because we have the camaraderie and the drive needed to make it happen.”