Debra Byrd: Vocal Coach

It's easy to overlook the behind-the-scenes folks at Idol. But Debra Byrd may, in fact, be the most important non-contestant the show has. Even more important than Ben Mulroney. Shocking, I know.

Every week during Canadian Idol's live performance show, there's someone cheering louder than anyone else from the sidelines.
It's Debra Byrd, Idol's vocal coach extraordinaire, and it's a very proud moment for her to see the competitors accomplish something they've been working so hard on.

"There's a lot of noise making going on and I share that with Lalama. It's like, 'We did it! We got him to do that thing we've been trying to get him to do for months!' It's so nice when it happens because we sit in here and sweat blood to get it to happen," said Byrd, in reference to the music workshops her and Idol's pianist Mark Lalama do with the competitors each week.

"There's a lot of whooping and yelling because it's a huge triumph when they can cross over to something they've held onto for so long."

Byrd is responsible for much more than just helping the competitors work on their vocals - she helps them transform from their often shy and reserved selves into confident performers who are completely comfortable on stage.

As the vocal coach on both Canadian Idol and American Idol, Byrd helped take Carrie Underwood from a girl with her hands glued to her side to a Grammy Award-winning artist with incredible stage presence. And she helped Jennifer Hudson go from a reluctant performer who didn't want to dance on stage to someone who danced and sang her way to an Oscar in 'Dreamgirls.'

Read the rest for insights into Theo's at-the-piano performance transformation and her pivotal role as both coach and counselor.

This Monday, we'll be watching the final two battle it out, no doubt testaments to her coaching brilliance.

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Debra Byrd: Vocal Coach

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