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Beverley Staunton Wins March SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist
Of The Month”Competition
By Dale Kawashima
Beverley Staunton, a talented singer & songwriter based
in Los Angeles, CA, has won the March SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The
Month” Competition, for her performance of her song “A More Beautiful Girl.”
This is one of three songs that Staunton has recently written and recorded with
veteran, producer/musician Cory Churko, (who has worked with Shania Twain,
Alanis Morissette and others).
Beverley Staunton
“A More Beautiful Girl” is a well crafted, modern rock-pop
song which showcases Staunton’s clear, strong vocals. The song’s chorus has a
harder-edged, rock arrangement a la Evanescence, and Staunton demonstrates that
she has the energy and aggressiveness to sing the chorus convincingly. The demo
is skillfully produced by Churko, who also played all of the music tracks on
this recording.
Staunton grew up in Montreal, Canada, and began singing when
she was 7. Her parents decided to form a family band (which included her three,
older brothers), and called it The Staunton Family. They toured for several
years around Quebec, with Staunton (who also played piano) and her brothers
taking turns singing lead. They recorded three albums together, which mostly
consisted of cover material.
When she was 14, Staunton moved with her parents to Los
Angeles, where she attended the Hamilton Music Academy for three years. It was
there that she developed her wide-ranging music skills, which included singing
jazz, and performing musical theatre. Then after high school, she moved to
Vancouver, where she built her career as a professional singer. “I did all
types of singing work, including live gigs, jingles, demos, plus TV and film
work,” explained Staunton. “I also sang backup vocals on Jessica Simpson’s
first album, and Bette Midler’s latest album.” In addition, Staunton toured as
backup singer with Nelly Furtado, which included many TV appearances.
Beverley Staunton
In 2004, Staunton moved back to Los Angeles, where she now
works as a pro singer. She acknowledged that doing a wide variety of genres
(for her paid gigs) has made it difficult for her to focus on a singular style
as an artist. “I’ve been a musical chameleon, singing everything from jazz,
R&B, rock and country,” she said. “I’m (still) in the process of finding
out who I am as an artist. But I’m excited about the rock songs I’ve written
and recorded with Cory (Churko). I believe it’s a strong direction for me.”
Currently, Staunton & Churko are completing their third
song together. Staunton then plans to release a 3-song CD, and shop it to
labels. She also plans to perform these songs live with a band. If “A More
Beautiful Girl’ (which was also runner-up in this month’s SongwriterUniverse
“Best Song” contest) is any indication, Staunton has found a sound and style
that successfully demonstrates her artist potential.
Here are the Top Five Vocal Performances which were submitted for this month's competition, with the songwriter credits, plus their e-mail and website links. To hear the songs, please click on "Listen To Song".
"Best Vocalist Of The Month" Winner
"A More Beautiful Girl". Performed by Beverley Staunton of Los Angeles, CA. Written by Cory Churko, Beverley Staunton, Mike Norman, Kevin Churko & Mathew Engst.