Featured Performer
August
Thera D
Talking to
MichaelJ Rossini
A veteran of many years in SL, Thera D is a popular night club performer in her native Holland, her sultry voice and witty charm captivating audiences in both "lives".
No venue is too large or too small for Thera, and you can find her wowing her audiences across Second Life in all kinds ov venues.
Thera also has a long history of performing at prestigious charity events and has raised hundreds of thousands of lindens for several worthwhlle causes..
I caught up wigth Thera as she prepared her songlists for another busy week on her return to SL after a year out ...
Michael: Hi Thera - thank you soo much for taking time out to do this interview with Toggle For Music.
Michael: First up - Could you tell our readers something about your background - were you an established artist in RL before you got here - are you from a musical family?
Thera: I started singing at an early age. My mother used to tell me that I sang German songs even before I spoke Dutch. As a teenager I sang in a choir, together with my sister.
My dad was an amazing trumpet player and both my mother and my sister sing, but only in the shower, theirs, not mine!
Michael: Not to be too personal, but how old were you when someone first commented "you got some great pipes there, girl!"
Thera: I first realized that I could sing a bit when I was offered a solo part in ABBA’s song “Thank You For The Music”. I must have been in my early teenage years.
Michael: You'd performed in front of live audiences for a while before your first SL show. What are the challenges of performing in SL?
Thera: The challenge of performing in SL is that you have to make your systems work properly. In RL that is mostly done for you.
Michael: Do you remember your first Second Life gig - the venue and how it went ?
Thera: My first SL gig, I don’t recall, that’s light years ago. But I do remember singing for a big event for Feed A Smile. The very first time I had a 50+ audience. I’m talking numbers, not age 😉, well maybe age wise as well!
Michael: Was there anyone here who helped you, or inspired you, during those early days?
Thera: Baz (a.k.a. Avantgarde Frequency) and Blane Sonnenkern heard me sing Colbie Caillat’s song “Bubbly” in voice at a venue called “The Palace of the Arts”. The owner Basebeta Python became a very close friend of mine. I visited him in RL, we kissed and……sorry got carried away there! And of course the people that found joy in my singing, they still inspire me till this very day.
Michael: Following on from that is there a gig you remember above all ?
Thera: Not really no. All my gigs are special, different, but one is as special as the other.
Michael: You have a huge repertoire of songs - Do you find yourself adapting each performance to the venue you are playing - or do you have a fixed schedule and see what requests come up?
Thera: I mostly sing songs that I like for a zillion reasons, but besides that I also like to sing what people want me to sing. My ultimate goal is to make people smile and wiggle on their chair in RL.
Michael: What's the difference for you as an artist to have that "30+ attending" audience vs 4 or 5?
Thera: It depends on what kind of gig it is. If it’s a Birthday Celebration for instance, 5 people are just fine. But I think we performers do like big audiences, absolutely!
Michael: Do you ever get nervous before a SL gig? Does dual streaming make that better or worse ?
Thera: I get nervous for big gigs, and when somebody is counting down in IM hahahaha. Other than that I feel just fine, totally relaxed.
Michael: Its clearly hard for new performers to establish themselves in the SL music scene with so many performers already on the grid - yet this is something you have clearly done. If someone were to launch a performing virtual "career" here, what would you suggest to them as vital to know?
Thera: First of all I would like to suggest to attend other performances all over the grid. Secondly I would suggest open mics, to get the feel but also to be seen by venue owners. And thirdly I would like to tell them how much you get from performing in SL. I’m not talking Linden Dollars here, but reactions,
appreciation, comments all that kind of things.
Thank You Thera !!!
Michael: You have always devoted lots of your time to charity concerts in SL. Is that something close to your heart ?
Thera: It is indeed. All of them, but mostly the Feed a Smile Foundation. I have seen the CEO Brique Zeiner work in RL. She is giving so much for those kids. I can only say I’m very happy and proud to be a part of that now and again.
Michael: Is there anything you would you say irks you the most as a performer in sl? (aside from annoying interviewers)
Thera: Surely I do not agree with everything I see. But I cannot think of anything that could stop me from singing. Even the annoying interviewers!
Michael: Finally, in closing, is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Thera: I want to thank you all for coming to my shows. It really is heartwarming and very inspiring. If, after reading the above, you still have questions, then please shoot me an IM. I would be more than happy to answer them. xoxo