Meet Andrea Beaulieu

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Beaulieu.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I remember being five years old dressed in my red velvet dress and patent leather shoes, standing on a stage, by myself, in front of my whole elementary school, singing “White Christmas.” I had a huge smile on my face. It was fun! It never occurred to me to feel nervous, or wonder what others were thinking. I was just being me. Isn’t that what kids do?

That was the beginning of a lifelong calling to create and express myself. Throughout my life, I’ve followed this deep desire to communicate through song, writing, dance, and for a time, acting. Now, I accomplish this through professional speaking, coaching, and singing, and my calling has matured. What matters most to me is to serve others to find their authentic voice — their signature presence — through the gifts I’ve been given and developed. And of course, to enjoy the heck out of it!

I have performed on stage more than 2,000 times as a singer, dancer, actor, and professional speaker/trainer.

At 20, I joined the cast of Up With People, an international organization that used stage shows to share a message of unity and love. I traveled more than 50,000 miles across the country performing on stages big and small, from the Super Bowl halftime show to a flatbed truck in Paris, Tennessee! I loved the show, staying with families in every community, and learning what it meant to be on stage, set up and strike a set, and give the featured performer your absolute “focus.”

Spending a year on the road with this group also opened my mind and heart to the diversity and humanity of our country, and of the absolute worth of every human being. It took a small town girl and showed her the world. It changed my life.

After Up With People, I buckled down to get my bachelor’s degree in mass communication and set about having a career in public relations. I never lost the love of singing and the stage, though. I occasionally auditioned for musicals and took chorus parts. By my early 30’s, with a new baby on my hip, I decided I wanted to have my voice. The muse would no longer take no for an answer! I began studying with various vocal teachers and creating a career for myself as a professional vocalist. I did a demo at a professional recording studio, got the headshots done, and began performing for special events and at coffee houses and churches. I did a guest appearance on a regional talk show where Doug McClure was the other guest! I started a duo at one point — Wise Women Unplugged — with a friend who was a pianist, and we did gigs for all kinds of special events and recorded a CD of our music. I then formed a band called Full Measure. I spent the next 15 years performing regularly. I started in the country western/folk arena, and quickly went to adult contemporary, then eventually to jazz standards. I have always been attracted to the lyrics and the melodies.

At one point during this part of my journey, I was invited to go to China to be part of the First Sino-American Conference on Women’s Issues. I was part of the steering committee planning trip, but once in Beijing, when they discovered I was a singer, they asked me to sing. At every event! They’d bring out their virtuosos, and I’d follow with Country Roads! (It was my understanding that the Chinese loved John Denver!) This all culminated at the final formal dinner in the Great Hall of China with all the dignitaries. Much to my surprise, I was asked to sing for the group. I mustered up all my courage and sang “Wind Beneath My Wings” a capella. They loved it. Back in Phoenix, I determined we needed to have music at the conference. I found some musician friends and we wrote an anthem, “Holding Up Half the Sky,”. It was sung throughout the conference by 750 American and 750 Chinese women, and to greet their sisters upon returning home.

In the background of all of this, I struggled with serious stage fright. As a result, I would quit singing at various points, sometimes for years. But, as is true for all artists, I could never give it up. During one such sabbatical from singing, I took up acting. I had no fear of acting and had a lot of fun. I was told I was very good. It met my needs for creative expression and met other people’s needs for entertainment. I was in a lead role in a production for five years straight. The only reason I stopped acting in plays was because I was also working, raising a child as a single mother, and taking care of life. Plays are very demanding, and it was too much.

Professionally, with years of writing, marketing, and performing behind me, I trained to be a professional speaker, trainer, and coach. I began sharing my information, wisdom, and expertise on the stage. What I realized during this time was that the voice I was searching for was my “authentic voice” – my truth. My life story had been all about letting go of the insecurities I felt and experiencing the freedom to be who I am. Freeing my singing voice was a metaphor.

As a result of all this personal and spiritual growth, I was able to heal through much of my stage fright and created a one-woman show, Love Is Loud! I had performed in front of hundreds of thousands, millions if you include the Super Bowl Halftime Show and Indianapolis 500. I had spoken to hundreds at a time. But taking the stage with a one-woman show I’d written – this was a big leap. I did my first show to a full house. They loved it, and so did I! I went on to create and perform a new show, “One Heart, One Mind,” with pianist and composer Richard Palalay and have co-written several songs with him. I took on a lead vocal role in another one of his shows and sit in at a local jazz club. This lead to an invitation to sing with a 20-piece jazz big band. I said yes and experienced another level of stage fright. Then I had an epiphany.

As I was preparing to perform with the big band, I heard myself telling a couple of friends a story about how I had been humiliated as a child. It was about time child. I had frozen this story in time and using it as a way to remain a victim. When I heard myself and realized what I was doing, I was dumbfounded, mostly because I hadn’t realized this before. So, I decided to release it. I decided to quit being a victim. As if by a miracle, once I’d embraced this realization, the stage fright left. Today, I’m having fun. By shedding this conditioning, I can now lose myself in the moment, which has ignited a much deeper experience for me and my audience.

Today, not only do I perform as a vocalist in a variety of venues, I get to share what I’ve learned with my clients as a speech coach, trainer, and professional speaker. I get to support them to unleash their signature presence as they take the stage. It’s my experience that as human beings, this is our journey — to shed the conditioning that limits the expression of our signature presence. When we do, we get to experience and share the truth of who we are – our beauty. And beauty begets beauty. That’s a world I want to live in.

Please tell us about your art.
My true art is to support people to be and express their true selves — to move through whatever conditioning they have that is blocking their signature presence — their unique essence. I do this as a coach, a writer, a singer, a speaker, and a facilitator/trainer. I’m also an author. I’ve written two books on finding and following your authentic voice: “Finding Your Authentic Voice: Seven Practices to Free the Real You and Experience Love, Happiness, and Fulfillment,” and “Ah Ha! 100 Flashes of Insight and Inspiration From Your Authentic Voice.”

As a coach, when you get to be part of a person’s process to let go of a limiting belief or fear and experience themselves in their creative, brilliant beauty, it’s just magical. This is where I find my deepest fulfillment and joy. As a vocalist and speaker, sharing an emotional and joyful connection with my audience is amazing! Working with other professionals — musicians, sound engineers, techies — makes the whole experience so much fun I’m amazed I get to do this for a living!

We are all artists. As Shakespeare so eloquently said, all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. I add to that, so make sure your play is authentically yours.

Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national, or international events and issues affect your art?
I think the role of the artist is more important than ever. Art reminds us of our humanity. It puts us in touch with the very essence of our being — our divinity. It is a source of love, inspiration, and fun! It reminds us we are all connected and need each other. It bridges the gap and creates understanding, empathy, and compassion. While we might not all practice “art,” I believe we are all the artists of our lives, creating our own worlds. We all have something to contribute that can and does make a difference. We are all consciousness and energy. What we put out into the world matters. Artists can and do help us connect with that.

Events impact my art because I reflect on them and my role in them. I ask myself, what is mine to do, or not? What can I do, or not? What do I need to heal? What can I bring to the space to create peace and truth and love? This drives my search for insight and knowledge, which in turn gets reflected in my art. It deepens my expression and my desire to hear and connect with others. It drives my willingness to be vulnerable and available. I am quite empathic, and sometimes I feel great sorrow about the violence we experience and share, physically and verbally. While at times, I want to run and hide (and sometimes I do), my art requires my presence. It’s a way I can work through my own judgments and pain and allow the beauty to emerge. Artists remind us of the vividness of life and invite us to engage and play.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have two websites: AndreaBeaulieuMusic.com and AndreaBeaulieu.com. All the ways I serve are on those sites. I would love your support! If you know of a venue you believe would be a good fit for my music or my coaching work, I’d appreciate it. I can be reached at andrea@andreabeaulieu.com

Contact Info:

• Address: Andrea Beaulieu Creates, LLC
  7000 N. 16th Street STE 120 #296
  Phoenix, AZ 85020
• Website: www.AndreaBeaulieu.com www.AndreaBeaulieuMusic.com
• Email: andrea@andreabeaulieu.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABCreates-LLC-32362868874/?ref=bookmarks
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndreaBeaulieu
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreabeaulieu/

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