An EconoTimes perspective

Rod Davies

Lecturer in popular music and songwriting, Monash University

Lecturer in popular music and songwriting, Monash University Dr Rod Davies is the convenor of Popular Music and a lecturer in Songwriting at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science (psychology and physiology) from Monash University in 1995, Davies has since sustained a diverse career as a professional vocalist in the fields of live performance, studio recording, music theatre, music publishing and education. He has experienced firsthand the full breadth of live performance – as a solo artist, a commercial entertainer and a backing singer to Australian music icons John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John, Tina Arena and Mark Seymour. As a session vocalist, through performances on TV (Hey Hey its Saturday, 1996-2010; Dancing with the Stars, 2004-2015), radio and album recordings, Davies developed a strong reputation, skillset and understanding of studio vocal recording. This knowledge is central to his PhD thesis and recent book publication 'Coproduction in the recording studio: Perspectives from the vocal booth' (Routledge - 2021). Drawing on interviews with professional session singers, this book details how recording studio environments affect musical performance by considering sociocultural and sociotechnical theory, the modern home studio space, as well as isolation and self-recording in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Davies joined Monash University in 2016, and is passionate about sharing his knowledge and understanding of popular music and songwriting.