Brett Pruneau is a towering vocal force from the small town of Bonne Terre, near St. Louis MO. Though he is also a gifted pianist, Brett focuses his efforts on the medium of voice. Brett has performed throughout North America and Europe since the age of 17.
For over a decade, he has studied various styles of vocal technique across the world in cities such as Chicago, London, Dublin, New York and most recently Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Under the watch of his mentor Emmy-Nominated Creator, Producer and Musical Director of Multi-Platinum Global Sensation ‘Celtic Woman’, David Downes Brett was offered a range of exciting opportunities including recording and performing with members of Celtic Woman, various tours throughout Europe and Germany (including a sold out performance at The Munich Philharmonic Concert Hall) and performing a solo concert at The National Concert Hall in Dublin among others.
Brett is currently based out of Las Vegas and performs regularly on the Vegas Strip, having headlined 3 shows at major Properties the likes of Planet Hollywood and Caesars Palace, including a 2-year run as Vocalist in Vegas’ longest running show (34 years), ‘Jubilee!’ at Bally’s Casino.
Recently, we sat down with Brett for a little Q&A:
Bridge: Hi Brett, thanks for taking the time to chat with us! Let’s start on a light note, what is the most embarrassing music moment that you look back on now and think ‘wow, look how far I’ve come’?
Brett: Hey there! Happy to chat! Thankfully… nothing TOO mortifying has actually happened to me on stage (yet). I mean there are your obvious voice cracks that happen every once in a while… but one of my more embarrassing moments was when I had to sing ‘There’s Nothing Holding Me Back’ by Shawn Mendes in a show and I just blanked on the lyrics… so for some reason I just started revving like a car engine to the melody until I could find a word to jump back onto !!!!!!! I’m not sure if it was even THAT noticeable to the crowd, but I know my face went bright red….
Bridge What does music creation look like for you? Brett: For me- it’s Collaboration. I’ve never been much of a writer on my own. I really feed off of another person’s energy and ideas – it’s a really exciting process when you’re just sitting and vibing creatively with another artist. It’s a different kind of high. I LOVE the feeling.
Bridge: What’s your favorite subject to write music about, if you have one?
Brett: I’m a sucker for a sad ballad… if it’s kinda heavy and heartache-ridden, it’s usually got my interest. I don’t know what that says about me!
Bridge: What’s the most exhilarating part of releasing new music for you?
Brett: Obviously the audience feedback is amazing, but being able to set a song ‘free’ is so nice. People don’t often know the process of creating music and releasing it, there is a massive revision process where you’re trying to get everything right and just how you imagined it to be. It can be exhausting and sometimes you have to take breaks from songs for weeks at a time to try and get a fresh perspective on the track again. Wrapping up a project and letting it exist is just this huge feeling of relief and accomplishment. It’s a lot of work, man!
Bridge: How has Covid affected your music career trajectory or music production process?
Brett: Covid has been devastating. Without a doubt. but it’s also given me a huge opportunity to grow and develop myself. Instead of falling into the pits of doom throughout this season, I did a LOT of personal and professional development. I kept myself busy working on projects like my EP ‘The Real Thing’ and also have done a huge amount of work on my vocal technique and understanding of vocal function and production. I’ve learned more in the last 2 years than I have in probably the 10 years prior to this pandemic.
Bridge: Tell us about your new single ‘My Amazing Grace’!
Brett: ‘My Amazing Grace’ is an otherworldly, ethereal song that talks about falling in love – and how scary that process can be. There can be an amazing person and situation sitting right in front of us, and our human condition oftentimes tells us to retreat. We go into this kind of ‘protection’ mode especially if we have been hurt in the past. This song is about facing that fear and surrendering to the idea that we all deserve someone and something amazing. We don’t have to push it away because of an inner dialogue that tells us we are damaged or unworthy.
Bridge: What’s next for you after this single?
Brett: I’m working on a new solo show to start traveling within the new year and also have some more music in the pipeline to be released. I have an exciting project that I’ve been developing for several years with singer/songwriter Effie Passero that I’m hoping to break ground on this year as well. it’s some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard and I feel so lucky to have been given these songs to interpret. It will be my first time releasing some original music.
Bridge: Thanks for chatting today, Brett! Where can we follow you online?
Brett: My pleasure!! You can find me on all social media platforms under my name (Brett Pruneau) or check out my website www.brettpruneaumusic.com !
