NC Grey is a talented UK-based musician and voice actor known for her captivating performances in the jazz and soul genres.
She has achieved significant success in voice acting, securing high-profile gigs with organizations like the World Health Organization and the United Nations.
Besides her thriving music and voice acting careers, NC Grey is also an author, with her latest book being Your Vocal Goldmine, an eBook designed to help aspiring voice actors.
Please introduce yourself …
I’m NC Grey, a British-Nigerian singer and voice actor.
Describe your life right now in a word or one sentence …
I’d describe my life right now as learning to walk on a rope.
Which came first the music or the voice acting and where and how did the two cross over?
The music came first; I’d been living and performing in Ireland for years and only fell into voice acting when the world closed during lockdown. With no shows to play, I had to find another creative outlet.
Telling your relevant close ones that you wanted to pursue a career in the arts was like?
I’m Nigerian. You can only imagine the look on my mum’s face. My family fought it for a while. There was a point I was threatened to be disowned. However, I was able to prove that I could balance creativity with doing well at uni. It also helped when my mum came to see me live and finally believed I could “actually sing“.
Your bio says you went from recording in an IKEA Wardrobe to booking significant jobs with big brands please share that journey …
My journey into voice acting happened over lockdown. I believed the first few jobs were a fluke so I didn’t want to invest a lot of money into a home set-up until I was sure it was an actual thing. I started off using spare mattresses my mum had in the shed to build my first booth. And although mattresses work really well for soundproofing, they were quite tedious to set up every other day. At the point I realised I was booking 2-3 small projects a day, I decided it was time to get something more permanent.
The average home studio booth would run me nearly £800 so I did some YouTube-ing and decided to DIY it with a cupboard and some soundproof squares from Amazon. The total set up including glue cost me £150. The quality of my work greatly improved with this setup and I saw that reflected in the calibre of clients that reached out. From that same setup, I was able to work with the British Arts Council, SalesForce and the NHS. I’ve now been able to reinvest in the business and get a top-of-the-range mic and plugins that mean I can record with or without my cupboard.
Tell us about your new ebook Your Vocal Goldmine. What’s it about and who’s it for?
As I progressed along my journey, I got a lot of DM’s from people wanting to know how they could also get into voice acting. There were a lot of misconceptions like you couldn’t do it without an agent etc. and I found myself repeating the same answers every other day. I started building an FAQ doc in my notes app and with how frequently I opened it to copy and paste, decided it was time to build a resource. Your Vocal Goldmine is my ebook that provides a step-by-step guide on becoming a voice actor. It covers everything I wish I’d known, how to accurately understand your niche and how best to monetise your voice. There are tasks at the end of every chapter with the aim that on completion of the ebook, you’ll be fully set up.
Highs, lows, solutions …
Did I mention I work a full-time job in a tech company? Balancing a full-time career, delivering my booked voice over jobs and writing a book was no small feat. I’m definitely a calendar girlie so I leveraged that and over-indexed on time blocking. There were social functions I had to decline and prioritise content that would deliver immediate impact to the reader as opposed to storytelling. As I began to fine-tune the book, I knew I had to shut down my corporate brain. I took a week off work, went to sunny Malta and spent hours every day completing the book. For efficiency, I leveraged my network; one of my closest friends Marve Anson is an author and helped with the copywriting. Another friend who was a photographer shot the cover photo. It was truly a team effort and I’m super grateful that I have a network I could lean into.
Which project to date do you feel best demonstrates why you do what you do?
Working on the W.H.O. project is one of my career highlights. There is a huge sense of fulfilment working on projects that truly matter and that project focused on the huge lack of investment in healthcare services around the world.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU …
If not this, then what?
That’s a really hard question. I’ve got a career in tech, the music, and then this. So if not this, I’d probably index more on one of the other things I’m doing. I’m a strong believer in leaving no stone unturned so I feel like I’m currently doing all the things I’d want to do in some capacity.
What’s made you Sad, Mad, Glad this week …
Sad, I saw a pastry I really wanted and couldn’t have (I’m currently cutting out gluten to see how I feel). Mad, the news. I mean, there’s nothing on there that wouldn’t make you mad. Glad, I found a gluten-free peanut butter blondie that was so good.
What are you watching right now?
A lot of Nigerian movies on Netflix. I’m trying to work on a really specific Nigerian accent so I’m doing a lot of character analysis and understanding tone. No, there isn’t a specific project I’m working on, but you never know when the opportunity may arise.
What are you reading right now?
I’m really in my black author bag right now and I’ve literally just finished ‘Some Angels Dont See God‘ by Ever Obi. It’s such a gripping read.
The last thing you saw on stage?
MW the Musical. I haven’t laughed that much in a while.
What’s on your bucket list?
To voice an animated character.
Where’s your happy place?
On a beach. I’m my happiest when I’m by water.
Who’s the most important person in your life?
God. And yes, he’s not exactly a person. But with where I am right now, he’s the most consistent.
Celebrate someone else …
I’m super excited for Marve Anson who just got a book deal with Penguin Michael Joseph. I’m a big fan of the Penguin brand and super cool to see someone I know get a signing.
Celebrate yourself …
I’m very proud of the risks I’ve taken to get to where I am. Spinning multiple plates isn’t for everyone and not every venture is a success. But so far, so good.
Whose footsteps are you following in?
I’d like to think I’m following in the footsteps of Issa Rae and Jamie Foxx who are masters of many crafts.
What’s Next?
I’ve begun to lend my expertise to coaching some new voice actors and I’m looking forward to seeing them doing great things in the V/O space.
Where can we find you?
You can find me on Instagram and TikTok – @ncgrey
Where can we find your latest work?
www.ncgrey.com hosts all my projects; both music and voice acting.