Looking for a chance to become a professional singer? Then an App called Wurrly may help your dream to come true. Ms. Nadine Levitt, a professional opera singer, created Wurrly as a versatile App where you can do a lot more than just a karaoke singing. It allows you to customize the backing track of a song in any way you like without and priormusical knowledge. You can change the tempo and the pitch, or you can choose which musical instrument to use in the background; acoustic guitar, piano, or the full band. You can even duet with someone far away from you. And there’s more. You don’t have to memorize the lyrics, because the App shows them on the screen. The song list is updated weekly, and they have everything from current hit songs like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande to popular oldies like Frank Sinatra. You can share your recording on social medias like Facebook and Twitter, plus, Wurrly has it’s own in app social networks of music lovers. Even if you’re not a singer today, someone might spot your talent and give you a chance tomorrow. On top of all that, you can download the App free.
We asked Mr. Colin Cadarette, who is in charge of marketing and business development at Wurrly about the company and how he sees the future of Wurrly.
– Please tell us about the background of Ms. Nadine Levitt, the founder of Wurrly.
She has built a successful career as a professional opera singer and a song writer in U.S. and overseas and is well known for her performances with David Foster, Roger Daltry, Christina Perri and Steven Tyler. When she started her own label, Feel Like A Giant, and a publishing company, FLAG Publishing, she realized that some people couldn’t get a chance to show their singing talent because they didn’t have enough money to hire a musician or book a recording studio. So she decided to create Wurrly to give everyone an equal chance to show the world how well they can sing.
– Please tell us about your background.
I interned at several music startup companies while in college. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, I studied International Business Administration at King’s College in London. Then I moved back to U.S. and worked at RECESS, a startup company that supports and trains college startup entrepreneurs. RECESS works with multiple partners like TED Talks and Shark Tank to host pitch events and afterward concerts at college campuses. Working for RECESS was an amazing experience, and I was able to meet many entrepreneurs there. After my departure from RECESS I starting doing contract work for Wurrly and eventually joined the team full time.
– Who do you see as your future customer? What also sets your service apart from your competitors?
We currently do business in U.S., but eventually we want it to become a global App. What’s unique about our business is that we can connect with other businesses as both a consumer app and as a music technology company with valuable tech IP we can use to power partner apps. For instance, recently we worked with the TV show Lip Sync Battle to create an App where the viewer can lip sync battle on their phones just like that do on the show. Another example is a music education App called WURRLYedu created for school students. What’s great about it is that when a class is given performance homework, each student can record him/herself on WURRLYedu App and individually submit it to the teacher. Without the App, the teacher has to spend forever watching each student perform during the class. The students can customize the choice of musical instrument or the pitch just like Wurrly, so in a sense they can create their own musical. We hope to continue to partner with new companies worldwide to find innovative ways to leverage our tech IP.
– How do you plan on expanding your business?
Our goal is to introduce our App to the global market. We know that karaoke is really popular in countries like Indonesia and Japan, so we want everyone there to use our App and enjoy it. We are actively seeking partners in these markets.
– How many staff do you have now?
Between 10 to 15. Some are full-time, and some are part-time. All of the engineers are full-time employees and we do all development work in-house.
– Please tell us about your daily schedule.
6:30am Morning exercise (surfing at Venice Beach or Malibu)
9:00am Begin work
2:00pm Lunch break
7:00pm Finish work
– Where do you hang out a lot?
Rooftop bar at Shangri-La Hotel in Santa Monica. They have a gorgeous view of Santa Monica pier and Malibu there. I highly recommend going there during the sunset time.
– Which cell phone App do you use a lot?
I use Google Drive for work collaboration project. Surfline is another one I always use to check the waves before I go surfing.
– Who inspires you on a daily basis?
As corny as this may sound, it is the members of the Silicon Beach startup community. Some are successful, some are not, but everyone works so hard to start their own business, and their story really inspire me to keep pushing through the ups and downs of startup life.
Wurrly is such a symbolic startup company for Los Angeles, the heart of entertainment business where people dream of becoming a star one day. By using this App, you don’t have to go to a karaoke bar to sing with your friends and you can share your talent with the world. Wurrly is available in iOS and Android, so download it from Japan and have a try.
