JOIN USJuanita Kakoty speaks to one of the contestants of ‘Superhuman Showdown’, Jaime Vendera, who has the unique ability to shatter a wine glass, with just his voice.“I appeared for the first time on TV in 2005, on Discovery Channel,” says Jaime Vendera, “Where I shattered a wine glass with my voice.
That was the first time such an event was recorded on camera.” And since then, Jaime has come a long way with his voice training techniques and several hugely popular books on voice strengthening. He will appear on Discovery Channel once again in the show Superhuman Showdown, where he does what he does best. In his words, “I am known worldwide for shattering glass with my voice, without amplifiers. This is what the audience will see me doing in Superhuman Showdown.”
Discovery Channel’s Superhuman Showdown airs Monday to Friday at 8 pm. The series investigates individuals with an amazing range of abilities (from champion knife throwers to record-breaking mathematicians, body-defying contortionists to incredible ice swimmers, etc); each hour-long episode is led by three world-renowned scientists: leading sports scientist and former British Olympic athlete Greg Whyte, brain surgeon and scientist Rahul Jandial, and neuropsychiatrist and brain behaviour expert Heather Berlin.
The superhumans are split into five categories — speed, strength, endurance, brain power and skill; and the scientists analyse the physical and mental makeup of each individual in order to uncover the sources behind their unique abilities. The experts then choose the two most remarkable individuals in each category for a dramatic final showdown. Thus, Superhuman Showdown brings to TV the incredible powers of the human body and mind. Jaime will be seen at this show with other interesting contestants.
Vocal show of strength
Jaime is a voice-strengthening specialist known the world over for his training methods that allow a singer to unlock his/her voice by creating a variety of primal sounds. He says that voice coaching is not very difficult, “I have a very unique approach that rests on how one breathes. Many professional singers get in touch with me to increase their vocal range, vocal power and vocal stamina. I train them on how to maximise their breathing to achieve this. They also come to me to develop their on-stage persona and overcome stage fright.”
“When these singers come to me, I ask them to cry and for many, the voice breaks. I teach my singers to cry without losing their voice. I show them how they can scream, rock and sing without causing damage to their vocal cords. Doctors at the show, who took all necessary measurements and conducted all required tests, told me that I have the voice of a 19-20 year old!” Though Jaime trains singers, he admits that, “I was the worst singer in the world. I have had to work really hard on my voice. And let me tell you that I have students from all over the world. My biggest fan, by the way, happens to be from India,” he smiles.
The19-year-old who moved to Hollywood to study Voice at the Musician’s Institute, got the opportunity to increase his vocal knowledge under the guidance of teachers like Jim Gillette, Elizabeth Sabine and Thomas Appell. Jaime studied voice, yoga, massage therapy, reflexology, hypnosis, anatomy and natural healing; fom these he drew an approach for his voice training technique. His method is basically about strengthening the vocal muscles and he combines this with his Mindset programme, where he teaches singers to relax and de-stress before a performance.
Jaime conducts private and online lessons, vocal seminars and workshops around the globe. His books have been read and endorsed by singers of bands like TNT, Journey, Saliva, Nitro, Dream Theater, Dokken, Shinedown, The Rasmus, Stryper, Machina, Avalon, Theory of a Deadman, The Dreaming, Kill Hannah, RA, and Future Leaders of the World. A huge number of singers worldwide have used his critically acclaimed training manuals Raise Your Voice and The Ultimate Breathing Workout.
Jaime says that his wife is his biggest inspiration. “It takes me a long time, at times years, to write a book. And I travel extensively for workshops, training, etc. My wife patiently deals with all that. Plus, over the years, she is the one who has pushed me and urged me not to give up any endeavour I am working on. Every time I am a little nervous, she tells me ‘Jaime, you can do this.’ It’s this faith that helps me tremendously to keep going.”
Don’t miss out on an amazing set of people on Discovery Channel’s Superhuman Showdown. To talk about a few of these superhumanly capable people, meet the world’s fastest talking woman, watch a record-holding speed eater, see a contortionist twist her body backwards over her head, while holding her entire body weight with just her mouth, marvel at how someone can swim in the frigid waters of South Pole and, of course, wonder at the technique Jaime uses to shatter glasses with just his voice.