Can singing lessons mess up my style?

Q I’m a pop/rock singer, but I’m wary about taking voice lessons if it’s going to change my sound and style.

A This is perhaps the most common concern of contemporary singers and an understandable one. It’s also a concern that will hold you back from tapping your true potential. The reason you want a coach on your team is to help you do what you want to do, but do it better. You want to be able to do it night after night. You want to be able to do it on a bad day. You want to feel free to express the way YOU want to express. If the coach helps you do that in a session or two you will feel it. If the coach is into promoting the “right” and “correct” way to sing, you are correctly concerned that he/she is teaching from the book and wanting to change your sound, rather than bringing out the best in you.