Heart's Ann Wilson Does Vocal Warmups to Disturbed, Elton John on Tour: 'It Pays Off' (Exclusive)
The singer-songwriter is on a solo tour with her band Tripsitter and just released a new album, 'Another Door'
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Ann Wilson, David Draiman of Disturbed, Elton JohnAnn Wilson is sharing how she gets her iconic voice revved up for her solo shows.
The Heart legend, who has been on the road with her band Tripsitter since July, is taking her vocal warmups "so seriously" these days, and at 73, is feeling better than ever because of it.
"This is the first tour I've ever been on where I take my warmup so seriously and it really pays off," Wilson exclusively tells PEOPLE ahead of headlining Women Who Rock's benefit at Stage AE in Pittsburgh on Saturday Oct. 21.
"I mean, what I do is set aside an hour before I hit the stage and just play all the music that I love from any era, any artist that I love and just sing along."
"And that is so much more fun than singing scales or doing vocal exercises," she adds. "I can stick with that."
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Ann WilsonThe "Crazy on You" singer, who just released a new solo record Another Door on Sept. 29, divulged which artists she likes to belt along with the most.
"Well, Disturbed," she says of the '90s metal band out of Chicago. "David Draiman is an incredible singer. Just an amazing person. And it was such an honor to get to sing with him. I got to duet with him on their new song that's not out yet. It's called ‘Don't Tell Me' and we just made a video for that. So there's that."
Adds Wilson, "I usually sing along with Elton John or Emmylou Harris or Lucinda Williams or somebody like that who's up in my range."
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Ann WilsonAdmitting that John's music "makes me cry," Wilson also shared one of the most special, intimate performances she's ever witnessed: Aretha Franklin at the Roxy on West Hollywood's Sunset Strip.
"They sat us right by the stage. Just a little tiny place. I was really happy to be there," Wilson recalls of the 1981 show. "She's always been one of my idols, but she sang a couple of songs and I was just in tears. It was so wonderful. It's just — I couldn't control myself."
Gearing up to headline Women Who Rock's 6th annual benefit concert in Pittsburgh on Stage AE presented by Gibson Gives, Wilson went on to reveal some standout female musicians on her radar today.
"Lzzy Hale is a great one," Wilson notes. "She's got some oomph to her and I love Lucinda Williams because she’s so raw."
"I'm waiting for a lot of 'em to take off the leather pants, skulls and all that kind of stuff and be themselves," she tells PEOPLE with a laugh.
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Ann WilsonAs for whether or not she's a fan of Taylor Swift, Wilson gave the superstar some serious accolades.
"I think she's extremely talented," she says. "Extremely talented and in at least three ways — songwriting, singing and dancing. She seems to have a really creative imagination, and she's picked people to work with that get her, which I think is really great. You don't have that all the time."
Wilson says her own songwriting, like her touring style, has "changed a lot" over the years.
"Conditions had to be perfect. It had to be in a getaway cottage situation with the phones unplugged and nobody around and my songwriting partners were a judgment committee, you know, it's not like that now," she shares.
"Now, I write by myself and I just open up a notebook and look at this blank page and usually I get an idea and I just put everything down, go back later and lift out the good parts."
"It isn't all good," Wilson notes. "A lot of it's excess."
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