The Queens Room Musicians with vocalist Rebecca Southard

Interviews On board with Cunard

A life on board: Queens Room vocalist

At the heart of every Cunard ship lies the Queens Room, an elegant ballroom of timeless romance. Each evening, the Queens Room Musicians fill the dance floor with a breathtaking repertoire of live music. We meet vocalist Rebecca Southard to talk about music and the life of a performer.

10 min 29 Jul 2024

Andrew Duff

Cunard writer

A night in the Queens Room

It’s mid-evening in the Queens Room on Queen Anne, and the tables are full. Golden light washes from the bar at the edge of the room, adding a sparkle to jewellery and casting a warm glow on two hundred faces. Hidden projectors rotate a kaleidoscope of Art Deco patterns on the dance floor. The screen behind the empty stage moves in a dappled pattern of light and shadow.

Chatter ebbs and flows. Staff with laden trays weave between the tables. Piped music plays in the background.

A little before 8.45pm, the band take their seats. A ripple runs across the room, the atmosphere charging perceptibly. It’s the fifth night of Queen Anne’s naming voyage, and we have an idea of what’s in store for us.

The vocalist lifts her microphone. There’s a warm welcome, a little banter, and then a short pause. The guitarist starts up a simple riff.

The vocalist begins to sing, and time stops.

Chatter ceases, drinks halt halfway to lips, even the bustling staff seem to skip a step as her voice soars from the stage. For a long moment she has the room in the palm of her hand, every guest transfixed by the lilting melody…

…and the bass guitarist kicks off a toe-tapping rhythm, the drummer joining, the pianist and horn section following suit. Suddenly people are on their feet, the dance floor filling with whirling couples and singles as the song builds towards its climax. The vocalist’s voice flits like a kite, high above and all around, willing us to sing along.

After four minutes of magic, it’s over: a crescendo of drums, a crash of symbols and we’re raising the roof: cheering the band, the vocalist, each other. Time, then, to take a breath, a sip of wine, before the band launches into its next number and off we go again.

Over the following evenings, I listen to the band, the vocalist, perform a startlingly varied repertoire in musical genres ranging from ballroom to Eighties pop. I’m no expert, but it dawns on me that we’re in the presence of a special vocal talent that Cunard is very fortunate to have.

I have this reinforced one evening by West End and Broadway star Rachel Tucker, on board for a headline performance in the Royal Court Theatre.

“That girl,” she says to me, in a tone that brooks no argument, “is world class.”

Rebecca Southard on stage in the Queens Room

Quickfire questions

It’s a few weeks since those heady nights in the Queens Room, and I’m back on board Queen Anne to catch up with the owner of that voice, Rebecca Southard. After reminiscing about the naming voyage – a special two weeks for everyone lucky enough to be on board – we get into a quickfire round of questions contributed by Cunard's enthusiastic Instagram followers

What are your favourite things to do on board when you're not performing or rehearsing?

Rebecca: We have the staff mess downstairs, which is a nice area to just hang out with friends and chat. Also, the crew area on deck five forward is beautiful, one of my favourite spaces on the whole ship. When it's sunny I love to take a book up there, just to relax and get some fresh air.

What is it like performing on Queen Anne?

Rebecca: Fun! Performing with the most talented musicians I've come across on ships is such a joyful experience. When the show is well received by the audience, then that is such an amazing positive feedback loop. And the variety of entertainment on Queen Anne keeps everything fresh.

Had you ever been on a cruise ship before you started working on Queen Anne?

Rebecca: I have worked for Cunard for two years, but I hadn't been on a cruise ship before then. So, when I started on Queen Elizabeth, it was a whole new world. There was so much to learn about life on board.

What is your favourite piece of music or song that you perform?

Rebecca: The first song that came to my head was Adele's 'Set Fire to the Rain'. When we play it, we turn it into a dramatic Latin tango, but it still has the power of the original. Adele is such an amazing performer and songwriter, just trying to perform one of her songs is pretty cool.

My other favourite is from our Big Band theme night, where we have guest musicians with us. It's a Cole Porter song called 'Miss Otis Regrets.’ It’s a pacey swing rhythm, but it's about a lady being put on trial for murder. So there’s a real contrast between the dark theme and the upbeat tune. It’s so much fun to perform with the bigger orchestra and be on stage with all that talent.

What is your favourite thing about interacting with guests?

Rebecca: I just love chatting with them, hearing about their experience on board and feeling like I've made a positive impact on their holiday. Cunard has a lot of returning guests and it’s wonderful to see familiar faces, get to know them a little bit. They’re the reason we’re here and without them I wouldn't have a job!

Talking about the job, what are the easiest and hardest aspects of it?

Rebecca: The hardest part is being away from home and loved ones. And the easiest? Singing every night. Every day is like 'oh, do I have to go to work?' If I can call it work, I'll go and have some fun tonight.

What’s the best perk to working on a cruise ship?

Rebecca: Seeing the world. We’ve seen some incredible places that I would never have even thought of going to visit. Our last cruise in Norway was breathtaking. You're on this glorious ship, sailing through this amazing scenery. And unless you were on the ship, how else would you experience it?

Queen Victoria in Nordfjord, Norway

Where it all started

Could you take us back to the beginning, to when you first started performing?

Rebecca: My mum put me in ballet and theatre classes when I was five. I did that until I was about 16. But I never thought seriously about doing it as a career until I was 18. I started a dental nursing apprenticeship, but musical theatre had always been going on in the background. I wasn’t enjoying the path I was on, so I thought, what if I gave it a go?

So I went to the London College of Music to study musical theatre, focused on acting and singing. After I graduated in 2018, I went to Japan for a year. I got a job at Universal Studios. That was my first professional contract.

Can you remember your first ever performance in the Queens Room?

Rebecca: I can. I was so nervous. And I remember getting lost going back to my cabin after work! It took me a few weeks to get to grips with it all. Having come from a theatre background, working with the band was very different. I felt a lot of pressure knowing the expectations of the audience, not wanting to let the band down. And then there’s the whole hosting side of things.

Of course. It’s not just singing, you have to engage with the audience.

Rebecca: Exactly. And that was brand new to me. Even if you’re just introducing the song, you need confidence and conviction talking on the mic. As you gain experience, you start to interact more with the audience, especially on theme nights when you’ve really got to bring energy to the room. The Queens Room on Queen Anne is very good, you’re a bit closer to the guests.

Gala Evening on the Queens Room on board Queen Anne

A day in the life

Could you take us through a typical day at sea, assuming you’re performing in the evening?

Rebecca: Because we perform until late evening, that tends to mean a later morning! Breakfast does not really happen. One arises when one arises and goes for coffee in the crew mess. Food opens at 11:30am, so brunch is usually the first meal of the day.

After that I’ll try and do some personal admin, go to the gym, maybe take a walk around the promenade deck. I like to get in some physical exercise and fresh air every day if possible.

Work usually starts at 5.00pm with a sound check rehearsal. And if there are any songs that we want to go over, then we’ll do that then. After rehearsal it’s dinner, usually in the buffet. And then it’s time to get ready for the performance at 8.45pm.

Where do you rehearse?

Rebecca: In the Queens Room, which is funny because obviously it’s all open, guests are wandering in and listening. It’s lovely, but if things go wrong I do put out a quick disclaimer that this is rehearsal! It’s great to have that opportunity to get together and rehearse.

How does the routine differ on port days? Do you always get off the ship?

Rebecca: Yes, I try and get off around mid-morning, especially if there’s something I particularly want to see or do. Sometimes I’ll go on my own, or we’ll do something together as a group. It's a real privilege to have time to see these beautiful places. And then, singing in the evenings… it's not a bad day at all!

Do you ever perform anywhere else, besides the Queens Room?

Rebecca: Yes, we played a set in the Pavilion on the day of the naming ceremony in Liverpool, and we did a sailaway from Flåm in Norway. Being out at the Panorama Pool Club performing in that scenery was incredible!

Queen Anne's aft deck from above, showing the Panorama Pool Club

Behind the scenes

How do the Queens Room performances come together? What’s the first step for you?

Rebecca: When I first started, I was sent the whole Queens Room repertoire, about 400 songs – the starter pack if you like. I spent my days learning all the music on my own. Because although a lot of the songs were familiar, the arrangements and styles were adapted for the Queens Room by Cunard.

And then you rehearse with the band?

Rebecca: Yes. We were fortunate on Queen Anne – we had time to rehearse while we were at the shipyard. That was great for learning how everyone plays before we had to perform in front of an audience.

How do you decide which songs to play, and in which order?

Rebecca: We work closely with our band leader. He’s responsible for creating the set list for each evening and is really good at balancing our strengths against the repertoire for the evening’s theme, picking the right songs and putting them in the right order for the show.

You mentioned learning 400 songs earlier. Do you ever forget the lyrics?

Rebecca: When I’m performing, I have an iPad with the set list and lyrics downloaded on to it, so learning the lyrics is not completely necessary. I think that would overload my brain! Forgetting the words is one of my biggest fears so it’s great to have the security blanket.

Thinking about your voice, do you follow any particular regime to look after it?

Rebecca: The main thing is approaching it like a marathon rather than a sprint. I’ve learned that in order to perform at my best, I have to limit the late nights and get plenty of rest. I don’t drink much alcohol, and hydration is really important. I try and drink at least two litres of water each day.

Before you go on, do you warm up?

Rebecca: I do try and get a vocal warm-up in, especially if I have particularly challenging songs that evening. If there’s time, I’ll spend a few minutes in my room doing lip drills and a few scales. I've also got a vocal straw, which is a great tool that a lot of singers use.

Who does your hair and makeup?

Rebecca: I do. Which might explain a lot because I'm not the most skilled in those areas! But it’s fun to try out different styles and try to match the theme of the evening.

And you wear your own clothes on stage?

Rebecca: Yes, all mine. So we can choose what we wear, which is nice. I love dressing up, whether it’s a ball gown for a Gala Evening or some flares for 70s night, it’s a lot of fun.

Do you still get nervous before you go on?

Rebecca: Less so these days, but I do get nervous with certain songs. There are still phrases or notes that don't come naturally to me, so I have to be focused. Knowing that's coming up can get in your head a little bit. I think nerves are a good thing, they show that you care about what you’re doing.

But with experience I’ve learned to balance them, so I’m not flooded with adrenaline. Also, it’s important to let go if you make a mistake. Just aim to do it better next time.

Last question: What does the future hold?

Rebecca: Longer term, I would love to be more involved in theatre, mix acting with singing and keep growing as a performer. But the lifestyle on board is wonderful. I am so privileged. So we shall see. Maybe there’s a World Voyage in me…

The Queens Room on board Queen Anne

Looking forward: another ship, another Queens Room

Rebecca will join Queen Elizabeth in the autumn of 2024, sailing from Alaska to Australia via Hawaii and the South Pacific.

As Queen Anne’s inaugural season draws to a close, it’s worth highlighting the amazing job that the entire crew has done to make it so special. The entertainment team on board, Rebecca and the band included, have played an integral part in its success.

And I’m certain that I’m not the only guest who will remember her as the singer who could stop time in the Queens Room.

Artist photography by Esteban Ochoa