My name is Yabo Obien.

 

There are three things that I have always excelled at since I was three-years-old. Singing, playing piano, and public speaking. I am using those skills in combination or singularly every moment of the day. They go together well for me. The rhythm, timing, tonality, and immediacy of all are inseparable.

 

Life's experience through the years and decades have molded my heart, soul, and ears to observe with a "third eye". All the things it takes to create and perform music with excellence and spontaneity are the very same elements it takes to create a unique and uncommon voice-over performance. Aural moments that move people to action, stirring their emotions while painting for the listener from a "palette of words on a page."

 

You will find here samples of my passion for the art; sound bites of my interpretive skills of "...words on a page."

 

People say that my voice is most characterized as a warm, wise, and seasoned narrator, low in tonality, but accessible; a character and dialect specialist with a hint of the past voice-over masters.

 

My philosophy is no different from any serious actor doing the things needed to achieve authenticity and believability.

 

That's only part of the work, though. The wonderful challenge is working to deliver a performance from another's point-of-view. The director and client. After all, if you can't give the client what they want, then it becomes a futile and empty game of solitaire.

 

My baritone/tenor vocal range and tonality covers a wide spectrum of genres, from audio books to 15-second commercials­—from documentaries to training videos and movie trailers.

 

Most enjoyable for me have been storytelling as in the PBS/NatGEO-type of documentary reads because they draw upon my academic study of oral interpretation of literature. My narrator sound is warm, personal, seasoned, and authoritative.  I love the work of Peter Coyote, Will Lyman, Peter Thomas, Morgan Freeman, Don LaFontaine, and Hal Douglas. In the dialect and character voice arenas, I study Paul Frees, and Mel Blanc.

 

In the integrity and life-philosophy arena, I AM my Mama and Papa and my brothers who have dedicated their lives to doing whatever it takes to serving and loving people. My Christian faith has given me purpose and a reason for everything that I do. It gives me a perspective on excellence and humility. Though I want to thrive in this arena of entertainment, it is NOT the end all of who I am. I hope that my life shows that.

 

I look forward to meeting you and being a part of your next project and endeavor.  Thanks for listening.