Finding Your Voice As A Transgender Artist With VTS Student Rafi Perez

I had the absolute joy of sitting down with Rafi, a theater student at USC and a current VoxTape student, to talk about something that runs way deeper than technique: finding your voice as part of finding yourself.

Rafi is transgender, an actor, a musical theater lover, and someone who’s using singing lessons as a tool to connect more fully to who she is—not just as a performer, but as a person.

This conversation was real, joyful, and full of insight for any singer on a journey of identity, self-trust, or expression.

*Scroll down to the bottom of the page to watch/listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast or YouTube*

Voice Work Isn’t Just About Sound

🎙 Rafi: “If I think about grounding, then it’s not all up here… I’m not trying to reach for something. I’m going down to lift off.”

Rafi talked about how voice work is so much more than scales or support—it’s about feeling safe in your body, and learning how to express who you are without apology.

When you’re transgender (or anywhere on the gender spectrum), your voice can carry a lot of tension—physically and emotionally. Singing can become a space for healing that tension and reclaiming power.

A Journey Through Theater, Gender & Expression

🎙 Lara: “You’re in school for theater—but musical theater was your gateway, right?”

Rafi’s background in musical theater shaped her early relationship with performance. But as her gender identity evolved, so did her sense of what it meant to be seen—not as a character, but as herself. She’s had the opportunity to play all different kinds of roles and give them new life - the way it felt right to her, not how it was originally done.

Luckily, we see this more often now - directors and writers being flexible with genders and roles. This gives everyone the chance to play a role and represent that role in a way that is authentic to them.

Singing Lessons as Self-Discovery

🎙 Rafi: “I feel more confident showing up now—not just as a singer, but as me.”

This is what we live for at VoxTape Studios. The moment a singer stops chasing perfection, and starts singing from a place of wholeness.

For Rafi, voice lessons have been a tool to:

• Connect her body and voice in a safe way

• Express her femininity and truth through tone and texture

• Build confidence in performance and everyday life

• Reclaim space without shrinking

Whether you’re trans, queer, gender-expansive—or just trying to feel more like yourself when you sing—Rafi’s journey is a reminder that voice work is identity work.

🎧 Want to Hear the Full Conversation?

This episode of From Singer to Artist is honest, empowering, and full of moments that will stick with you—especially if you’ve ever felt like your voice didn’t quite match who you are. Plus I got the chance to workshop “My Days” from The Notebook with Rafi!

🎧 Listen to the full episode below (coaching starts at 30:11)

Prefer Listening To The Podcast On Your Favorite Platform? Listen Below.