Karen Lyu

09/06/2026

For Edmund, those 5 lessons were all it took to skyrocket his music career.

Singing in Tune Success Story - EDMUND MOHLATE

I was first contacted by Edmund Mohlathe from South Africa in 2011. He requested a scholarship, and I agreed to help. He said that had gotten no results from 5 other voice coaches, and he was desperate to change his voice. Deep in his heart, he wanted to sing with freedom and confidence.

After 5 free voice lessons via Skype, he went on his way.

For Edmund, those 5 lessons were all it took to skyrocket his music career.

He sang with South African celebrities, for awards shows, and even performed for the President of South Africa.

But then Edmund fell on hard times in 2023, and he told me that he was homeless. Edmund asked for my assistance again to audition for South African Idols. I helped to raise money for him, and he went on to place 17th out of over 8,000 contestants, which is a big accomplishment.

However, he did not receive a prize.

He missed the Top 12 by just 5 places.

In 2025, he contacted me yet again, saying that he wanted to try out for the South African Gospel Superstars show.

I raised money for him again, and not only did I train him, I sent him a PDF copy of my first Singing in Tune book.

Edmund’s voice was in rough shape, but between my free online holistic voice coaching and his practicing what he learned from the first Singing in Tune Book, we got his voice sounding better than ever.

He especially appreciated the tips to calm stage fright - and this time he had more success!

Edmund placed 12th and won a recording contract for a gospel single: I Belong.

Here is the link to hear his big, beautiful voice.
Edmund Mohlathe “I Belong” Gospel Superstars Recording Video: LINK

What is he doing recently?

Last I heard, Edmund was pursuing an opportunity to sing in Turkey for 6 months!

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09/01/2026

“What do I want?”

Hi, I’m Karen Lyu, the Creative Clarity Coach.
The question of the week part 14: “What do I want?”

This is a powerful question for creative, neurodivergent women because:
It helps you get honest about what matters to you.
It reminds you that your needs, dreams, and desires are important.
It gives you direction. When you know what you want, it is easier to make choices that support your life.

You do not have to have every detail figured out.
You just need to be willing to listen to your heart.

Pls remember, one question can change your life.

What is something you want more of right now?
Let me know in the comments.

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08/31/2026

Due to focusing on sports, Sebastian had never attempted to do musical theater until his senior year of high school.

Singing in Tune Success Stories! - SEBASTIAN MALKAVAGE

Sebastian came to me with one semester of choir, experience in 2 musicals, and no dance experience. His voice was a bit strained and his singing tended to be off pitch, as well. He also struggled with high notes.

Due to focusing on sports, Sebastian had never attempted to do musical theater until his senior year of high school.

However, he had an ambitious goal of auditioning for a part in a huge, local production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with a legendary community theater.

Sebastian took 60-minute holistic voice lessons with me online for two months, where we worked on not only his singing, but his acting, dancing, and auditioning skills.

He worked hard and was well-prepared for the audition.

Amazingly, Sebastian landed a juicy supporting role - despite competition from experienced adults!

And, he had a fantastic experience performing his role for 2 weeks at the Paradise Center for the Arts.

Today, Sebastian enjoys regularly singing karaoke and dancing for fun, while doing fulfilling work in conservation. He also plans to audition for another musical this September.

Here is Sebastian’s testimonial:

“It was an absolute joy to work with Karen. My reason for searching her out was for my first major musical theatre production that I was auditioning for. I truly believed that if I hadn’t gotten into contact with Karen, I wouldn’t have gotten into the production, let alone the part that I got.”

~ Sebastian Malkavage

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08/23/2026

“What habits help me?”

Hi, I’m Karen Lyu, the Creative Clarity Coach.
The question of the week is: “What habits help me?”

This is a powerful question for creative, neurodivergent women because:
It helps you notice what supports your energy, focus, and creativity.
It shows you what is already working. Small habits can matter more than we think.
It gives you a place to start. When you know what helps, you can do more of it.

Helpful habits do not have to be fancy.
They just have to work for you.

Pls remember, one question can change your life.

What’s one habit that helps you most?
Let me know in the comments.

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08/22/2026

00:00
Hello, my name is Karen Lyu.
00:03
I am the Holistic Voice Coach.
00:05
They call me Karey Poppins.
00:07
I'm going to read you a success story from my book:Singing in Tune Solutions for 25 Pitch Problems, 2nd edition.
00:22
Today's success story is about Natalia Laguens.
00:27
Natalia from Brazil and Spain was too shy to sing in public, even though she was a passionate instrumental composer and pianist.
00:37
When I first met her, Natalia only sang in the shower due to stage fright and struggling with her pitch.
00:46
Within a matter of four months, Natalia wrote and sang her first original song and also performed Alicia Keys number one hit, "I Ain't Got You" on stage with a mic in a packed theater in Seoul, South Korea, back in 2018.
01:06
The enthusiastic crowd loved it!
01:09
Where is she now?
01:11
Natalia is still singing, playing piano and writing catchy original songs.
01:17
She recently performed in a successful concert as a solo singer-songwriter, pianist and also collaborated on creating her first opera!
01:28
Natalia's rave review: "I used to sing inside the shower all the time, but I wasn't able to take the step of doing it in a more professional way until I met Karen.
01:42
We were together around 4 months and during that time she taught me about singing, help me with my English pronunciation and gave me some advice on how to take care of my voice.
01:53
She also supported me and gave me the opportunity of singing live in front of people for the first time in my life.
02:02
She is very passionate about what she does and I'm grateful that we cross paths.
02:09
Natalia Laguens.
02:11
Where can you hear her?
02:13
You can hear her on Spotify under the artist name Muxu.
02:18
I'm going to post a link in the comments.
02:22
Thanks so much for joining me today and I will have four more success stories coming up. , ,

08/20/2026

I had so much fun being interviewed by Dr. Debra Krentz Mrock for her She Roars Boldly podcast about my book "Singing in Tune: Solutions for 25 Pitch Problems, 2nd Edition".

I love sharing inspiring success stories and singing!

Keep your eyes peeled for the podcast release on Tuesday, September 1st!

FYI - Dr. Debra loved my interview so much that she wants to interview me in the future - about my creative clarity coaching!!

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08/20/2026

08/16/2026

“What helps me focus?”

Hi, I’m Karen Lyu, the Creative Clarity Coach. They call me Karey Poppins!

Question of the week Part 12: “What helps me focus?”

This is a powerful question for creative, neurodivergent women because:
It helps you notice what makes focus easier.
It reminds you that your brain needs different support than most other people’s brains.
It gives you practical tools you can use again and again.

Focus is not about trying harder.
It is about finding what works for you.

Pls remember, one question can change your life.
What helps you focus best?
Let me know in the comments.

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08/15/2026

Singing in Tune Success Stories!

Part 1 - TEJAS

I have a current 7 year-old Indian voice student, named Tejas, who is amazing!

Although Tejas has really struggled with his pitch, he has made huge progress.

At the beginning, he only practiced about 3x per week and it took him over 4 weeks to learn Happy Birthday and the Alphabet song.

When I found out that Tejas loves dinosaurs, I offered to send him different dinosaur stickers for every 2 songs that he sang correctly.

Then, he shot off like a rocket!

He now practices up to 14x per week and he has learned 17 songs in 3.5 months, like You Are My Sunshine, The Wheels on the Bus, and Mary Had a Little Lamb!

But, it gets better.

Tejas just sang a solo for his very first public performance at a K-12 school talent show.

When he got on stage, he had all the confidence of a rock star. He ran around the stage during the intro and even ad-libbed on a whim during the instrumental section!

His song was called, “Believe in Yourself” - and he definitely did.

He was really into it, fully being himself ~ and the improv actually worked!

The audience whooped, hollered and went wild!

Although he still has some things to learn - he is doing very well for less than 4 months worth of lessons!

READ MORE success stories in Singing in Tune: Solutions for 25 Pitch Problems, 2nd Edition.

Links below vvv

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08/09/2026

“What keeps me stuck?”

Hi, I’m Karen Lyu, the Creative Clarity Coach.

Question of the week Part 11: “What keeps me stuck?”

This is a powerful question for creative, neurodivergent women because:
It helps you see patterns that may be holding you back.
It removes shame. Feeling stuck does not mean something is wrong with you.
It gives you useful information. Once you know what is getting in the way, you can make a change.

Being stuck is not a failure.
It is often a sign that something needs support.

Pls remember, one question can change your life.

What’s one thing that keeps you stuck?
Let me know in the comments.