Finding Your Style

I’m always caught off guard when I meet a new singer and they ask me to tell them what style would work best for their voice. In the world of singing, there are many things you don’t get to choose - the size of your larynx, the basic dimensions of your vocal tract, your musical instincts/natural talent, etc. - but I believe style is one thing you absolutely do get to choose.

How to find your style?

The question stems from a misunderstanding about vocal training and where style comes from. If you ask me what you should sing tomorrow for karaoke, and what you should train your voice to sing over the course of the next six months, my answers are going to be very different. For tomorrow, I would obviously suggest you go for the low-hanging fruit: sing something easily within your grasp. You might have some style baked into your technique already, just from exposure to the music you like the most. But what you should train your voice to sing over time is up to you! Voices are amazingly trainable and are all essentially the same, anatomically. Sure, you may have a strong attachment to the way you use your voice to speak, but even that can be changed. Actors do it all the time. Similarly, with singing, all you have to do is have a direction, dedication, and an open mind.

Vocal style emerges from a singer’s priorities, their point of view, or their stage persona, and these can shift with time.

Some examples

Ariana Grande, as a musical theatre belter turned pop artist turned musical theatre soprano, has changed her style drastically through the years to meet her needs. Each style seems to represent a different, but very genuine, side of her.

Check out Britney Spears here vs. here. She let go of her powerhouse belt when she created her characteristic pop vocal style several years later.

Lady Gaga seems to change style like she changes outfits: Rocker, Jazz Singer, and Legit Soprano are a few.

These days, in the theatre, it’s common for artists to change their style radically depending on the show. Broadway stars Jessie Mueller (Waitress, Beautiful, On a Clear Day...), Kelli O’Hara (Jekyll and Hyde, The Light in the Piazza, Così fan tutte), and Lindsay Mendez (Dogfight, Wicked, Carousel) speak about the effort it takes to adjust their voices for each new role with new stylistic demands.

How to cultivate style?

One way to prepare your voice for a chosen style is to practice vocal exercises that support the singing coordinations you need for that style. Make sure your vocal coach or voice teacher knows what you are going for. Different exercises will yield different results, and certain preferences in some styles are big no-nos in other styles.

Perhaps the best way to practice a style is to listen to singers who have mastered it and to try to mimic them. Listen to them sing a line, and then record yourself singing the same line. Then compare your recording with your reference artist. How are the recordings the same, and how are they different? Make an adjustment and record yourself again. Is it closer to your reference? You might be surprised how similar the two recordings can become if you really step outside your comfort zone. It might very well feel like playing a character for a while. Don’t do it with just one artist; do it with several. Just one line at a time. You’ll get to know your favorite singers in a new, special way as you actively listen to their voices over and over. You’ll also see how fluid style really is, even between different artists that we readily group together.

Choose your own adventure, artists!

It takes some introspection and dedication to find the sound you really want, but I encourage you to keep your eyes on the goal and don’t give up. It’s much easier to ask a guru to tell you what you can sing right now, or ask a voice teacher to teach you the style that they prefer, and leave it at that. I want to empower you to ask yourself what you would like to sing and to commit yourself to getting there. All of your singing experiences will add up to skills that are uniquely yours, but are inspired by the great artists you’ve studied.