Gaga's voice on Perfect Illusion: good or bad?

[Panchecco 17,143]

I just randomly found this article (it was posted last year in September) where a vocal coach is asked to explain/give his opinion on Gaga's vocals on the song Perfect Illusion. The article is very interesting but I wouldn't call it "shady" or "rude" (even though most of you will probably do) but I feel they where just examining the song and trying to figure out what worked and what didn't work

this is a summary of what the vocal coach said:
- the song is not bad, it’s just a little bit out of her comfort zone and people can notice that
- if the key of the song was just a little bit lower (one or two keys), it would’ve been a better move
- Gaga is not as good as Ariana, Jessie J and Tori Kelly with high notes/belting and Gaga with PI might have tried to do "what these other pop ladies are doing"
- on PI she’s singing too aggressively on a high larynx, which is what you must not do because it sounds like shouting
- since Gaga is used to jazz, which typically requires a lower range, she might have struggled with the higher belt range
- Gaga’s imperfect shout, with her high larynx, does not sound as good as Sia’s

read the full article here: http://themuse.jezebel.com/a-brief-chat-with-a-vocal-coach-on-why-lady-gaga-s-per-1786958721

In my opinion PI is an amazing song, one of her best tbh, but I kinda agree on the fact that the vocals could have been a little more polished (without having to lose the power and the emotion of the song) BUT, at the same time, I think the "shouty" voice Gaga is doing was actually intentional. I think she really wanted the song to feel full of anger and emotions and that's why she opted for more "raw" vocals. I think those vocals totally work with the lyrics and the vibe of the song. I in fact think that PI is the type of breakup song you sing in your bedroom crying and screaming at your pillow while jumping around and breaking things, so those vocals are perfect imo.

Do you think the song is too loud and shouted? Do you think Gaga was intentionally doing it or do you think she lacks the technical ability to sing with a high larynx? Would you have liked PI more if the key was different? 

[Antichrist 9,818]

If PI was a tad bit different with the key, it just wouldn't be the same. It's meant to sound angry as much as possible.

[Eurotrash 1,603]

Tbh i LIVE for the rawness in her vocals. They're just perfect! The song is just pure slayage. 

[Luckystef8 363]

I agree with the whole shouting thing, i think it was intentional. But listen to her sing it while playing piano, she sounds amazing and her technique is great

[Pharamon 6,666]

I love whenever she growls

[262626 204]

This comment there pretty much says it:

Quote

This is precisely why Adele ****ed up her vocal cords for awhile. I love 21 and all but damn you can hear her injuring herself. Yoinks. That is not “style”, that is vocal damage. It’s not cool, it’s sad. If you think it sounds good (and plenty of people do), well, okay. Whatever. But that’s why people have to take breaks for their vocal health with increasing frequency nowadays.

 

I don't think she's being healthy with that song tbh, also given the acoustic performances where she seems struggling to sing it. I think that if it was one or one and a half key lower like suggested, it would probably sound better for her and still keep the feeling. 

[911 16,206]

Flawless 

[Edonis 26,001]

The vocal key she sings in is very reminiscent of 80's glam and metal. It's entirely intentional. I don't disagree with the analysis presented, however I don't see why Ariana or Sia's technique has anything to do with this style of singing.  Those are three different styles of singing 

[alejandreaux 1,053]

everything about her voice is fine with me, i don't like how she sings "LAHHHVVEEE" instead of love tbh. 

[LaLuna 12,732]

The vocals fit the song perfectly and they're amazing. 

/thread

[Emvee 7,080]

I get that the aggression is intentional, but who the **** thought that would do well on radio/commercially? A foolish decision. It totally lowered the momentum for the Joanne era and made it difficult for MR to be picked up initially. 

In my opinion, there are parts that sound strained/shouty. If you don't hear it, it's because you're a fan and you've emotionally attached yourself to the song. 

[Reality 65,747]

I'm not a vocal coach or vocal expert, or anything of that caliber, however, from an artistic standpoint, I think her vocals on the song are flawless. The song is suppose to be a rush of adrenaline, it's suppose to be angry and it's suppose to convey a certain message.

While I do think that it could be damaing her vocal cords to a degree, her ability to express such raw and organic emotions makes the song better. It makes the song have just as much feeling as a song like Angel Down or Million Reasons—despite how different they are.

[Damon 10,896]

how does that guy dare to mention ariana's technique, i love her but the girl cant even breath enough

OT: i always thought the vocals are the reasonbthat makes pi feel raw and full of emotions but idk he's the professional

[LordEnigma 11,313]

As everyone else has said, it's completely intentional and it's supposed to be a breakup banger. I love being able to just let to go and scream during the song instead of having her hold back and make me imagine what it would be like with the vocals that we have.

[JustAnotherDay 8,402]

It's definitely a hard song to sing and out of Gaga's comfort range. You can especially tell how much she strains when she does it live, and I completely understand, belting for 3 minutes in that key with her voice must be insanely difficult