Describing Gaga's Voice...

[OMonster 14,213]

@Economy's thread got me thinking:

 I've always loved Gaga *for* her distinctiveness, and never doubted she had a unique voice. 

But reading through the above thread has been super enlightening, because the general opinion is that Gaga's voice is quite 'generic' - and not all that distinct. 

There's nothing wrong with this opinion, of course, but it's just not what I've ever held. 

So, am I wrong? 

And for those who agree that she has a unique voice, how would you describe it?

I think it's very hard to pin down her style, but there is a hugely recognisable element in how she sings - at least in my opinion, which is worth no more than any differing view, of course.

For me, though, Gaga's voice is recognisable - particularly beyond her earlier years - for its raspy, rocky, almost angry tone. 

Her voice is heavy on vibrato, and has a very 'from the back of the throat' kind of sound. It's dark, not airy and light. 

Spoiler

She of course can sound airy and light, but it's not *her* sound - despite how well she does it.

Listen to ARUTW and ITA for a softer version of this, and Diggin' My Grave for a 'full-on' example of what I think is Gaga's signature sound. 

And though it's not forever as heavy as on DMG, this tone can be heard in *many* Gaga songs. Right from Bad Romance to Shallow - there's the same vocal undertone, but expressed differently. 

Come to think of it, ASIB is probably the most representative album of Gaga's distinct voice. 'I Don't Know What Love Is', for example, is another brilliant example of her voice - exemplifying both the vocal darkness and lightness together. ARTPOP is another great example: MANiCURE, Applause, Dope. 

What do you think to this description of Gaga's voice? Or would you describe it differently?

[FameHookah 4,572]

Her "dope vocals" are the most recognizable ones, she used them since 2009 with the acoustic performances of Paparazzi and Poker Face

 

But for me its fascinating how she can do alot of different vocal styles/timbres, nit generic at all imo.

[OMonster 14,213]

6 minutes ago, FameHookah said:

Her "dope vocals" are the most recognizable ones, she used them since 2009 with the acoustic performances of Paparazzi and Poker Face

Yes, I guess most of my OP could be summarised with 'dope vocals' generally, you're spot on - but I avoided that phrase specifically because I think the style on Dope can sound different to Dope itself. 

Her heavier, raspier voice is *the* Gaga voice imo.

[Economy 44,041]

13 minutes ago, FameHookah said:

Her "dope vocals" are the most recognizable ones, she used them since 2009 with the acoustic performances of Paparazzi and Poker Face

 

But for me its fascinating how she can do alot of different vocal styles/timbres, nit generic at all imo.

Yes!

 

that particular kind of singing if she stuck to it most people would probably recognize it

 

on her regular pop songs tho i still think she has a generic sounding voice

[itsmebuddy 546]

Demonic

[joannesrats 26]

As someone who has studied vocal stuff in music, her voice is incredibly unique. Her complete control makes her be able to match whatever tone she wants while still maintaining her sound. 

[M i K E Y 5,573]

Describe her voice? 
ok

 

[Sepsami 17,522]

Whenever she starts going in I just- 

[JazzGa 14,348]

Gaga has an extremely unique tone for a modern pop singer. Her tone reminds me of times gone by and Broadway singers. It reminds me the most of Barbra Striesand's, because of its nasal resonance. Sometimes I even think Gaga overuses her mask/nasal resonance, but there it is in every iconic Gaga vocal performance lol. That's how distinctively Gaga it is. It reminds me of a Broadway in general because of its bring-down-the-house, sometimes shouted singing style. Modern pop singers are all about creating a sexy and intimate voice using unprojected soft vocals directly on the mic, so it is very unique that Gaga almost never tries to put on a sexy coo these days, and she is eager to put the mic away and fill the room with her naturally produced volume. 

A "generic" female singer tries to emulate the West coast breathy indie girl voice. Gaga is like the opposite of that. Sh*t, she gets dragged all the time for being too different from that. 

[WORLDofGAGA 2,274]

I wouldn’t say her voice is distinctive in terms of sound like Christina or cher for instance but the way she sings songs, her growl, pronunciation and her emotion are recognisable for me 

[bxr 1,016]

Fwiw, I guess I always consider voices as instruments and/or an artistic medium akin to a canvas, slab, etc., and so (within this lens probably more aligned with a musical instrument crafted from a natural (thus, malleable) element) they transition, evolve, and establish their signature form through the conditions of their environment, usage, and maintenance (similar to how guitars, drums, instruments made from wood, animal hide, etc. “warp” and/or change their sound depending on exposure to rain, heat, etc.) … idk if that makes any sense, but I guess in regards to Gaga, her voice feels like its matured throughout the trajectory of her career in a way that genuinely reflects her experiences, and how she is able to translate that soul (so to speak, specific human condition of a creative / artist) through the tone and delivery of someone with a trained technique … I think the more ups and downs she’s experienced throughout her career definitely reveal themselves in her later work, she seems to feel the music more — “Lush Life” is probably a prime example of how she’s matured into a signature tone that delivers a sort of authentic resonance with songs as stories of a lived experience — if any of that makes any sense? But I never studied vocal technique so my points of reference are completely distant from empirical anchor points.

That said, as far as distinction from other vocalists, I guess that comes down to experience as well … or at least experience within certain environments … The Fame felt very a la mode, and the lighter tone reflected a club kid with elements of rock roots who studied pop and gallivanted in the glam space — but understood the necessity for commercial appeal … TFM echoed that foundation, and added an onyx sort of clean dark to the tone, sort of a gravity or sense of volume but not necessarily weathered and worn yet … BTW started to incorporate that sort of exhaust fume on the back of the palate, that smoky tinge with an air of aggro, some diesel density … ARTPOP felt sort of like a cosmic metamorphosis, maybe like emerging from that prison chrysalis into prism crystalline, rugged gem but still with a resonant rhythmic soul … Cheek to Cheek really brought the speakeasy haze, I think what makes Jazz singers (and most blues singers, or tbh even just signature voices) distinct is that smoky intonation, something about smokers just brings that soul to the fore, something about that burn and how a vocalist translates that, something about it speaks directly to a sense of struggle or tension or battle that makes for quite beautiful ballads or bard retrospectives … after that, it all kind of feels like iterations and manifestations of that Gotham Glam Pop Funk the Jazz Punk — but make it classically-trained, tonal distinction …

Other artists have voices that reflect where they’ve been and what they’ve experienced, as well, and the depth or maybe lack thereof speaks directly to that … but tbh, idk really

[SamJ 8,008]

She has a whole hearted voice, full of power and warmth with the ability to invoke the listeners emotions in the most beautiful way.