Wouldn't you like to learn how to sing like Ariana Grande? Ariana is one of the best female singers not only in the United States but also around the globe. She has millions of fans, and most of them aspire to learn to sing like her.
Well, with her four-octave range, it might be a bit difficult to learn how to sing like Ariana Grande, unless you have the same range. What’s more, it is not the only thing that makes her voice unique. She uses a lot of singing tricks, which you can also learn how to do.
Ariana Grande’s Singing Career
Before we talk about the singing techniques to help you sing like Ariana, let’s go on a short trip down memory lane and see how she became a famous singer. Ariana Grande first appeared on television when she was included in the Nickelodeon TV show Victorious in 2009. The show premiered in March of 2010.
The role helped her increase her fans and turned her into a teen idol. However, Ariana was more interested in a music career. For her, acting was just a way for her to showcase her other skills.
She pursued her music career and recorded her first studio album entitled Yours Truly for over three years—from August 2010 to when it was released on August 30, 2013. The album immediately debuted at the number one spot on the US Billboard 200, along with 138,000 copies sold on the first week. From then on, she continuously released various chart-topping songs, including Break Free, Side to Side, The Way, and Right There.
Understanding Ariana Grande’s Singing Voice
If you want to sing like Ariana, you should understand her singing voice as well as the techniques that she uses when singing. Yes, singing is not as simple as you think. There are techniques that you need to employ to bring some flavor to your voice. Here are some of the reasons why Ariana’s voice is unique and amazing.
The Dynamics in Her Singing
Most singers would stay in their belt zone because it is safer. For them, it is comfortable and sounds powerful at the same time. The problem with this is that it is a common practice. If you want to stand out in the crowd, you need something unique.
Ariana knows the importance of dynamics when singing, so she uses hushed and sultry tones on the bottom of her range and glides to a more powerful mixed belt. She will then finish it with piercing notes at the top of her four-octave range. It would be like a vocal salad since the songs are filled with different flavors.
Her Vocal Runs
To be a successful singer, you need to learn how to do vocal runs because singing a song directly is just too plain. A lot of famous divas like Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and Mariah Carey have been known for their amazing vocal footwork. Vocal runs are known as the fast-moving melodic lines that bring more flavor to a song.
You should check out Ariana’s cover of Emotions by Mariah Carey. She started with a fantastic vocal run, and you will notice more of it as the song goes on. Her vocal runs sound very natural, and she is very comfortable doing it. This goes to show that she’s been doing it for a long time.
How to Sing Like Ariana Grande
Now that we already know the amazing facets of Ariana’s voice, let’s move on to some of the best tips to sing like her.
1. Learn About Her Vocal Range
We’ve already mentioned her four-octave range, but what does it mean to have this type of vocal range, and why is it so amazing? Ariana has a vocal range of D3 – B5 – E7, and she has a light lyric soprano voice type.
While she has an extremely high voice, it doesn’t mean that you also need to have the same range as Ariana to sing like her. You can always adjust her songs to the range you are comfortable with, and it won’t sound awkward.
Not a lot of people have a four-octave range. Nevertheless, if you want to sing her songs beautifully, it is better to stick with the range of your voice. You should also know how to switch from high notes to low, and it should be flawless. Ariana is known to have an amazing lower register, and she can go down from D3 to F#3.
2. Sing Falsetto
Ariana is a versatile singer. She can switch from normal to falsetto and vice versa smoothly.
Falsetto is a high-pitched and soft voice that sounds like the voice of a singing child. It is easy to sing falsetto. However, singing smoothly using this voice requires years of practice and stamina.
If you plan to polish your falsetto voice, here are a few tips that you can follow:
- There should be no cracking sounds when you use your falsetto voice. Try making an “aah” sound by singing falsetto and make it as smooth as you can.
- Practice singing Do-Re-Mi using your falsetto voice. The goal is to try and sing the highest note that you can and bring it down in a progressive manner. Be careful not to force the high notes, though.
- Vocalize before you start using falsetto. Vocalization would help bring out the best in your voice and lessen the cracking sounds when you are using falsetto.
3. Master the Whistle Tone Register
This is one of the vocal techniques that Ariana is known to do beautifully. She can sing using high-pitched and piercing whistle tones and even do vocal runs. If you want to know how to sing like Ariana Grande, this is one of the hardest challenges that you need to face. In fact, most of her songs feature parts wherein she uses the whistle tone register.
4. Learn How to Belt in Mix
This is another singing technique that would require years of practice. This is a technique wherein you would start the song quietly while you build up to a more powerful belting.
If you want to sing like Ariana, begin by softly singing the songs and then use the mix belting technique on the chorus to express strong emotions.
5. Riffing
This is a type of vocal improvisation method where the singer makes small changes to the melody of the song. Ariana and other singers are doing this to provide more twists to a song.
This is very useful when you are doing covers since you need to attack the song with a completely different style compared to the original singer. Ariana is very proficient with this type of vocal technique, and she applies it to almost all of her songs.
The best thing to do is to familiarize yourself with the style of Ariana. Listen to all of her songs and check how she improvises when singing, especially during live concerts.
6. Hire a Vocal Coach
Although you can teach yourself how to become a professional singer, most of the techniques required to sing like Ariana Grande involves the assistance of a vocal coach.
With the help of a voice coach, you would know if you are doing the techniques the right way and if you are on the right path. Over the years, Ariana has been taught by one vocal teacher to the next, from which she learned techniques to maximize the beauty of her voice.
Although she already has the voice, to begin with, she still employs the assistance of a professional vocal coach to release her full potential. The same goes for people who want to sing like her. A vocal teacher is required if you are really committed to learning Ariana’s singing style.
Is It Possible to Sing Like Ariana Grande?
Anything is possible as long as you focus and practice hard on your singing. Although some people would say that singing requires talent, there are also those who are living proof that singing can be learned.
As for Ariana Grande’s singing style, you can copy her style, but chances are, you won’t be able to completely mimic her voice. If you want to be a professional singer and use her voice as a way to practice and to find your style, then you are in the right direction.
All of the singing techniques that Ariana uses on her songs can be practiced, and you can learn how to do it, as well. Her voice quality and range might be different from yours, but you can copy her style and add your own twist to make it unique.
Final Thoughts
Ariana Grande is definitely one of the best female singers in the world. Although it’s clear to you that you want to sing like her, you need to be realistic with your expectations. We already provided all of the basics, but you still need to spend a lot of time training your voice and polishing everything.
It would take years to master a specific singing technique, much longer for several techniques.
If you want to be on the same level as to how Ariana uses her voice, you have to accept the fact that you’d need years of practice and a good voice coach to help you out.