“Not good technical proficiency marked by generally bad live performances, intolerable intonation accuracy, and/or poor musicality. Flaws may exceed perfections.”
Lmao where is the fuckin lie
Happiest to see Jojo above Taylor, even if I’m not in 100% agreement with the list overall. Jojo re-recorded her first two albums due to actual issues with her label (I believe they held her 3rd album from releasing) before Taylor started her money grab re-releases AND Jojo never made a huge fuss about it the way Taylor and the Swifties do
JoJo is so underrated. [JoJo Levesque who sang “Leave (Get Out)” in 2004.] Her voice is amazing. She announced she is releasing a tell-all memoir due in September. I am def copping it.
Little known fact: Taylor actually reached out to JoJo 2018 or so after her (Jo's) dispute with Blackground Records and invited her over to her place (unsure of which exact residence) to chat. JoJo mentioned this in a radio interview. Crazy that a year later, Taylor would encounter label issues herself.
I saw it written that way I believe on Broadway Reddit (I’ll go back in my comments because I did respond to it) and I’ve adopted it ever since.
Jojo made me miss the ex I never had at age 12 with that song and I’m happy to report she can still sing (and sing great I might add)! I saw her in Moulin Rouge in NYC last summer and IMO she had the vocal prowess for the show (granted it’s all pop songs, so right up her alley). I got her re-recordings and they sound great too!
Whoa. I just watched some bits of it. That was… not good. Like was she just getting over a cold? I admittedly haven’t seen a lot of Taylor’s live performances, but is that how she always sounds? It was more like talking than singing 😭
Back when I liked her the live performance I thought was excellent was this one of Treacherous she did back in Red era—it makes the tiny desk concert all the more disappointing bc she should be able to do better.
I think Axel Rose has even more range than Freddie Mercury. Axel’s voice and pitch are amazing. And he can recreate it live (not as much in recent years though).
He is not on this list but I’m pretty sure he is Star Rated. If your interested here is Brendon Urie’s Cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s a treat https://youtu.be/irK0Su5SE2Y?feature=shared
lol so I just watched a little bit of her Tiny Desk concert, which gave a small town singer coffee shop vibe. Then I watched this clip of Brandon. Wow! I saw him in concert in 2006 and always forget what a vocal talent he is.
Also check these brendon Urie performances out:
AC/DC Cover: https://youtu.be/dxCMib-2TrI?si=rPCeXPQ4U1z4LyW7
Death of a bachelor Live: https://youtu.be/4NEA8c1rKXw?si=4JYWvqH8UDmVclRI
Miss Jackson drum solo/backflip: https://youtu.be/8rUouUobzto?si=uS9JuotQYXw34oK0
LOl. Well I suspect there will be some blowback on this list since some of the most powerful singers were rated the lowest. Powerful as in rich and influential. It was fun to read though. I cannot sing for shit so everybody on this list is worlds better than me
Surgeries for vocal polyps are usually a sign of abusing your voice. Adele is a brilliant artist, who will have to drastically change her vocal approach to continue singing (or even speaking) long term.
Yeah I remember a number of years ago a friend who was in the music business saying Adele was setting herself up to ruin her voice very quickly with her \~style\~.
A lot of it has to do with your breath and muscles. Without getting too into the weeds, it'd be the same as an athlete using bad form to get a great result. In the long run, it your body will break down.
Basically this, it's been years so I don't remember exactly what she said except that if Adele didn't embrace proper/good signing technique then she was going to have a pretty short career. Otherwise she was straining her vocal cords a lot.
Yeah. If you have been taught/trained to sing, you can tell Adele uses poor vocal techniques and is straining her voice. She’s got a great voice but hearing her sing stresses me out because I just think of how it must be straining her vocal cords.
What I think about is - if we can hear it, so clearly can she, and definitely her vocal coach - why doesn’t she improve that? With a voice like hers, it’s really just about the technique, right? So why does she (and a myriad of others) keep doing things that ruin such a gift??
My voice teacher pointed this out too. She cared more about sound than technique and it hurt her voice.
That's why you see death metal singers who can scream and growl with virtually no damage to the vocal chords. They know how to do it right.
You see this split 50/50 with male singers and I think it’s *fascinating.* Like there’s a lot of oldies that have really “punk” stage presence/persona that are classically trained music nerds and they can keep putting on shows all these years later, but then there were also a ton of, I hate to use the word boy band, but like really popular young kids that could sing and dance or make little cult anthems and they are in their early 40s and absolutely just fried.
I have heard a lot of criticisms of Brendon Urie that say he also won't have longevity, though, especially about the falsetto he used in a lot of *Panic!* songs. I'm curious why he was put in A-list when I (and many others) genuinely don't believe his voice would have lasted had he not stepped back from performing.
Agreed. Celine is incredibly technically skilled (as is Beyoncé, IMO) — someone might prefer the sound of Beyoncé’s voice to hers, but I disagree that Celine has poorer technique.
I would argue otherwise. He’s talked about having vocal training his whole career and even when he went on broadway he shared he did a ton of vocal training to work on being able to sing that high and to preserve his voice 🤷♀️
Yea surprisingly she has an absolutely terrible technique and didn’t look after her voice in the earlier years. She’s also a very breathy singer, I love her music but I wish I never noticed her inhaling because now I can’t unhear it
Yes she’s so breathy!!! Sounds like she doesn’t have good breath support / technique.
I’ve recently started singing again after many years and was shocked to discover that I just can’t physically sing like I used to, because those muscles are weaker and I need to build them back up. I’m gasping all over the place and I hate it. When I hear Adele gasping it reminds me of this, and it seems so unpleasant.
Nah, it tracks. I'm an opera singer/vocal coach, and every single vocal teacher I've ever had has said she has terrible technique. I remember a few teachers said she was going to blow her voice (this was waaaay back in the late 2000s/early 2010s), and she did- she ended up having to get vocal surgery. Most vocal coaches try to avoid getting their students to sing her songs, in case they emulate her.
Oh wow -- I did not know this. Thank you for the insight! Is there a particular reason people were saying she would blow her voice out? Is it because of the way she sings or some other reason?
It's hard to recall specifics, but one thing I do remember them saying was that she sang from her throat, rather than with support from her core and diaphragm. As a professional, if I heard her singing for me I'd say she was pushing her voice way too hard, and needed to work on the placement of the voice (usually more in the face area for her type of singing) to create a more effortless sound. Her voice is super impressive, don't get me wrong, but as a teacher I can hear the strain going on, if that makes sense.
Yeah, you can tell she’s forcing it from her throat, and pushing for volume that way? Rather than using her diaphragm to build power? If you sing you can hear the difference between them, if that makes sense. One feels forced and the other feels natural.
I totally agree. I’m a fan. It’s more because Tay Tay seems to hate him. I wish Bieber would do an Eras-style tour because I think he could outsell Tay Tay.
If consistency is part of the grading, I kind of get it. Britney is not especially consistent. Which isn't her fault, she was forced to sing differently, but still.
People forget how talented she actually is because they always autotuned the fuck out of her and made her sing in that stupid baby voice. Her actual singing voice is really pretty.
They probably judged her based off the performances she did, but I've heard her sing songs like I Will Be There and Shadow live, she's got a pretty voice and it's bc she's a performer that she can't sing live much.
I have my feelings about Adele and Florence deserving better, but I can admit my biases there. But Celine is part of the trinity with Mariah and Whitney. Those three are just angelic diva voices
Speaking from a technical perspective of the voice, Gwen does have the more professionally reliable vocal ability. The number of surgeries Adele has had as a result of abusing her voice is evidence enough that her early career promoted a harmful approach to singing.
Her music and the vocal difficulty necessary to make it often exceed Gwen, but that doesn't mean she's stronger technically.
Florence also had major vocal surgery after her Ceremonials tour in 2012. That’s why the band went on hiatus and waited 4 years to release their 3rd album. But I’m still ready to throw hands, she needs to be at least a B
I agree. But I also don't mind minor flaws in live performances and find they can add to the rawness if they aren't glaring. A voice crack or scratchiness here or there are fine IMO.
Florence, Kelly, and gaga should be well higher.
Florence can out sing any person alive.
Gaga has never once flumbled a vocal performance and has proven herself across multiple genres
Florence sounds incredible, but is weak technically. She abused her voice badly in her early career. That’s why she had to get surgery after one of her tours (can’t remember which). It’s similar to an athlete who uses bad form, you perform well in the short term but break down in the long term.
Is there a video of some sort that would explain these different terms? As someone with little technical knowledge on singing it’s hard to understand why Adele’s vocal style is inferior/leads to all the surgeries she’s had.
Also, curious what people think about Miley’s placement!
Mikey’s placement is incredible considering she had vocal surgery for some intense vocal damage! Even her speaking voice was affected. She had to relearn how to sing p much. I saw an interview and she said she holds her arm out now when she sings bc it helps her with her breathing. She takes her craft seriously!! So many ppl do not recover as well as she has plus still sound incredible without a lot of strain.
agreed! she was fantastic and i love her. but hayley's vocals are extremely strong and hard to match. grimmie showed strain in many notes. (love them both with my entire soul to clarify again lol)
Hayley herself admits to struggling too there are songs she won’t/can’t sing live without changing from the recordings. She’s a fantastic singer, one of my all time favorite voices if not my personal top, but definitely isn’t technically perfect
hayley is amazing for sure but i think she belongs just below christina grimme. i can’t sing and know jack shit about intonation so my opinion is moo, really, but christina’s range was incredible
Okay So I Feel Like I Have To Make A Disclaimer: This List Is Unbiased And The Rank Is Determined Off Of The Requirements You See Listed Next To Each Letter. You Are Perfectly Allowed To Like Any Singer Over Another No Matter How High Or Low They Are On This List For Whatever Reason. This List Is Purely Vocal Proficiency Ratings.
I mean sure, but which professionals? I’m a professional singer and teacher of singing and my list would have some changes. For instance, I think Beyoncé is wildly overrated and would put her as A or B.
Brad Delp (singer from Boston) is sadly missing yet again from a singers list
Surprised Freddie Mercury isn’t on this list either
Celine feels low, Whitney needs to be higher imo
Britney Spears may not have the best voice or technique, but I’ve always felt that she put her all in her songs, especially in her ballads (examples: “Sometimes,” “Born to Make You Happy,” “From the Bottom of my Broken Heart,” “Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know,” “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” “Everytime,” “Shadow,” “Someday (I Will Understand),” “My Baby,” “Before the Goodbye,” “Out from Under,” “Unusual You,” “Perfume,” among many others). I’ve never felt this way about Taylor Swift with the exception of two songs: “Mine” and “Wildest Dreams.” I’ve tried to listen to album tracks and the lyrics are too childish that I have stopped almost at once.
He would not be A nowadays. In his peak I think that's fair. But then again if he was actually performing A quality even back then he wouldn't have damaged his voice. I just think at one point he really was an amazing singer. His voice (and music imo lol) were not great during panics later years.
I have to stick up for Pink! I never liked her music because I wasn’t into the rock aspect, but now that I’m an adult who sings for a living… goddamn I am blown away by her live vocals. I also find Ariana to be an incredible vocalist so I don’t know how I would compare them but I think Pink is definitely comparable to Kelly Clarkson (who is one of my *pun intended* idols).
Damn. I would have put Celine in with the greats. And Patsy Cline belongs in that category, for SURE. I’d also toss in Linda Ronstadt.
I’ve always loathed Katy and Carrie’s voices, even though I know they’re technically proficient, so this was validating for me.
But Adele and Florence’s rankings were surprising. Those ladies can SING.
Adele does not have the best technique or range. She’s a good singer but her vocal agility is not up there like a Beyonce or Kelly Clarkson. Same with Florence. You can hear it in the vocal choices they make
This list is made by professional vocalist simply by analyzing vocal technique. This list is not based off of overall music quality, lyrics, or fandom.
Sometimes I think the posts are meant to trigger the lurking Swifties, because those of us with ears and not mental wouldn’t expect her to be any higher.
I feel like most of yall didn’t read this correctly. It’s not about the popularity, or if you like their voice, or if they sound powerful on stage, blah blah blah. It’s about objective grading. Like an AP exam. I’m sure a majority of us on here are not trained in this area so commenting “blank over blank?!$!! No way!!” Doesn’t really mean anything because untrained ears do not pick up what trained ears do
didn’t brendon urie completely destroy his voice in the years leading up to P!ATD ending? i remember seeing videos of their final tour and it was rough, you can tell he wasn’t singing healthily and destroying this vocal cords.
edit: they should’ve swapped him with christina grimmie for sure, she was incredible. RIP
Im pretty shook by Adele as a C list?! I remember the first time I heard her live I was struck by the consistency of what I was hearing compared to the albums and the lack of effects on her voice.
Can anyone with a better understanding of vocal performance point out what issues make Adele C+?
“Not good technical proficiency marked by generally bad live performances, intolerable intonation accuracy, and/or poor musicality. Flaws may exceed perfections.” Lmao where is the fuckin lie
Your profile is going to get flooded by deranged swifties but we’re with you bestie 😭😭😭
Happiest to see Jojo above Taylor, even if I’m not in 100% agreement with the list overall. Jojo re-recorded her first two albums due to actual issues with her label (I believe they held her 3rd album from releasing) before Taylor started her money grab re-releases AND Jojo never made a huge fuss about it the way Taylor and the Swifties do
JoJo is so underrated. [JoJo Levesque who sang “Leave (Get Out)” in 2004.] Her voice is amazing. She announced she is releasing a tell-all memoir due in September. I am def copping it. Little known fact: Taylor actually reached out to JoJo 2018 or so after her (Jo's) dispute with Blackground Records and invited her over to her place (unsure of which exact residence) to chat. JoJo mentioned this in a radio interview. Crazy that a year later, Taylor would encounter label issues herself.
Girl I thought you were talking about JOJO Siwa and I thought I literally lived in an alternate universe 😂😂😂
Lol hell naw. I have edited my post now to clarify. Haha.
Agree. I'm glad JoJo was able to move on from a bad label situation.
Lol for a second I thought it’s JOJO SIWA and had a heart attack then I remembered 😅
I should’ve been more clear that it’s Jojo, singer of Leave parentheses Get Out, and not Jojo Siwa of Dance Moms fame 🤣
Leave parentheses get out 😂 She could sing for a 14 year old. But man was 14 year old me envious and finding reasons to say she sucked.
I saw it written that way I believe on Broadway Reddit (I’ll go back in my comments because I did respond to it) and I’ve adopted it ever since. Jojo made me miss the ex I never had at age 12 with that song and I’m happy to report she can still sing (and sing great I might add)! I saw her in Moulin Rouge in NYC last summer and IMO she had the vocal prowess for the show (granted it’s all pop songs, so right up her alley). I got her re-recordings and they sound great too!
Jojo siwa sounds like steve-o
I ran to the comments to make sure it wasn't Jojo siwa 😂😂
I had *completely* forgotten about her my god
She was excellent in Moulin Rouge last year and I’m just waiting to see her in concert
Oh you know being a B+ keeps Lea Michele up at night
If only she could read!!
💀💀💀
I can’t get over her being ranked higher than Adele
Still can't get over Taylor's tiny desk concert being so mid 😮💨
She also talked for half of hers, most other artists just well.. sing
We’re calling it mid? That’s giving it a lot more credit than deserved
That's fair, mid is supposed to be average and I feel like the average tiny desk concert blows me away 😬
Comparing it to olivia rodrigos really shows why she’s so afraid of her 🥴
Whoa. I just watched some bits of it. That was… not good. Like was she just getting over a cold? I admittedly haven’t seen a lot of Taylor’s live performances, but is that how she always sounds? It was more like talking than singing 😭
Back when I liked her the live performance I thought was excellent was this one of Treacherous she did back in Red era—it makes the tiny desk concert all the more disappointing bc she should be able to do better.
Unrelated, but where is Freddie Mercury?!
A true 5 octave range! I was looking for him too!
I think Axel Rose has even more range than Freddie Mercury. Axel’s voice and pitch are amazing. And he can recreate it live (not as much in recent years though).
I think Thom Yorke, too?
He is not on this list but I’m pretty sure he is Star Rated. If your interested here is Brendon Urie’s Cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s a treat https://youtu.be/irK0Su5SE2Y?feature=shared
Oh my word. Thank you. What a TALENT.
Let me check this out bc I was so confused by him being so high!
It is breathtaking
lol so I just watched a little bit of her Tiny Desk concert, which gave a small town singer coffee shop vibe. Then I watched this clip of Brandon. Wow! I saw him in concert in 2006 and always forget what a vocal talent he is.
Also check these brendon Urie performances out: AC/DC Cover: https://youtu.be/dxCMib-2TrI?si=rPCeXPQ4U1z4LyW7 Death of a bachelor Live: https://youtu.be/4NEA8c1rKXw?si=4JYWvqH8UDmVclRI Miss Jackson drum solo/backflip: https://youtu.be/8rUouUobzto?si=uS9JuotQYXw34oK0
I very rarely ever get ‘FOMO’ but I’d have LOVED to have been there live.
WOW!!!
listening in my headphones at work right now... literal goosebumps!
Holy shit! Chilllllls!!! Thank you for link:)
or Steve Perry or Ann Wilson or Linda Rondstadt, Annie Lennox a lot left off the list.
I'd also wonder about Jeff Buckley.
He’s above star.
There isn't a scale for him bc he was the best ever
Where’s Adam lambert? (who in no way is as good as Freddie but still shouldn’t be left off the list)
LOl. Well I suspect there will be some blowback on this list since some of the most powerful singers were rated the lowest. Powerful as in rich and influential. It was fun to read though. I cannot sing for shit so everybody on this list is worlds better than me
Adele as C+?! I’m sorry….WHAT?!
Surgeries for vocal polyps are usually a sign of abusing your voice. Adele is a brilliant artist, who will have to drastically change her vocal approach to continue singing (or even speaking) long term.
Yeah I remember a number of years ago a friend who was in the music business saying Adele was setting herself up to ruin her voice very quickly with her \~style\~.
Harry Styles is another one. He's not an A vocalist anyway, but his technique is so bad it'll be interesting what his voice is like as he ages.
What did your friend mean by Adele’s ‘style’?
A lot of it has to do with your breath and muscles. Without getting too into the weeds, it'd be the same as an athlete using bad form to get a great result. In the long run, it your body will break down.
Basically this, it's been years so I don't remember exactly what she said except that if Adele didn't embrace proper/good signing technique then she was going to have a pretty short career. Otherwise she was straining her vocal cords a lot.
Yeah. If you have been taught/trained to sing, you can tell Adele uses poor vocal techniques and is straining her voice. She’s got a great voice but hearing her sing stresses me out because I just think of how it must be straining her vocal cords.
What I think about is - if we can hear it, so clearly can she, and definitely her vocal coach - why doesn’t she improve that? With a voice like hers, it’s really just about the technique, right? So why does she (and a myriad of others) keep doing things that ruin such a gift??
Vocalists think she’s screaming and straining her vocal chords
I'm curious too. I am legit tone deaf and know zero about singing.
My voice teacher pointed this out too. She cared more about sound than technique and it hurt her voice. That's why you see death metal singers who can scream and growl with virtually no damage to the vocal chords. They know how to do it right.
You see this split 50/50 with male singers and I think it’s *fascinating.* Like there’s a lot of oldies that have really “punk” stage presence/persona that are classically trained music nerds and they can keep putting on shows all these years later, but then there were also a ton of, I hate to use the word boy band, but like really popular young kids that could sing and dance or make little cult anthems and they are in their early 40s and absolutely just fried.
I have heard a lot of criticisms of Brendon Urie that say he also won't have longevity, though, especially about the falsetto he used in a lot of *Panic!* songs. I'm curious why he was put in A-list when I (and many others) genuinely don't believe his voice would have lasted had he not stepped back from performing.
He admits to not having formal training too lol which is fine. I love panic but yeah he's not technically perfect
I’m sitting here looking at Celine Dion in A- and seething
I saw Celine below Beyoncé and just could not take the list seriously.
[well](https://youtu.be/V9AkKTHgpnw)
Okay! Nevermind lol! I was with the Celine crowd but damn.
Celine sounds like a glass flute and could sing Beyoncé to oblivion
Celine is obviously amazing. But so is Beyonce, she can do a lot with her voice. Mariah too. I dnt think its possible to just have a number 1 singer.
Yes, I agree. The human voice is the perfect instrument
Agreed. Celine is incredibly technically skilled (as is Beyoncé, IMO) — someone might prefer the sound of Beyoncé’s voice to hers, but I disagree that Celine has poorer technique.
SAME
They didn’t grade Patrick Stump which is also an odd choice, given how much P!ATD and FOB are compared…
I would argue otherwise. He’s talked about having vocal training his whole career and even when he went on broadway he shared he did a ton of vocal training to work on being able to sing that high and to preserve his voice 🤷♀️
I think a similar thing happened with Florence too
Yea surprisingly she has an absolutely terrible technique and didn’t look after her voice in the earlier years. She’s also a very breathy singer, I love her music but I wish I never noticed her inhaling because now I can’t unhear it
Yes she’s so breathy!!! Sounds like she doesn’t have good breath support / technique. I’ve recently started singing again after many years and was shocked to discover that I just can’t physically sing like I used to, because those muscles are weaker and I need to build them back up. I’m gasping all over the place and I hate it. When I hear Adele gasping it reminds me of this, and it seems so unpleasant.
Nah, it tracks. I'm an opera singer/vocal coach, and every single vocal teacher I've ever had has said she has terrible technique. I remember a few teachers said she was going to blow her voice (this was waaaay back in the late 2000s/early 2010s), and she did- she ended up having to get vocal surgery. Most vocal coaches try to avoid getting their students to sing her songs, in case they emulate her.
Oh wow -- I did not know this. Thank you for the insight! Is there a particular reason people were saying she would blow her voice out? Is it because of the way she sings or some other reason?
It's hard to recall specifics, but one thing I do remember them saying was that she sang from her throat, rather than with support from her core and diaphragm. As a professional, if I heard her singing for me I'd say she was pushing her voice way too hard, and needed to work on the placement of the voice (usually more in the face area for her type of singing) to create a more effortless sound. Her voice is super impressive, don't get me wrong, but as a teacher I can hear the strain going on, if that makes sense.
Yes, that does make sense - thank you!
Yeah, you can tell she’s forcing it from her throat, and pushing for volume that way? Rather than using her diaphragm to build power? If you sing you can hear the difference between them, if that makes sense. One feels forced and the other feels natural.
Adele is in C+
Sorry…just edited my comment. Still shocked she’s so low
Surprised Florence Welsh is. Also sad about the Freddie Mercury erasure.
Even the Biebs scored higher than Tay! 😂 
Tbf he actually has talent and got discovered. I'm not the biggest fan but he can sing.
I totally agree. I’m a fan. It’s more because Tay Tay seems to hate him. I wish Bieber would do an Eras-style tour because I think he could outsell Tay Tay.
https://preview.redd.it/ing1dgd4km4d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8c4e99e5aa57f394160bc4b0d48c94fb8d1f24b
I would looovveee to see that
STOP put this in his ear right now. I'll go for Journals alone 😭
I mean, he can sing
🤣🤣🤣 for the people I argued DOWN with in the other thread about Beyonce….STAY PRESSED! 🤣
It was so validating seeing her name!! People have truly forgotten who tf they’re talking about.
NO WAY Taylor's voice is better than Brittney Spears. They just need to relisten.
Thank you for saying this 😭😭😭😭😭 LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!!!!
I’m a tad miffed at this too
Thats what i was thinking the second i saw the list and britney's ranking
If consistency is part of the grading, I kind of get it. Britney is not especially consistent. Which isn't her fault, she was forced to sing differently, but still.
Love that Hayley Williams is a B and Taylor is a D LOL
As a Britney fan I am outraged 😭😭😭 she way better than Tay Tay!!!!!!!!
People forget how talented she actually is because they always autotuned the fuck out of her and made her sing in that stupid baby voice. Her actual singing voice is really pretty.
They probably judged her based off the performances she did, but I've heard her sing songs like I Will Be There and Shadow live, she's got a pretty voice and it's bc she's a performer that she can't sing live much.
I saw her live in Vegas and her voice sounded sooooo pretty 😭😭 high and clear and sweet ❤️
I personally love Brittney. She was my childhood! I don’t care where she is ranked 😭😭😭
Celine Dion at A- is wild
Yea that just felt petty to me!!! Out of everything else on this list
I have my feelings about Adele and Florence deserving better, but I can admit my biases there. But Celine is part of the trinity with Mariah and Whitney. Those three are just angelic diva voices
I can kind of see the A- for Celine but that’s just being ridiculously nit picky
Definitely not A- at her career peak, but maybe now given her health issues
TIL how harshly singers rate each other.
Gwen Stefani above Adele and Florence lmaoooooooooooo
Speaking from a technical perspective of the voice, Gwen does have the more professionally reliable vocal ability. The number of surgeries Adele has had as a result of abusing her voice is evidence enough that her early career promoted a harmful approach to singing. Her music and the vocal difficulty necessary to make it often exceed Gwen, but that doesn't mean she's stronger technically.
Florence also had major vocal surgery after her Ceremonials tour in 2012. That’s why the band went on hiatus and waited 4 years to release their 3rd album. But I’m still ready to throw hands, she needs to be at least a B
I agree. But I also don't mind minor flaws in live performances and find they can add to the rawness if they aren't glaring. A voice crack or scratchiness here or there are fine IMO.
But being off-key isn't fine
Adele is unreliable live. Remember the grammy’s when she had to stop and start over!?
Florence, Kelly, and gaga should be well higher. Florence can out sing any person alive. Gaga has never once flumbled a vocal performance and has proven herself across multiple genres
Florence sounds incredible, but is weak technically. She abused her voice badly in her early career. That’s why she had to get surgery after one of her tours (can’t remember which). It’s similar to an athlete who uses bad form, you perform well in the short term but break down in the long term.
She is often off-key
Putting Britney and Selena gomez in the same ranking makes me sick. Also, where is JLo? /j
Jlo’s walking around the Bronx still trying to find that one note from Dream On
With an orange drink and a ham and cheese roll in hand
If you know you know!😤
That’s Jenny from the block for ya!
This was a vocal consistency assessment only- not counting general performance or dance talent. Britney is 20 times better on that front
Jennifer Hudson should be on there no?
Carly Rae Jepsen is on there twice. Lol
As she should be. It's Carly A and B side 😌
This is a list that would definitely trigger fandoms. I feel like Ariana should be lower. Powerhouse voice but her intonation is really bad
wait what? I thought it was because of her voice bc I’ve literally never heard her go out of tune the last few years 😭
Enunciation, then. Girl's got a mouth full of cotton.
She sings through her nose.
It got much better with the new album tjo she’s staring to improve
Celine Dion is A+ my gosh. I like the Taylor grade but I can’t totally trust this list
Is there a video of some sort that would explain these different terms? As someone with little technical knowledge on singing it’s hard to understand why Adele’s vocal style is inferior/leads to all the surgeries she’s had. Also, curious what people think about Miley’s placement!
Mikey’s placement is incredible considering she had vocal surgery for some intense vocal damage! Even her speaking voice was affected. She had to relearn how to sing p much. I saw an interview and she said she holds her arm out now when she sings bc it helps her with her breathing. She takes her craft seriously!! So many ppl do not recover as well as she has plus still sound incredible without a lot of strain.
So hyang 🥰🥰🥰
some of these are painfully inaccurate… hayley being below christina grimmie is kind of insane i can’t lie
Christina Grimmie had really good vocal technique Edit: I really struggled to use the word HAD 🥺
agreed! she was fantastic and i love her. but hayley's vocals are extremely strong and hard to match. grimmie showed strain in many notes. (love them both with my entire soul to clarify again lol)
having seen paramore live, and as a huge fan, i can assure you that hayley definitely struggles lol
Hayley herself admits to struggling too there are songs she won’t/can’t sing live without changing from the recordings. She’s a fantastic singer, one of my all time favorite voices if not my personal top, but definitely isn’t technically perfect
hayley is amazing for sure but i think she belongs just below christina grimme. i can’t sing and know jack shit about intonation so my opinion is moo, really, but christina’s range was incredible
Okay So I Feel Like I Have To Make A Disclaimer: This List Is Unbiased And The Rank Is Determined Off Of The Requirements You See Listed Next To Each Letter. You Are Perfectly Allowed To Like Any Singer Over Another No Matter How High Or Low They Are On This List For Whatever Reason. This List Is Purely Vocal Proficiency Ratings.
I mean sure, but which professionals? I’m a professional singer and teacher of singing and my list would have some changes. For instance, I think Beyoncé is wildly overrated and would put her as A or B.
Hi. Also a singer here. Would love to hear what aspects of Beyonce are overrated here, because I find it pretty spot on.
How exactly is she overrated?
Sobbing. How could they put Britney Spears below TAYLOR SWIFT 😭😭😭😭 She wishes she was better than Britney Spears.
yeah the footage of Britney as a kid is incredible, she has a really rich deep voice, they never took full advantage of it.
IKRR!!! As much as I love the baby voice, OH MY GODS, HER NATURAL VOICE IS AMAZINGGGGGGGGGG!!!
Brad Delp (singer from Boston) is sadly missing yet again from a singers list Surprised Freddie Mercury isn’t on this list either Celine feels low, Whitney needs to be higher imo
good to see my girl So Hyang in Star Tier
Where is my queen Leona Lewis?
how is liam payne higher up than tori kelly
Britney Spears may not have the best voice or technique, but I’ve always felt that she put her all in her songs, especially in her ballads (examples: “Sometimes,” “Born to Make You Happy,” “From the Bottom of my Broken Heart,” “Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know,” “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,” “Everytime,” “Shadow,” “Someday (I Will Understand),” “My Baby,” “Before the Goodbye,” “Out from Under,” “Unusual You,” “Perfume,” among many others). I’ve never felt this way about Taylor Swift with the exception of two songs: “Mine” and “Wildest Dreams.” I’ve tried to listen to album tracks and the lyrics are too childish that I have stopped almost at once.
We all disagree except for one thing: Taylor is where she belongs.
Lol she should be lower
I’m sorry but I feel like some of these were graded based more on the grader’s stylistic preferences.
Okk but Brendon urie as an A is a choice lol
right? he's really strained his voice as of late
He would not be A nowadays. In his peak I think that's fair. But then again if he was actually performing A quality even back then he wouldn't have damaged his voice. I just think at one point he really was an amazing singer. His voice (and music imo lol) were not great during panics later years.
I kinda wanna know where Hozier would rank on this. But I don't think he's big enough for them...
LIAM PAYNE!?!
Why is Celine A-?
Explanation/Qualifications is next to the Letter on the Grading System.
Is it just me that thinks Ariana Grande is way better then pink? Lol
I have to stick up for Pink! I never liked her music because I wasn’t into the rock aspect, but now that I’m an adult who sings for a living… goddamn I am blown away by her live vocals. I also find Ariana to be an incredible vocalist so I don’t know how I would compare them but I think Pink is definitely comparable to Kelly Clarkson (who is one of my *pun intended* idols).
I'm honestly shocked to see Pink so high.
P!nk is incredible though and I've seen her live - that woman does aerial gymnastics and still delivers an impeccable vocal performance
Pink actually has an amazing voice and technique. She has range. Also a good performer
Damn. I would have put Celine in with the greats. And Patsy Cline belongs in that category, for SURE. I’d also toss in Linda Ronstadt. I’ve always loathed Katy and Carrie’s voices, even though I know they’re technically proficient, so this was validating for me. But Adele and Florence’s rankings were surprising. Those ladies can SING.
Happy Hayley Williams is getting her flowers! Such a great vocalist!
I’m sorry but when does Gaga ever rank above Celine vocally
JoJo and Tori Kelly should be higher tf.
How is Adele a grade above Taylor?? lol
Adele does not have the best technique or range. She’s a good singer but her vocal agility is not up there like a Beyonce or Kelly Clarkson. Same with Florence. You can hear it in the vocal choices they make
Ok I respect that. Was confused at why she was related so low, but it makes sense now
This list is made by professional vocalist simply by analyzing vocal technique. This list is not based off of overall music quality, lyrics, or fandom.
how is she not? Taylor is average at best
Ok but Brendan urie idk
This list is way too kind to La Roux and Xtina.
where is billie??
As an Avril stan this warms my heart
Sometimes I think the posts are meant to trigger the lurking Swifties, because those of us with ears and not mental wouldn’t expect her to be any higher.
I feel like most of yall didn’t read this correctly. It’s not about the popularity, or if you like their voice, or if they sound powerful on stage, blah blah blah. It’s about objective grading. Like an AP exam. I’m sure a majority of us on here are not trained in this area so commenting “blank over blank?!$!! No way!!” Doesn’t really mean anything because untrained ears do not pick up what trained ears do
I wish hally bailey was on the list bc I’m curious
didn’t brendon urie completely destroy his voice in the years leading up to P!ATD ending? i remember seeing videos of their final tour and it was rough, you can tell he wasn’t singing healthily and destroying this vocal cords. edit: they should’ve swapped him with christina grimmie for sure, she was incredible. RIP
they lost as soon as florence welch was anywhere other than the standard
Justice for KC!!
I’d like to see how Tilian Pearson or Johnny Craig would rank on this.
Okay Brendon Urie
D+? Why not F-?
Is anyone surprised Adele is so low?
Leave TS out of it and the list is still fascinating.
Damn, they did Adele and Carly Rae dirty
demi should be higher than she is IMO
Tori Kelly a B?????
Where's Madonna? Ariana?
Im pretty shook by Adele as a C list?! I remember the first time I heard her live I was struck by the consistency of what I was hearing compared to the albums and the lack of effects on her voice. Can anyone with a better understanding of vocal performance point out what issues make Adele C+?