Hey singers, Chris here.
So I wanted to talk about a deadly habit that I see singers get stuck in all the time.
It’s by far the BIGGEST mistake I see singers make and it’s killing their voices.
What is it? It’s trying to imitate other singers.
You are probably thinking to yourself “Wow I do that all the time!”
And the reality is that humans are naturally imitators, so if we’re not aware we’re doing it…
Naturally we will try to imitate.
If this is you, I want you to know that it’s OKAY and if you do what I tell you, you can break the habit and begin developing your own voice.
Okay so let’s get started…
Why You’ll Never Sound Like Any Other SInger
To understand this better, let’s use an illustration.
You’ll need a pen and a piece of paper.
Here’s what you’ll do: Draw a circle in the middle of the piece of paper.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, draw it.
Now I want you to look at it.
You will never draw another circle like that.
It’s unique and drawn by you.
It’s impossible to replicate!
Now what I want you to do is trace that circle as close as you can.
What does that traced circle look like?
Was it more difficult to trace your original circle?
If you look at it , your traced circle will not be like the original circle.
It’s a very poor copy.
Do you see the connection?
If you can’t even trace your own circle, how can you replicate another singer’s voice?
This brings me to the next point…
How Imitation KILLS your voice
As we learned from the circle illustration, you will never be able to replicate any other singer.
That singer is not YOU and you are NOT them. Their anatomy is different from yours.
The reason imitation is so deadly is because when you try imitating other singers…
You begin to introduce new tensions as you reach for the same notes using that singer’s tone and dynamics.
And since the voice is a muscle, if you continue to try to imitate other singers, you begin to develop bad singing habits… some being permanent.
So the more you try to imitate, the further you are from your true voice.
This is what I mean when I say it “kills” your voice. In essence it kills your artistry along with it.
So what’s the antidote?
If you realize that you try to imitate other singers when you sing, here’s what you can do to stop and begin using your OWN voice:
1. Dive into your own voice.
I encourage you to explore what YOU sound like. Sometimes writing your own song, singing random lyrics, or even taking a song and making it your own can help.
If you feel like you’re trying too hard, then that means you’re still imitating in some way.
Try to sing in a way that feels natural to you.
2. Discover what your voice can do
This can be scary to some, but it’s very exciting.
Don’t be afraid to let go of all your apprehensions or worries and just SING.
Even if it doesn’t sound great, sometimes we all have to explore the edges of our boundaries to learn there’s another world we never knew about.
In time you will come to love the discovery process as you find there’s a lot more that you can do with your voice.
3. Be inspired but don’t be a tracer.
Inspiration is not imitation. Try not to get the two confused.
Imitation is like trying to trace that circle..it’s impossible.
Inspiration is taking what another singer is doing, and making it your own.
For example, you might hear your favorite singer use grit or compression and you want to learn how to do that with your own voice.
With an open mind, you may begin trying out different things with your voice to discover how exactly they create that sound.
Finally, you figure it out but it doesn’t sound like them. That’s okay!
You can now practice this new technique and use it to create your own unique grit, as long as it doesn’t hurt your voice.
To conclude, I hope you found some helpful tips in this article that will help you break out of your shell and come to love and use your own voice.
If you want help discovering and developing your voice, feel free to sign up for my FREE vocal course here:
JOIN MY FREE COURSE: FREE YOUR VOICE
And If you want to watch the video I did about the #1 voice killer, you can see it below.
Anyways, thanks for reading, and have a great Christmas!
-Chris
