How to find YOUR voice.
Sep 02, 2026I was having an identity crisis.
I went to school for vocal performance for both undergrad and graduate school.
I loved classical music. I loved opera. I loved art song.
But eventually, I realized something that was a little inconvenient:
I didn't actually love singing it.
It didn't feel at home in my voice.
And musical theatre was no different.
I loved it, but I didn't always feel at home belting.
I could do it.
I worked on it.
I could make it happen.
But something inside me was whispering:
"This doesn't feel like me either."
And for a long time, I didn't listen.
Cause that's what we do. We ignore the subtle voices. We push through it.
I thought if I just worked harder, learned the "right" technique, sang the "right" repertoire, and sounded morelike the singers I admired or the ones that were popular...
I'd eventually arrive at the correct version of my voice.
Well... that didn't work. Surprise, surprise.
Here's what I eventually learned:
Finding your voice isn't about becoming more like the singers you admire or what's trending.
It's about becoming more you.
And that takes some courage.
Many of us have spent years absorbing messages about what a "good" voice is supposed to sound like.
Sound familiar?
Maybe you've compared yourself to other singers and decided that their sound is what you're supposed to be aiming for.
Maybe you've even started trying to "fix" the very qualities that make your voice interesting.
But what if.... stay with me... what if those qualities aren't flaws?
What if they're part of your artistic identity?
The texture.
The warmth.
The brightness.
The vulnerability.
Your vibrato.
The unusual color.
The way you phrase something.
The way emotion lives in your sound.
Those things are part of what makes your voice yours.
Think about some of the singers who are instantly recognizable.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Audra McDonald! She didn't erase her classical training to fit into musical theatre.
Freddie Mercury certainly didn't sound like everyone else.
Carla Bruni built an identity around a sound that is intimate, understated and totally her.
They didn't become unforgettable by sounding like everybody else.
They became unforgettable by leaning into what made them different.
And I think we can learn something from that.
So how do you actually find YOUR voice?
I have a journaling exercise for you!
Discovering Your Vocal Superpowers
(and you can listen to me guide you through this exercise in the latest episode of The Joyful Singer plus included are more tips on finding your voice!)
#1 What do you genuinely like about your voice? What do you feel proud of? (Even if it feels uncomfortable to answer at first. Write anyway.)
#2 What positive comments have you received about your voice that have stayed with you?
#3 What negative feedback have you received that has stayed with you?
And then:
#4 Which of those comments actually feel true to you? Which ones feel imposed?
(Because sometimes we carry around someone else's opinion about our voice for YEARS without ever stopping to ask: Do I actually believe this?)
#5 What qualities of your voice feel most “you” when you're relaxed and unguarded?
#6 What have you labeled as flaws?
And for each one, ask:
How might this be a strength?
What does this quality allow me to express that someone else might not be able to?
#7 If you stopped trying to sound like anyone else, what do you imagine your voice would sound like?
And:
How would it feel in your body?
How would it change your relationship to singing?
There are no right answers here.
The goal isn't to define yourself permanently.
The goal is to listen.
The goal is to keep exploring.
Keep asking:
What feels like me now?
The goal isn't perfection.
It's ownership.
If you've been thinking, "Okay Erin, but how do I actually find my voice when I feel like I've lost it?"- that's exactly what we explore in this week's episode of The Joyful Singer Podcast: How to Find Your Voice. I share the story of my own journey toward finding a sound that actually felt like me, plus practical ways you can start uncovering yours.
