How to sound MORE you (and set yourself apart)

I remember a time when I thought I was supposed to sing certain songs, sing in certain vocal styles, and warm up in ways that- if I was being completely honest with myself- didn’t really feel like me.

 

 

I believed that if I just I pushed myself (completely ignoring the little “This doesn’t feel like me!” voice) I’d eventually land on the “right” sound.

 

 

The acceptable sound.

 

 

The sound that meant I was doing it "correctly".

 

 

And then, only then would it be acceptable.

 

 

Now, let me be clear: trying new things matters.

 

 

Stretching matters.

 

 

Growth matters.

 

 

Exploring styles outside your comfort zone is essential for any artist.

 

 

We must be willing to experiment, to learn, to expand our range- vocally and creatively.

 

 

But there’s a difference between exploration and self-abandonment.

 

 

What I didn’t understand back then was how often I was overriding my own instincts. 

 

 

I was singing things that didn’t feel true. 

 

 

I was chasing sounds that didn’t sit naturally in my body.

 

 

I was working against my voice instead of with it.

 

 

And that pressure to sound like someone else, to fit into prevailing trends, to squash out what made my voice different... and special, slowly eroded my enthusiasm and joy for singing. Truly.

 

 

If I could go back, I wish I had known this:

 

 

Your voice doesn’t need to be "fixed."

 

 

It doesn’t.

 

 

It needs to be supported, yes.

 

 

It needs to be tended to.

 

 

It needs love.

 

 

It needs to be embraced.

 

 

And when I say “embrace your voice,” I don’t mean tolerate it or make peace with it in a resigned way. 

 

 

I mean feel proud of it. 

 

 

I mean stand confidently inside the qualities that make your voice unmistakably yours. 

 

 

I mean leaning toward your uniqueness instead of apologizing for it.

 

 

So many singers are taught- explicitly or implicitly- that difference is a liability. 

 

 

That sounding “non-traditional” is something to correct. 

 

 

That quirks should be smoothed out rather than leaned into.

 

 

But history tells a very different story!!

 

 

👉🏻Audra McDonald trained as a classical singer at Juilliard.

 

 

Her voice didn’t fit the traditional Broadway mold.

 

 

And instead of abandoning it, she let her classical sound inform her musical theater work.

 

 

The result?

 

 

One of the most celebrated Broadway performers of all time.

 

 

👉🏻Freddie Mercury didn’t sound like anyone else.

 

 

His vibrato, range, and theatricality broke rules constantly.

 

 

That was never a flaw!

 

 

It was the very thing that made Queen unforgettable.

 

 

 

👉🏻Carla Bruni’s understated, breathy, conversational vocal style stands in stark contrast to the polished, powerful pop voices we are used to hearing.

 

 

 

She leans into intimacy instead of competing for volume and built a career around it.

 

 

 

None of these singers succeeded by erasing themselves.

 

 

 

They succeeded by amplifying what was already there.

 

 

 

This is the question I wish I had asked sooner:

 

 

 

What if the thing you’ve been trying to fix is actually your strength?

 

 

 

What if the texture in your voice, the softness, the brightness, the depth, the unusual color, the emotional rawness, your vibrato- what if that is your superpower?

 

 

 

Even if teachers, trends, or the industry have told you otherwise.

 

 

 

Especially if they have.

 

 

 

Reclaiming your voice requires a deep, a quiet, and resolute kind of courage. 

 

 

 

It asks you to trust your inner compass more than external approval. 

 

 

 

It asks you to decide that authenticity matters more than fitting in.

 

 

 

I know this isn’t easy!

 

 

 

I’ve created a little exercise for you to help you begin that process.

 

 

 

Here’s a simple journaling exercise you can return to anytime you feel discouraged or unsure.

 

 

 

Discovering Your Vocal Superpowers

 

 

 

Tip: Get to a place of compassion and curiosity. Take a few minutes to close your eyes and connect with the quiet, still part of yourself.

 

 

 

#1 What do I genuinely like about my voice?
(Even if it feels uncomfortable to answer at first. Write anyway.)

 

 

 

#2 What comments have I received about my voice-positive or negative-that have stayed with me?

 

 

 

#3 Which ones feel true? Which ones feel imposed?

 

 

 

 

#4 What qualities of my voice feel most “me” when I’m relaxed and unguarded?
(Think tone, emotional expression, phrasing, presence…not just technique.)

 

 

 

 

#5 What have I labeled as flaws?

 

 

 

And for each one, ask:

 

#6 How might this be a strength? What does this allow me to express that others can’t?

 

 

 

 

#7 If I stopped trying to sound like anyone else, what do I imagine my voice would sound like?

 

 

#8 How would it feel in my body? How would it change my relationship to singing?

 

 

 

There are no right answers here. The goal isn’t to define yourself permanently, it’s to listen.

 

 

 

Your voice holds your history, your body, your temperament, your lived experience. It cannot and should not sound like anyone else’s.

 

 

 

The more you reject the idea that there is one “correct” way to sound, the more freedom you’ll feel. And freedom is where confidence actually grows.

 

 

 

Not from perfection.

 

 

Not from imitation.

 

 

👉🏻But from ownership.

 

 

 

You are already enough!

 

 

 

Let me know how this goes for you, I’m all ears and would love to hear what you discover!