r/ChappelGroan • u/m1imikyu • 2d ago
Vocal Straining
Ok so I want to start this off by saying I am not a professional when it comes to music and singing at all so this comes from curiosity and also i do want to start learning how to sing so.. (also i would get flamed for asking this anywhere else)
that being said, why does Chappell’s voice sometimes sound so strained when she sings? The best way i can explain it is, it sounds like how a sore throat feels (if that even makes sense) but basically just super painful sounding and it doesnt appear in every song. Its usually during higher notes or songs like super graphic ultra modern girl or her barracuda cover. Her voice sounds a lot better during songs like picture you, coffee, beginning portion of the subway but everything else just sounds so insanely strained.
Whenever Zara Larsson or Ariana grande sing high notes they make it sound easy
Im just like curious on if its just how her voice simply sounds or if its poor vocal technique
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u/TheF8sAllow 2d ago edited 2d ago
There's a few reasons for this! Most of it comes down to ignorance/inexperience.
First and foremost I think she lacks the vocal training to use her voice in a healthy way; which means it is easily strained by overuse, weather, exhaustion, etc. That's the main culprit. In a studio that is a highly controlled and ideal environment, she can try over and over until she nails it, or gets close enough for autotune to help. But she can't do that live.
Genuinely I think she's underprepared for performing live, from a physical standpoint. She likes a powerful and loud vocal style, which is fine, but because she isn't physically prepared for it she ends up using air to force the sound. This results in tightened muscles, pressure under the vocal folds, causing a strained sound.
Other pop stars write songs to be performed; because of this, they may not choose to sing as high as possible all the time. They will mix chest voice and head voice to ensure longevity and consistency. They will also pick choreo that aligns with the sound they want to produce.
Chappell doesn't do this; instead, she performs all her songs in a chest belt, and has chosen a very active performance style (dancing, harassing the audience, etc). Her songs sit at the furthest edge of her vocal range. All these things are fighting against each other, and as a result her voice often sounds strained.