Who popularized melisma?

Whitney Houston
Melisma describes the act of taking one syllable of a lyric and stretching it over several notes—or, in Carey’s case, sometimes ten or twenty. “Vision of Love” is the Magna Carta of melisma. Whitney Houston popularized it, but Carey made melisma a required move for both R. & B.

Who was the first famous pop singer?

The first major pop stars as such were the crooners of the 1930s and ’40s. Bing Crosby sold millions of records, as did Frank Sinatra (arguably the first modern pop star, with screaming teenage female fans – the bobbysoxers), and in Britain, Al Bowly.

Why do singers all sound the same now?

Auto-Tune was originally developed as a tool in the oil exploration industry, but now it’s widely used in pop music.

Who has the best vocals in pop?

Based on the findings, Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose has demonstrated the greatest vocal range in studio. Mariah Carey comes in second, followed by Prince, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Christina Aguilera and David Bowie.

What is the hardest Whitney Houston song to sing?

I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston It’s a really difficult song to get right – you need to hit those high notes and you need to make sure you are in control of your breathing.

What singers use melisma?

The use of melisma is a common feature of artists such as Deniece Williams, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, among others. The use of melismatic vocals in pop music slowly grew in the 1980s.

Why do singers pronounce words weird?

Melodies are carried mainly by the vowels in the lyrics. And different vowels project differently: The “ee” in “oh, say can you SEE” tends to sound very bright, so this vowel is often modified by singers. Opera singers also pronounce words differently when singing than when speaking; it’s not just pop singers.

Why is indie pop voice so popular?

[quote]Another factor that could be facilitating Indie Pop Voice is the nature of the music itself. The sparse, soft instrumentation found in much of contemporary pop encourages a fluid, dynamic vocal performance, with a relatively high amount of pressure on the vocalist to capture the listener’s attention.

Why do some American bands sound British when they sing?

“That’s one reason why some U.S. bands sound British when they sing.” (Many British accents are non-rhotic, which means r’s are always omitted after a vowel.) [quote]As with other matters of vocal style, there may be as many reasons for vowel breaking as there are singers. While some are aesthetic, others may reflect more practical needs.

Why don’t singers put an ‘R’ in the middle of their words?

[quote]“R’s can cut a vowel short, so often singers will soften or omit the ‘r’ in the middle of a word to get a longer vowel and give it more of a singing quality,” Tan says. “That’s one reason why some U.S. bands sound British when they sing.” (Many British accents are non-rhotic, which means r’s are always omitted after a vowel.)

What is it called when you change your voice?

I found it a name for it. It’s called dipthongization, or vocal breaking. [quote]Gretchen McCulloch, a linguist and writer, says there is a common thread making all of these singers’ pronunciation unusual: the transformation of simple vowels into complex ones.