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When it comes to MJ, whether he's singing as an adult or child he just emotes so well, his music feels alive. You can tell he means what he's singing. The most beautiful sounding voice I've ever heard in my life.
Exactly he emotes well, not everybody can do that. People say that Bruno Mars is a greater singer but he doesn't emote the same way as MJ, but he has a huge voice.
@@TaljaHeartzy-yc2jv I think Bruno Mars is a very good singer but I do not think he is better than Michael Jackson. Michael has more layers to how he sings to me. I think Bruno Mars has more musicianship
Thank you for explaining this so people can understand that Michael has been a lifelong vocalist. Even with the early vocal strain and overuse, I think MJ really made the best of his adult voice.
What fascinating "musical lifespan" analysis. My biggest takeaway is of a singer/dancer/actor who gave his body, mind , and soul as a "living sacrifice" for the sake of his audiences-- and paid the ultimate price. ❤Resting in Power(!) Always!❤
MJ was a great artist and one of the singers of all time. His vocal problems were no excuse. He continued singing and adapted to every change in his voice. That excess of work as a child affected the quality of his singing, but as an adult he continued to sing and venture into more genres.
He was not just a singer but a vocal innovator, leaving an indelible mark on the music industry. His legacy as the 'King of Pop' is not only a testament to his extraordinary talent but also to the enduring power of his voice in shaping the soundtrack of generations. 🤍
And just like that, this video is back up again! Now, if the Dionne Warwick and Mariah Carey video goes back up, and the Whitney Houston Act 3 is released, I can continue to live my life happy. Hahahaha! Love, love, love!
@@BlackMusicArchive😂😂😂😂😂 classy clapback. I love it! You’re doing a great job uploading the videos. People don’t seem to understand how much work and effort it takes to put all your time into gathering information, analyzing it, condensing it down, and then uploading and editing the videos. I applaud you for all your hard work! Take breaks if you need to and work at your own pace! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
@@BlackMusicArchive MJ is a unique part when it comes to singing, I've listened to some songs from when he was a child and I can hear how heavy his singing was, as an adult he would continue with this type of singing, he used and used and used his voice until there was no voice last. MJ was a natural born singer, but he worked too hard which wore out his voice. I think that's nobody usually sings MJ cover becuz of the complex way MJ had to adjust his voice to sing, and this may be hard for many singers to cover. But regardless MJ was an amazing singer as an adult too!
definitely one of the most underrated vocalists. he’s up there with the best singers ever. the fact that he strained soooo much but kept a beautiful tone is a miracle.
What do you mean he's underrated he was never underrated he is one of the best vocalist of his time and when did you hear him straining he was a natural singer I don't know who you were listening to couldn't have been Michael Jackson
I've been watching, listening, and learning a lot about Michael Jackson in recent months. I used to be a huge fan when I was a kid, and I love getting back to his music now so many years later. I start to understand more and more how the human body is an ever changing thing through time. It must have been scary for Michael Jackson experiencing how his voice (one of his most essential assets) was changing, and realizing that the moves he pulled off at 23 wouldn't be possible for him at 43. And yet he adapted each time beautifully. It was in an interview in his early teens when we was asked about his changing voice, and he said (with his beautiful smile); 'Just change!'
At the end of the day, nobody can nor has been able to do what he did vocally. Even when it seems like hes yelling, he sounds great. Take the song Jam for example. He is straining and raspy throughout the chorus and bridge but we love it
Yes, he still sounded great, but there's nothing good about having a damaged voice. We can appreciate his music and voice without pretending like it's not a big deal.
MJ is a unique part when it comes to singing, I've listened to some songs from when he was a child and I can hear how heavy his singing was, as an adult he would continue with this type of singing, he used and used and used his voice until there was no voice left. MJ was a natural born singer, but he worked too hard which wore out his voice. I think that's why nobody usually sings MJ covers becuz of the complex way MJ had to adjust his voice to sing, and this may be hard for many singers to cover. But regardless MJ was an amazing singer as an adult too!
imo his voice was at it's peak in the mid 70's-early 80's. It's like he still has those smooth soulful vocals from Motown/J5 days but also developing his own unique vocal quirks. He sounded great on The Wiz too.
@@EduardoGonzalez-tc2dg His speaking/chest voice was very thin (no "body" to it like normal people's voices) due to the very same issue addressed in the video. It was breathier and less resonant and rich than it should've been.
Chapters _________ 0:00 - Call To Action 0:13 - The Early Years 0:30 - Boy Soprano 2:17 - Children Singing as Adults 4:29 - The Child's Vocal Range 8:28 - Puberty and Voice Change 16:38 - Pubertal Range Expansion 20:38 - Diction and Enunciation 23:36 - The Male Alto 25:52 - The Wall of Sound 27:30 - Aesthetic Singing 29:42 - Nodules, Rasp, Vocal Damage 32:54 - Bad 34:30 - Lowering Keys 38:53 - Increase The Production 40:03 - A Connected and Disconnected Voice 41:49 - Legato and Staccato Singing 44:35 - The 15-Year Rule 45:35 - Dangerous 47:34 - New Production 48:54 - Is It The Technique? 53:06 - Problems With Pitch 55:14 - Michael's Nose, Michael's Voice 57:16 - HIStory 1:00:06 - Scream 1:02:32 - Michael's Health 1:03:12 - Lupus and The Voice 1:05:44 - Muscle Memory 1:07:07 - The 30 Year Career 1:07:48 - Invincible 1:08:38 - Can You Change The Pitch of A Voice 1:09:25 - Michael Jackson, Baritone? 1:11:34 - Conclusion
@thereritee3687 he was, too! Their lower registers sound like baritones, while their upper registers sound boyish, androgynous, sometimes feminine. They also have the agility, which Michael did have some of despite the damage (riffs and minor runs). Tevin Campbell is one of those, so is Ralph Tresvant.
Interesting video. But according to your comments, Michael Jackson would not have been able to sing songs like "Childhood" or "Speechless". Maybe I just don't hear the raspiness in his voice on the high notes. It doesn't matter in the end, because I always think Michael's voice is great.
All I can say is Invincible had some of the most fluid and beautiful singing he ever recorded. Butterflies almost defies time and age. 2000 Watts puts him back in his lower register, like it was performed by another singer.
This was a cute lil vid. But I think MJ voice was pretty strong to sing all them shows live! He did about 600 shows live by 1988. I think that should be spoken about as well. He did a lot of singing/dancing. Only voice that survived such crazy touring schedules was Tina Turner! Now that lady had pipes of steel! MJ started lipping a lot in 1990s, understandably so. He only toured bc his fans wanted to see him. He still was dancing his ass off tho! Decent vid. I agree w him being a baritone. Ppl just think he’s was a tenor bc his voice sat high in speaking. But you can be a high baritone voice! Also the bad tour in the clips ur showing isn’t all that fair. The best vocals from the tour are in 1987 - early 1988. By the London shows MJ already did like 80 dates… he was tired as hell
Actually Michael and Mariah share a lot in terms of vocal decline. Both sang/sings outside of their comfort zone for too long and too often Like Milik previously quoted " Just because you can, doesn't mean you should". As they aged, the "hole" in the voice became more and more noticeable. For instance, their singing became choppy and disconnected. Mariah camaflouges it with her airy whispery singing whereas Michael employed heavy background vocals.
This is a master class in the importance of preserving young voices. It's truly a shame nobody was looking out for Michael's vocal health when he was a child. This should be shown to every voice coach, theatre teacher, showbiz parent, etc that oversees young singers. Michael was already a stellar performer, but vocal health could have saved him a lot of difficulty throughout his career.
Honestly, Motown worked him to the bone during those formative years. And back then I can imagine the people around him viewed the screaming as a part of his talent too, rather than recognising that he was using improper technique. The fact that he was a natural born singer saved him all those years. I don't think other singers who weren't as gifted could have have lasted as long as he did.
Michael Jackson’s vocal evolution is very reminiscent of mariah Carey’s. They both probably sang out of their natural range, but also gave us everything. Their vocal decline from nodules are also very similar.
Hmmm but MJs voice was a lot stronger. He was able to sing and dance 100% live for over 400 shows before using lip syncing. Mariah only did 2 small tours of live singing before having to start lip syncing.
Such a great in depth analysis with examples! You can hear Michael as a child how he is pushing his voice out of his comfort zone. Those belts and loud singing are so tough on any child. No matter what happened to his voice Michael had that tone! That distinctive tone which has soulful, sweet and piercing quality that draws the listener in. It has charm and character too. Like you observed the rasp and grit he later developed gave his a voice a toughness and urgency which was echoed in some more aggressive 'angrier' guitar led songs that required a rockier voice. He made it work for him and those songs needed it.
Very interesting analysis. Fact is that Michael, although singing lower in 1987, sounded very healthy and strong during the Japanese leg of the Bad Tour (much better than in 1984). The rasp on the album seemed to be a choice (frying?) to achieve a "rockier" sound. I know there are other singer/dancers who managed to do it consistently, but NOBODY pushed it as far as Michael in the first 30 minutes of the Japanese Bad tour. It's impossible to support your voice while running a marathon. I think this destroyed is voice more than anything. And than, what about the affects of steroids abuse? We know he had too use them constantly to treat is lupus and lung inflammation. Could it be that the steroids - maybe even inhaling them - made him constantly sing with inflamed chords causing double damage? Maybe even minimal necrosis? His power and stability were basically gone in 1989. That fact that he still was singing "under" the lip-synching in 1997 is another mystery. Was he aware what he was doing?? It's like punching a broken leg.
My son does MJ impersonations and could sing and dance his songs at the same time. However, once he hit 12 years of age, he had to lip sing and dance. His soprano voice was gone, but his gospel chops expanded
@@CCI320 No he's not actually lol (he talked about it in the love Q&A for this video). He's actually a die-hard MJ fan. As an MJ fan and professional vocalist myself, I like the honest dissection and discussion about his voice. It didn't feel like a discredit just an analysis going beyond wow! He sounds good.
Prince started singing as an adult - that helped - never pushed his voice and body simultaneously to the limit during live performances - that helped - wasn't affected by lupus and steroid abuse - that helped ... - and wisely created a safe "style" by alternating baritone crooning and very high falsetto + distorted whistles. In my opinion he was an emotional musician, but quite a "cold" singer who only did what his good technique allowed him to do. The great difference is that Michael, who was born as a singer, was raised/exploited to give more than he could, while Prince, who became a singer, always worked respecting and accepting his limits. But, as much as I love his music, I always had and have the feeling that deep inside he didn't like his voice that much, so he created a vocal mask to hide himself. Maybe that's the reason why many of his wonderful songs sound even better when sung by natural soul singers (Sinead was one of them).
I liked how you compared Michael's voice to Coco of Swv.Even though singing all those decades took a tole on him because of lupus and him getting nose jobs, I try to look pass the negative side of things and remember how amazing he was. Like that little technique he did when he hit the high note in You Are Not Alone. I wish I knew what techniques he used when he created his albums in the studio. I think Michael was suspose to go on tour for the Invincible album but he couldn't cause of the September 11 attacks and because he was on porpabal some kind of drug you get to help you go sleep before having surgery. I'm not a hater but i'm glad the This Is It tour didn't happen cause they was putting to much of an burden on Michael before he passed just to make more money off him. Lip syncing on the History tour is understandable cause it kept Michael heathy. Thank you for Michael this incredible video Milik. Every explained video you made is like an diamond gem
I think his raspy voice was perfect during the BAD era, especially during the highly energetic BAD Tour. In most of the concerts he gave 110%. Its unbelievable. Especially whilst dancing. And thats a problem. Dancing like him plus singing very loud puts even more stress on the vocal chords. Means, highly pressurized air have to pass the v. chords and singing very loud to counteract the singing inaccuracy induced by the dancing. Loss of body fluids from sweating also not ideal for the voice. He lost up to 5 pounds per concert at the time. And despite all of that, even at the end of the tour the voice was okay. The first time i noticed his voice getting worse was after the recording sessions of Dangerous and especially during the Dangeous Tour. Even at the start of the Tour the voice was noticeable different compared to the BAD era. Some fans like that. I say at that time the rasp sounded unhealthy. Not every evening but very often. And in the History era the voice was good enough for the recording studio but not for a long Tour. This resulted in increased use of playback. But you can hear the damage at the Royal Brunei concert when he sings Billie Jean the last time 100% live. What is really crazy is the fact that he sung underneath the playback during the History tour. And though its interesting to hear this recordings its also very painful to listen too. I love this mans voice its so unique. For me his peak voice was 1984 till 1989. Absolutely stunning!
This is easily the best analysis on Michael’s voice out there. Very well researched. Phenomenal work! I wanted to ask what your opinion was on Michael’s vocal warm up schedule and whether overtraining also contributed to his vocal-health decline? There’s an interview of Seth Riggs where he said he warmed up Michael’s voice for nearly 2 non-consecutive hours before he hit the stage/studio, and Seth said he felt this was “too much.” Seth toured with Michael during the BWT. Thanks again!
I started watching these in-depth videos. Yes, I've learned a LOT about the artists I love, and also about my own voice and singing-thank you kindly for that! But, damn, their stories are so sad. People with immense talent and genius get discovered, they get so overworked till they literally perish, and yet their gifts have such unfathomable depths that they still managed to thrill and entertain the masses all the way.
Why do I feel like the whole video is just a sad attempt at shading Michael. Equating rasp to lack of skill/range is certainly a choice. So is implying that the entirety of Rock and Metal genres of music exist because the singers are just bad vocalists, or that staccato is bad technique. And yes, he was very well able to sing without rasp and in Legato as well, as songs like Childhood, Heal the World and Speechless show. I wish you had listened to more of his discography before deciding to upload this video. 51:20 Whitney Houston used her jaw when sustaining belts and using vibrato, too. Are we now saying that Whitney was a bad vocalist? 1:01:05 Yes, that is the whole point of the song. He is screaming out of anger. I'm sorry that you didn't understand that. Also, are we for real pretending that these are not some insanely high notes he is hitting? 1:08:32 His voice was raspy when it fit the song. His voice was clean when it fit the song. You cannot just cherrypick raspy songs and declare he only sang raspy due to lack of skill or technique, when songs like Childhood, Heal the World and Speechless exist. Let the poor man rest already and stop your poor shading attempts.
@37:00 - Michael Jackson was on a multi city tour and did 123 shows for the Bad Tour. He was only human. At that time he had already been singing for live audiences for almost 20 years. Bad, Dangerous & History just LOOK exhausting from a fans’ point point of view. Sure he used playback, but what choice did he have. Signing and dancing at the same time night after night takes a toll on the body.
The guy ain’t just singing. Dancing and composing music with body language live, will result in different tones. BAD is not over produced. I know they weren’t your words but it’s clearly the best album ever made. Today’s music; you can only listen to a few times before it gets stale. MJ BAD era music will never get old, in fact; only gets better over time. The man is dead, just respect what he did for music rather than looking for faults or inconsistencies through out his career
He is not looking for faults or inconsistencies he is ANALYZING Micheal's vocal journey Micheal is the reason I can even dance or took singing more seriously, this video is such precious material to understand the man's voice and understanding why it is so different than a regular voice Hell, it allows to understand and appreciate his music with a better understanding of the big picture ! So if you can't handle that Michael was human and had vocal struggles at some point like everyone of us then you should think twice rather than writing such ignorant comments
Bro literally took vocals from a performance done only to make the playback look real and Showed as proof of "bad days". He should know that that "singing" was done while MJ couldn't even hear himself. No one could hear his Voice. You can't Sing If you're not listening your own voice. So many malicious Cherry picked BS here.
Great in-depth video! I renember learning of the castrato/ castrati singers and also remembering that specific rumor about him, I always thought of Michael Jackson. It"s also sad to hear him as a child singing like his life depended on it because in many ways, it did. He was abused to achieve that perfection.
SWV, actually covered Michael’s “I want to be where you are” for the booty call soundtrack, I believe. So it’s quite the coincidence that you are drawing the similarities between Michael’s and Coko’s voices!
Amazing job once again. Hope to see one of these on Prince. His range, from songs like Do Me Baby to songs like Temptation, is insane. And he pretty much maintained it all throughout his career.
I was getting very sad that he had to suffer with almost everything he'd done in life, but I love that you said "Michael's life was about creating beauty from difficult situations." Amazing analysis! I always wondered why his voice changed so drastically, as well as why he kept his voice so high when in Invincible it sounded so natural. Part of me wonders if alongside having the issues you mentioned, whether anxiety and stress may have kept his speaking voice higher and encouraged a higher singing voice. I definitely have a similar issue even into adulthood, and judging from how Michael's disciplinary youth was, I wouldn't be surprised. Very intelligent and educational. I learned things about Michael I never had before, and this taught me a lot about voices. It's very, very fascinating.
I believe all the information to be true, but in Michael’s case he is unique. Every man’s singing voice gets lower or degenerates over the years. But Michael’s plastic surgery on his nose accelerated the decline quicker. I’m saying that I love his music in all eras!
Artists tend to lower the keys of their songs in live shows to preserve the voice for the purposes of duration and endurance. It has nothing to do with singing and dancing but to endure for a two hour show. Whitney lowered keys so she could endure for the finale of her show which was “And I’ll Always Love You.”
Because she is a mezzo so singing high like that isn't really comfortable for her so that's why she chose to lowering key for most of her songs when singing live.
Your comment about lowering keys for live performance is addressed at 35:55 in the video. Please factor in how much he's dropping the keys and what's happening to his voice with the lowered keys. While Whitney and Michael are very different performers, Whitney never dropped keys by an entire third immediately after it's released.
@@BlackMusicArchive You forgot to mention that some songs that Michael recorded throughout the 80s were artificially altered to a higher pitch to support the tempo increase. Especially the song Lovely One… He didn’t hit an E5, it was a D5. The pitch was artificially raised to an E5. They had to speed up the tempo or else the songs wouldn’t fit on the vinyl. And that very same sped up/high pitched version is still used as a reference to this day.
Extremely informative documentary, exactly as it says in the title and honestly, I learnt a lot for Myself from this video, about how I may well be damaging my own voice, and already have.
Im a bit of baritone, but I remember I used to be able to connect my own voice well into F5 by using a mixed voice. I had sinus problems since early childhood and had a surgery to straighten out my bridge. Since then I lost almost all sensation in my nose. To this day I struggle to place my sound forward due to the lack of sensation I feel in my sinus cavity. Could this also be something that happened to Michael?
I believe what you said, after the Bad tour he felt like some was wrong with his voice. I also dont think Motown really care about his changing voice. They made sure he sang so they can get that money and exploit them..
Why does the greatest superstar then and now and forever gotta be humiliated in some type of way why can’t history just take its place because it’s a page that won’t ever be turn back ever again I mean people are crazy now and days they won’t be satisfied until they find a fault in you or I some kinda way if that ain’t judging what you call it so it don’t matter about his voice he’s still The Greatest SuperStar Of All Time Let peace be unto whom will have love in there hearts with that being said let Michael Jackson rest please if you have nothing good to say at about Micheal it’s better to not say anything at all
I read Robyn Crawford's book and there is a passage where she mentions Whitney Houston being obsessed with Chaka Khan's enunciation. And to think of it there isn't really a single Whitney song where you can't make out every s, c, k, d, t etc to be found.
It’s heartbreaking when you listen analytically like this and hear the tremendous strain that was put on his voice from the very beginning as a child performer. Add that to the trauma of abuse, the wear and tear of touring, recording and stage performance; they were literally working the little man to death. That he not only survived, but adapted and rose to such tremendous heights is proof that this soul was especially blessed and cherished by God.
This was AMAZING!!! You answered so many questions that I had regarding the difference in his voice as a child and as an adult. Beautifully done! I'm sharing this with everyone!
Incredible analysis. Oh man he suffered way more than we thought. Could you sometime please do an analysis on Conor Mason’s voice from Nothing But Thieves?
Definitely the greatest video essay I’ve seen on MJ, really fantastic break downs and sourcing! Loved the insightful and in-depth findings as well as insane research done
Micheals performance of whos lovin you on the Ed Sullivan show still blows my fuckin mind an 11 year old Having that much punch that much soul in his voice he was a child prodigy destined for greatness but it came at a cost of his happiness 💔
I'm not an expert in this, but I wonder what his voice could have been like if he had been able to get the nodes on his vocal chords removed. I hear that most pop singers get this surgery nowadays... supposedly Adel has had this surgery more than 4 times. MJ and others of his generation did not get this procedure because it was quite dangerous for the voice. It is much safer now and therefore it is a lot more common. Regardless, Michael's voice is singular and special and I love it.
Excellent analysis. MJ fans in the comments are truly delusional and butthurt for no reason. Multiple truths can exist. He was a phenomenal performer who was overworked too early, leading to the voice developing unhealthily.
Furthermore, refusing to acknowledge that he had his pitfalls and his voice did in fact decline and was damaged is the complete opposite of empathy. I know to each his own and everyone has their favourites, MJ was certainly a phenomenal talent but much like the rest of us he was human too. This to me just shows how fans more than often do not care for their favourites and accept or see them as flawed and complex humans but rather as what they represent to them individually. It is embarrassing but also so human within itself.
He was human. MJ wasn't the only artist to suffer vocal damage either. Rock and metal singers, many of them, do not have good technique either. The problem was the workload he had when he was a child. When MJ was twenty years old he had already recorded more than 16 albums, plus the tours he did during his childhood and adolescence, singing all the material live, being the main vocalist and always pushing his voice to the limit by singing too loud and, in addition, his Illnesses, such as lupus, affected her voice. He continued singing live in the '80s with his Victory, Destiny and Triumph tours with The Jacksons. Then his massive Bad tour with 123 concerts, almost two hours of concert singing live and dancing like a demon, losing weight every night. Considering MJ's case, it is not a good idea to compare him with other singing and dancing artists like James Brown or Tina Turner. When MJ wanted to take care of himself and improve his technique with Seth Riggs, the damage was already done, it was too late. He was a great singer, he took advantage of his problems to his advantage and had no excuses.
38:09 Oh my God! Karen Slack EXPOSING Mike! Hahahahaha! They said the 'B' word! Oh my God! Say it ain't so! *Karen Slack: "Well, Michael Jackson wasn't a...he's just, yeah... That's not natura-He WAS a BARITONE."* BARITONE, she said! BARITONE! Ohhhhhh my God! The dream is dead! Hahahaha! Michael Joseph Jackson's TRUE Voice Type is a Baritone. Wow. First time hearing this. He was SINGING Tenor or Male Alto...but he was REALLY a Baritone all along. Daaaaaaaaamn. I'm a gigantic Michael fan but I also know music just a little bit & I know you guys know your stuff. You just exposed the truth about Michael's voice in this latest updated version of this video. Michael wanted to keep his high range for aesthetic, to sing the old songs convincingly, to crossover, to stay true to his Peter Pan identity, *AND to codeswitch as a Black Man breaking all of these societal barriers.* If he talks & sings in his true lower voice, maybe Paul McCartney doesn't tell him about the secrets of music publishing. If he talks & sings in his true lower voice, maybe he won't be trusted on the bedroom walls of suburban White girls everywhere. If he talks & sings in his true lower voice, maybe he's seen as a threat earlier on & cannot achieve the change he sought. Michael had to put forth an image of being non-threatening while simultaneously being subversive in the mainstream. That is HARD TO DO. Easy to be subversive & underground. Easy to be mainstream & acceptable. Hard to be both at once. Rick James was a threat at 5' 11" with his streetwise eyes & baritone register. He couldn't get past dating Linda Blair. Teddy Pendergrass was a threat at 6' 1" with his strong beard & growly bass-baritone vocals. No crossover for him. Barry White was an obvious threat at 6' 4" & well over 300 pounds with his heavy beard & mega bass voice. Being classy with his orchestra helped but he would remain affixed to the Soul/Black charts as the 1980s commenced. But Prince was a little more acceptable at 5' 2" despite his baritone register because of his slim build & flamboyant attire. And Michael was the most acceptable at 5' 10" with his skinny frame, gentle attitude, & tenor-flavored performance. Once Michael is in, Prince could go further, then Hip-Hop can follow & all Black artists will escape the quarantine we were placed in at the start of the 1980s Reagan Era. Civil Rights can now carry on in the midst of the Civil Rights Backlash. Anti-Civil Rights Ronald Reagan brought Pro-Civil Rights Michael Jackson to the White House in 1984 for MJ's Clout. Reagan wins the 1984 election & just a little over 1 year later in 1986, Reagan sees the 1st Martin Luther King Jr. Day observed as a national federal holiday. A day he reluctantly signed into law in 1983, the year of Michael Mania. Michael had to bury his baritone in his background 'wall of sound' vocals or else he could not change the world. You just exposed Michael's method to the madness by divulging the truth about his voice. Wow. Applause to you all.
i would love to see a Beyoncé voice explained video. shes one of the best vocalists of all times and has one of the best techniques in the industry. her singing style is quite distinct and her usage of runs, riffs, dynamics, melismas, vocal production, harmonizing, layering, growls, range, versatility, etc. is top notch. the usage of her head voice in such an operatic way is also very impressive and also how she has been able to persevere her voice for almost 30 years.
Her voice is quite interesting because when she’s little she has this sweet baby voice but as soon she reaches puberty her voice rapidly changes and deepens to the voice we know today
very much true! i noticed the change started to happen around 05-06 and with her pregnancies it became deeper and deeper. her growls also became so much better and just seemed to flow flawlessly out of her throat with ease when she does it. @@valentinovega5804
@thereritee3687 I think he added it for purpose because he admired James Brown. His premotown singing was more Brown like I believe. The same thing did the best singer from my country long ago. He sang with a clear voice and then his manager played him James Brown and said That how they sing in the world. Then this singer added raspiness and rerecorded his songs. So this was added intentionally. Singers choose how they want to sing and they inspire themselves with one another. Michael for sure took it from Brown.
@thereritee3687 Michael always mentioned James Brown. I know 2 songs of his but not necessarily like him. He also mentioned Jackie Wilson, probably even during grammies 83 but I don't recognize any of his songs. I must check him finally, lol.
Honestly, the comments from fellow MJ fans are a bit disappointing. It's like they don't even care that we missed out on possibly decades of top-notched live singing because of the early missteps. Like, what?
I'm 30 minutes into this. Is anyone else getting a feeling that this video isn't about admiring MJ, but rather telling us all the reasons he shouldn't have been singing? Pshhh! Michael Jackson is a legend. He succeeded in crafting all his talents from age FIVE to 50, and having the most successful musical career EVER. He loved it, and became a wonderful person who blessed many many people all over the planet! He had true passion and suffered for his calling. Thank God he loved what he did and accomplished what he was put on this earth for. So many people's lives are better because Michael Jackson SANG. Not only did he sing, but he inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of people creatively, in business, in conviction, in faith, in goodness, etc. ❤ Edit: you literally waited until the last sentence to show appreciation for the #kingofpop. Ok🙄
"If he is placing his voice in the nose, but doesnt have a nose" JESUS. I love him but that comment combined with the timeline of noses at the end took me completely out 😭☠️
i always learn so much from your videos. i didn’t expect it to make me emotional, but man, i really feel for michael jackson ❤️i hope his soul is getting rest
@@minocious8344 Music is also subjective. Understand that these experts mainly specialise in a specific genre and style of singing I think his vocals were better as an adult than as a child. Kid Michael couldn't do the nuanced things that adult Micheal could vocally
Sir, I really really appreciate your hard work, and I am really looking forward to your afterwards work. Would you make a video explaining Mariah Carey’s voice
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@thereritee3687 I think my point is, I think everything Michael went through with his voice helped make him the ever improving artist that he was. Maybe he had no choice, I’ll take that BUT he used it to his advantage. My fave vocal performance of his has to be EARTH SONG. He had a beautiful voice, one of the most popular in the world. It must be the definition of turning a situation around to you advantage
Yes the rasp in his voice is often used with rock and roll artists especially. Something a lot of pop and r&b artists do not have and made his voice especially unique compared to others.
informative stuff. but i dont believe he deliberately increased the production and dancing on songs to hide his voice not being the same. he was an entertainer, a genius, and a very complicated and confused soul who never chose to be put into the limelight at such a young age. i think he gave everything he had to be the best performer and singer and composer he could knowing he could never have a normal life. but the the nose surgery must have been monumental in his ability to sing. i still think though, its impossible to sing thriller beat it smooth criminal earth song man in the mirror etc properly while dancing and being out of breath. does any artist today, perform 15 choreographed songs with dancing and perfect in tune on point vocals? maybe there is, im old so i dont keep up with these these, but fascinating documentary 🙂
@@nagia13 if only he could have done even one of those wembley arena This Is It shows in 2009, my friend got me a ticket for the first night in london. RIP MJ
Yassss for this video breakdown of the late and great MJ🤩🤩!! I enjoy watching each of your videos and breakdowns of each artist and their vocals. Keep up the good work and much love always😘💖💖
What a pointless video! I have no idea what you are getting at over MJ. Even his autopsy reported that his vocals were in remarkable shape- meaning no anomalies or nodules on his cords. Any singer in rehearsal lr performance is going to strain the voice
Michael had a beautiful voice from a child to a man and who sang better than him, people talking about on here he had problems with his voice, it just changed as he changed but always been number one
I really love your content... i would GAG if you did a Britney Spears explained! 😅 you would possibly garner the highest views in your channel's history!!! IJYS 😊
I love Michael so much... When I would play Rockband and they had The Jackson's ABC I would always pick it and fail so fast because I usually sing high but I couldn't get the notes that he was hitting. MJ's voice was always magical, soft and sweet... I love it and miss it & him dearly❤
Despite it all though he went on to keep his beautiful voice/vocals into adulthood, thank goodness, one of the best to ever do it, and to me none of yalls criticism matter cause Michael still sounded amazing studio/live and I found nothing wrong with the production of bad and it’s one of my favorites from Michael
@@dondamon4669lmao, all the video is doing is addressing the difference and decline in MJ’s vocal ability over his lifetime, no one said MJ couldn’t sing, a lot of vocal coaches would disagree with you
@@dondamon4669not even taking it to a technical standpoint, at face value MJ was a great vocalist, listen to his acoustics, definitely the invincible ones
That is true about not understanding what Michael Jackson is singing because for YEARS I tell you, YEARS, in Don't Stop Til You get Enough I thought he sung "keep on, do the bus stop, don't stop til you get enough" It wasn't til a couple of years ago I found out it's " keep up, with the force dont stop, don't stop til you get enough" Why didn't anyone tell me!!!!😩😩😩
Gladys Knight credits Motown Records' vocal coaches/teachers for her still having a voice today. I think the difference is when you're bringing in the big bucks like Michael and J5 were, your vocal health and longevity are not a priority.
1-Great job as always! I like this more than the other two. 2-When it comes to his nose, during the AEG trial a doctor who treated him stated he had his Turbinates were removed(likely during a nose job). So that may have been the main issue. I wonder how that would’ve affected his singing? The doctor felt it caused insomnia. The surgery happened in the 90s. 3-HIStory tour issues. Fans say ‘sick’ but it’s well documented that he had a dependency on drugs and started using anesthesia to sleep during that tour 4- It may not change much but I think you do have to account for that his records are pitched higher due to being sped up. It’s not just a fan argument but his coworkers have spoken on it and let fans listen to some of the original recordings.
This video is spreading misinformation and his voice didn’t deteriorate. You can listen to his acapella and see he still maintained his voice. His raspy edgy voice was intentional
@jalen143 how can he spread misinformation when he invited vocal coaches,classical singers and vocal expert to his channel and doing Interview with them???he doing research first before making video.its not like he just stupidly making video by his own perception and opinion he even giving proof to back up everything he said.how can you tell whether the rasp was intentional or not???and sometimes when he sing the acapella it's not really as consistent as you claim it was.
@@Zai02-gk4dm did he invite Seth Riggs? Did these vocal coaches ever work with Michael Jackson? Did they understand why he changed his style? Just say you don’t know mj artistry if you think his voice deteriorated. Bunch of idiots in these threads
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When it comes to MJ, whether he's singing as an adult or child he just emotes so well, his music feels alive. You can tell he means what he's singing. The most beautiful sounding voice I've ever heard in my life.
True. He is a storyteller
Exactly he emotes well, not everybody can do that. People say that Bruno Mars is a greater singer but he doesn't emote the same way as MJ, but he has a huge voice.
I agree. Songs just come alive when Michael sings
@@TaljaHeartzy-yc2jv I think Bruno Mars is a very good singer but I do not think he is better than Michael Jackson. Michael has more layers to how he sings to me. I think Bruno Mars has more musicianship
@@MrBarrywes yes I agree!
Thank you for explaining this so people can understand that Michael has been a lifelong vocalist. Even with the early vocal strain and overuse, I think MJ really made the best of his adult voice.
I don't care what happened to his voice... I love his voice at all stages... and in all eras
Thank you.
" ME TOO !❤
Honestly I do too. Like ALL stages. I loved Earth Song (sorry not sorry😅) . It's tge passion with which he sang
What fascinating "musical lifespan" analysis. My biggest takeaway is of a singer/dancer/actor who gave his body, mind , and soul as a "living sacrifice" for the sake of his audiences-- and paid the ultimate price. ❤Resting in Power(!) Always!❤
and he’s still being exploited in death.
@@mssha1980 Yes, so sad; it is the way of the money grubbing vampires in 2024😡. Your 👍 is appreciated. 👍🖖☮️🌍🌏🌎☮️
Very well said 👏 👍
MJ was a great artist and one of the singers of all time. His vocal problems were no excuse. He continued singing and adapted to every change in his voice. That excess of work as a child affected the quality of his singing, but as an adult he continued to sing and venture into more genres.
He was not just a singer but a vocal innovator, leaving an indelible mark on the music industry. His legacy as the 'King of Pop' is not only a testament to his extraordinary talent but also to the enduring power of his voice in shaping the soundtrack of generations. 🤍
And just like that, this video is back up again! Now, if the Dionne Warwick and Mariah Carey video goes back up, and the Whitney Houston Act 3 is released, I can continue to live my life happy. Hahahaha! Love, love, love!
Do you know what happened to them ? The Chaka khan one is down too ☹️
I look forward to seeing your revised, deep dive Mariah Carey analysis! @@onepleiadian
@@BlackMusicArchiveI’d rather do more male singers
@@BlackMusicArchive😂😂😂😂😂 classy clapback. I love it! You’re doing a great job uploading the videos. People don’t seem to understand how much work and effort it takes to put all your time into gathering information, analyzing it, condensing it down, and then uploading and editing the videos. I applaud you for all your hard work! Take breaks if you need to and work at your own pace! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
@@BlackMusicArchive MJ is a unique part when it comes to singing, I've listened to some songs from when he was a child and I can hear how heavy his singing was, as an adult he would continue with this type of singing, he used and used and used his voice until there was no voice last. MJ was a natural born singer, but he worked too hard which wore out his voice. I think that's nobody usually sings MJ cover becuz of the complex way MJ had to adjust his voice to sing, and this may be hard for many singers to cover. But regardless MJ was an amazing singer as an adult too!
definitely one of the most underrated vocalists. he’s up there with the best singers ever. the fact that he strained soooo much but kept a beautiful tone is a miracle.
I think it’s because he’s dancing was sooogood that it overshadowed his singing on top of being a masterful frontman
@@EIGHTBITPUNK for sure!
Underrated? 😂
@@Rayal1979 if you don’t agree you can move along
What do you mean he's underrated he was never underrated he is one of the best vocalist of his time and when did you hear him straining he was a natural singer I don't know who you were listening to couldn't have been Michael Jackson
I've been watching, listening, and learning a lot about Michael Jackson in recent months. I used to be a huge fan when I was a kid, and I love getting back to his music now so many years later. I start to understand more and more how the human body is an ever changing thing through time. It must have been scary for Michael Jackson experiencing how his voice (one of his most essential assets) was changing, and realizing that the moves he pulled off at 23 wouldn't be possible for him at 43. And yet he adapted each time beautifully. It was in an interview in his early teens when we was asked about his changing voice, and he said (with his beautiful smile); 'Just change!'
💯
At the end of the day, nobody can nor has been able to do what he did vocally. Even when it seems like hes yelling, he sounds great. Take the song Jam for example. He is straining and raspy throughout the chorus and bridge but we love it
rock singer = raspy
Yes, he still sounded great, but there's nothing good about having a damaged voice. We can appreciate his music and voice without pretending like it's not a big deal.
So so true. It's insane that he still sounded so freaking good. Even with tge rasp and "yelling". Just magical
Yes!!! Is it odd that Jam gives me chills! Lol It’s so powerful
MJ is a unique part when it comes to singing, I've listened to some songs from when he was a child and I can hear how heavy his singing was, as an adult he would continue with this type of singing, he used and used and used his voice until there was no voice left. MJ was a natural born singer, but he worked too hard which wore out his voice. I think that's why nobody usually sings MJ covers becuz of the complex way MJ had to adjust his voice to sing, and this may be hard for many singers to cover. But regardless MJ was an amazing singer as an adult too!
Good point about the covers!
@@John3v8 thank you so much 😁😁😁
imo his voice was at it's peak in the mid 70's-early 80's. It's like he still has those smooth soulful vocals from Motown/J5 days but also developing his own unique vocal quirks. He sounded great on The Wiz too.
Agree and you can tell his voice is a natural tenor when he speaks In the triumph tour in 1981 . His peak in live performance vocal wise
@BrotherChancyThis.
@@EduardoGonzalez-tc2dg His speaking/chest voice was very thin (no "body" to it like normal people's voices) due to the very same issue addressed in the video. It was breathier and less resonant and rich than it should've been.
Exactly!!! That's the Jackson's era - 1976 to 1984
@@AfricanThinker86that was a concious choice, he wanted to sound like his child self, he said this in an interview in 2001.
MJ's voice could have also changed due to age and not practicing. However he sounded amazing in the Invincible album
Chapters
_________
0:00 - Call To Action
0:13 - The Early Years
0:30 - Boy Soprano
2:17 - Children Singing as Adults
4:29 - The Child's Vocal Range
8:28 - Puberty and Voice Change
16:38 - Pubertal Range Expansion
20:38 - Diction and Enunciation
23:36 - The Male Alto
25:52 - The Wall of Sound
27:30 - Aesthetic Singing
29:42 - Nodules, Rasp, Vocal Damage
32:54 - Bad
34:30 - Lowering Keys
38:53 - Increase The Production
40:03 - A Connected and Disconnected Voice
41:49 - Legato and Staccato Singing
44:35 - The 15-Year Rule
45:35 - Dangerous
47:34 - New Production
48:54 - Is It The Technique?
53:06 - Problems With Pitch
55:14 - Michael's Nose, Michael's Voice
57:16 - HIStory
1:00:06 - Scream
1:02:32 - Michael's Health
1:03:12 - Lupus and The Voice
1:05:44 - Muscle Memory
1:07:07 - The 30 Year Career
1:07:48 - Invincible
1:08:38 - Can You Change The Pitch of A Voice
1:09:25 - Michael Jackson, Baritone?
1:11:34 - Conclusion
He was a leggiero tenor.
@thereritee3687 he was, too! Their lower registers sound like baritones, while their upper registers sound boyish, androgynous, sometimes feminine. They also have the agility, which Michael did have some of despite the damage (riffs and minor runs). Tevin Campbell is one of those, so is Ralph Tresvant.
Interesting video. But according to your comments, Michael Jackson would not have been able to sing songs like "Childhood" or "Speechless". Maybe I just don't hear the raspiness in his voice on the high notes. It doesn't matter in the end, because I always think Michael's voice is great.
He’s using mixed voice…that’s why you dont hear vocal rasp
That's a good point about those 2 songs
I’m so happy to see this video back! I find Michael’s life and voice journey so fascinating.
All I can say is Invincible had some of the most fluid and beautiful singing he ever recorded. Butterflies almost defies time and age. 2000 Watts puts him back in his lower register, like it was performed by another singer.
I agree 💯 %!! I love that album!!
Butterflies is such a beautiful song
This was a cute lil vid. But I think MJ voice was pretty strong to sing all them shows live! He did about 600 shows live by 1988. I think that should be spoken about as well. He did a lot of singing/dancing. Only voice that survived such crazy touring schedules was Tina Turner! Now that lady had pipes of steel! MJ started lipping a lot in 1990s, understandably so. He only toured bc his fans wanted to see him. He still was dancing his ass off tho!
Decent vid. I agree w him being a baritone. Ppl just think he’s was a tenor bc his voice sat high in speaking. But you can be a high baritone voice!
Also the bad tour in the clips ur showing isn’t all that fair. The best vocals from the tour are in 1987 - early 1988. By the London shows MJ already did like 80 dates… he was tired as hell
yeah I thought the bad tour clips were unfair, his voice was poppin in early bad tour and the clips he showed were... something else
yea his earlier shows on that tour were great
Actually Michael and Mariah share a lot in terms of vocal decline.
Both sang/sings outside of their comfort zone for too long and too often
Like Milik previously quoted " Just because you can, doesn't mean you should".
As they aged, the "hole" in the voice became more and more noticeable. For instance, their singing became choppy and disconnected. Mariah camaflouges it with her airy whispery singing whereas Michael employed heavy background vocals.
I was thinking this as well. Sadly the demands of popular music. It’s also why they started to heavily lip sync
Totaly wrong and false !
This is a master class in the importance of preserving young voices. It's truly a shame nobody was looking out for Michael's vocal health when he was a child. This should be shown to every voice coach, theatre teacher, showbiz parent, etc that oversees young singers. Michael was already a stellar performer, but vocal health could have saved him a lot of difficulty throughout his career.
Honestly, Motown worked him to the bone during those formative years. And back then I can imagine the people around him viewed the screaming as a part of his talent too, rather than recognising that he was using improper technique. The fact that he was a natural born singer saved him all those years. I don't think other singers who weren't as gifted could have have lasted as long as he did.
Michael Jackson’s vocal evolution is very reminiscent of mariah Carey’s. They both probably sang out of their natural range, but also gave us everything. Their vocal decline from nodules are also very similar.
i love them both
Hmmm but MJs voice was a lot stronger. He was able to sing and dance 100% live for over 400 shows before using lip syncing. Mariah only did 2 small tours of live singing before having to start lip syncing.
Such a great in depth analysis with examples! You can hear Michael as a child how he is pushing his voice out of his comfort zone. Those belts and loud singing are so tough on any child. No matter what happened to his voice Michael had that tone!
That distinctive tone which has soulful, sweet and piercing quality that draws the listener in. It has charm and character too. Like you observed the rasp and grit he later developed gave his a voice a toughness and urgency which was echoed in some more aggressive 'angrier' guitar led songs that required a rockier voice. He made it work for him and those songs needed it.
✌✌✌✌✌
Very interesting analysis. Fact is that Michael, although singing lower in 1987, sounded very healthy and strong during the Japanese leg of the Bad Tour (much better than in 1984). The rasp on the album seemed to be a choice (frying?) to achieve a "rockier" sound. I know there are other singer/dancers who managed to do it consistently, but NOBODY pushed it as far as Michael in the first 30 minutes of the Japanese Bad tour. It's impossible to support your voice while running a marathon. I think this destroyed is voice more than anything. And than, what about the affects of steroids abuse? We know he had too use them constantly to treat is lupus and lung inflammation. Could it be that the steroids - maybe even inhaling them - made him constantly sing with inflamed chords causing double damage? Maybe even minimal necrosis? His power and stability were basically gone in 1989. That fact that he still was singing "under" the lip-synching in 1997 is another mystery. Was he aware what he was doing?? It's like punching a broken leg.
My son does MJ impersonations and could sing and dance his songs at the same time. However, once he hit 12 years of age, he had to lip sing and dance. His soprano voice was gone, but his gospel chops expanded
BS vídeo. MJ could Sing high clean even in his 40's. Listen to speechless
Would love to see a Prince breakdown from you! Specially in comparison how his voice maintained its quality up until his death.
They are probably a prince fan, only prince fans go this far to try and discredit Michael
@@CCI320 No he's not actually lol (he talked about it in the love Q&A for this video). He's actually a die-hard MJ fan. As an MJ fan and professional vocalist myself, I like the honest dissection and discussion about his voice. It didn't feel like a discredit just an analysis going beyond wow! He sounds good.
@@CCI320you haven't understood anything from this video then,it seems..
Prince started singing as an adult - that helped - never pushed his voice and body simultaneously to the limit during live performances - that helped - wasn't affected by lupus and steroid abuse - that helped ... - and wisely created a safe "style" by alternating baritone crooning and very high falsetto + distorted whistles. In my opinion he was an emotional musician, but quite a "cold" singer who only did what his good technique allowed him to do. The great difference is that Michael, who was born as a singer, was raised/exploited to give more than he could, while Prince, who became a singer, always worked respecting and accepting his limits. But, as much as I love his music, I always had and have the feeling that deep inside he didn't like his voice that much, so he created a vocal mask to hide himself. Maybe that's the reason why many of his wonderful songs sound even better when sung by natural soul singers (Sinead was one of them).
Let’s keep Prince out of this.
I liked how you compared Michael's voice to Coco of Swv.Even though singing all those decades took a tole on him because of lupus and him getting nose jobs, I try to look pass the negative side of things and remember how amazing he was. Like that little technique he did when he hit the high note in You Are Not Alone. I wish I knew what techniques he used when he created his albums in the studio. I think Michael was suspose to go on tour for the Invincible album but he couldn't cause of the September 11 attacks and because he was on porpabal some kind of drug you get to help you go sleep before having surgery. I'm not a hater but i'm glad the This Is It tour didn't happen cause they was putting to much of an burden on Michael before he passed just to make more money off him. Lip syncing on the History tour is understandable cause it kept Michael heathy. Thank you for Michael this incredible video Milik. Every explained video you made is like an diamond gem
I think his raspy voice was perfect during the BAD era, especially during the highly energetic BAD Tour. In most of the concerts he gave 110%. Its unbelievable. Especially whilst dancing. And thats a problem. Dancing like him plus singing very loud puts even more stress on the vocal chords. Means, highly pressurized air have to pass the v. chords and singing very loud to counteract the singing inaccuracy induced by the dancing. Loss of body fluids from sweating also not ideal for the voice. He lost up to 5 pounds per concert at the time.
And despite all of that, even at the end of the tour the voice was okay.
The first time i noticed his voice getting worse was after the recording sessions of Dangerous and especially during the Dangeous Tour. Even at the start of the Tour the voice was noticeable different compared to the BAD era. Some fans like that. I say at that time the rasp sounded unhealthy. Not every evening but very often.
And in the History era the voice was good enough for the recording studio but not for a long Tour. This resulted in increased use of playback. But you can hear the damage at the Royal Brunei concert when he sings Billie Jean the last time 100% live. What is really crazy is the fact that he sung underneath the playback during the History tour. And though its interesting to hear this recordings its also very painful to listen too.
I love this mans voice its so unique. For me his peak voice was 1984 till 1989. Absolutely stunning!
Mick jagger can do it easily
Mj had laryngitis during history tour. Everything else you said is pretty spot on
This is easily the best analysis on Michael’s voice out there. Very well researched. Phenomenal work!
I wanted to ask what your opinion was on Michael’s vocal warm up schedule and whether overtraining also contributed to his vocal-health decline? There’s an interview of Seth Riggs where he said he warmed up Michael’s voice for nearly 2 non-consecutive hours before he hit the stage/studio, and Seth said he felt this was “too much.” Seth toured with Michael during the BWT. Thanks again!
I disagree with the timing of his use of harmony. The best examples of Michael’s harmony were on the Off The Wall album
I started watching these in-depth videos. Yes, I've learned a LOT about the artists I love, and also about my own voice and singing-thank you kindly for that! But, damn, their stories are so sad. People with immense talent and genius get discovered, they get so overworked till they literally perish, and yet their gifts have such unfathomable depths that they still managed to thrill and entertain the masses all the way.
Why do I feel like the whole video is just a sad attempt at shading Michael.
Equating rasp to lack of skill/range is certainly a choice.
So is implying that the entirety of Rock and Metal genres of music exist because the singers are just bad vocalists, or that staccato is bad technique.
And yes, he was very well able to sing without rasp and in Legato as well, as songs like Childhood, Heal the World and Speechless show.
I wish you had listened to more of his discography before deciding to upload this video.
51:20 Whitney Houston used her jaw when sustaining belts and using vibrato, too. Are we now saying that Whitney was a bad vocalist?
1:01:05 Yes, that is the whole point of the song. He is screaming out of anger. I'm sorry that you didn't understand that.
Also, are we for real pretending that these are not some insanely high notes he is hitting?
1:08:32 His voice was raspy when it fit the song. His voice was clean when it fit the song. You cannot just cherrypick raspy songs and declare he only sang raspy due to lack of skill or technique, when songs like Childhood, Heal the World and Speechless exist.
Let the poor man rest already and stop your poor shading attempts.
Thanks for watching ❤️
Because you think this man was without fault.
So what your saying is that you can become greatness at any vocal range 🤘🏽
Exactly
No that his voice was terrible especially live
@@dondamon4669 that's what I am saying by any vocal range good great or shit lol
Can you do one on Prince?
@37:00 - Michael Jackson was on a multi city tour and did 123 shows for the Bad Tour. He was only human. At that time he had already been singing for live audiences for almost 20 years. Bad, Dangerous & History just LOOK exhausting from a fans’ point point of view. Sure he used playback, but what choice did he have. Signing and dancing at the same time night after night takes a toll on the body.
Mike was a great performer,but a beautiful singer as well. I hate how the industry/father did him
Even mj became adult his voice still love to listen bcause hesang with a feeling to his music.
The guy ain’t just singing. Dancing and composing music with body language live, will result in different tones. BAD is not over produced. I know they weren’t your words but it’s clearly the best album ever made. Today’s music; you can only listen to a few times before it gets stale. MJ BAD era music will never get old, in fact; only gets better over time.
The man is dead, just respect what he did for music rather than looking for faults or inconsistencies through out his career
He is not looking for faults or inconsistencies he is ANALYZING Micheal's vocal journey
Micheal is the reason I can even dance or took singing more seriously, this video is such precious material to understand the man's voice and understanding why it is so different than a regular voice
Hell, it allows to understand and appreciate his music with a better understanding of the big picture !
So if you can't handle that Michael was human and had vocal struggles at some point like everyone of us then you should think twice rather than writing such ignorant comments
we are studying him. His life is history, and anything he's ever done is fascinating and special
Bro literally took vocals from a performance done only to make the playback look real and Showed as proof of "bad days". He should know that that "singing" was done while MJ couldn't even hear himself. No one could hear his Voice. You can't Sing If you're not listening your own voice. So many malicious Cherry picked BS here.
Great in-depth video! I renember learning of the castrato/ castrati singers and also remembering that specific rumor about him, I always thought of Michael Jackson. It"s also sad to hear him as a child singing like his life depended on it because in many ways, it did. He was abused to achieve that perfection.
How much would I have to pay for a Jazmine Sullivan video??? 🤔🤔🤔
MJ’s voice is such a treasure, he could do any style of singing and he sounded so heavenly and clean. He is one of a kind and can never be replaced! ❤
He needed TO REST for some years and get coaching. They worked him to death
so glad you put the video back up, i kept telling my friends about this amazing channel and im so happy to share this with them
SWV, actually covered Michael’s “I want to be where you are” for the booty call soundtrack, I believe. So it’s quite the coincidence that you are drawing the similarities between Michael’s and Coko’s voices!
i love cokos voice❤
where did he compare them btw
Hope there will be a video dedicated to Patti with the section explaining how her voice is so healthy and so powerful at her age
Amazing job once again. Hope to see one of these on Prince. His range, from songs like Do Me Baby to songs like Temptation, is insane. And he pretty much maintained it all throughout his career.
I was getting very sad that he had to suffer with almost everything he'd done in life, but I love that you said "Michael's life was about creating beauty from difficult situations."
Amazing analysis! I always wondered why his voice changed so drastically, as well as why he kept his voice so high when in Invincible it sounded so natural. Part of me wonders if alongside having the issues you mentioned, whether anxiety and stress may have kept his speaking voice higher and encouraged a higher singing voice. I definitely have a similar issue even into adulthood, and judging from how Michael's disciplinary youth was, I wouldn't be surprised.
Very intelligent and educational. I learned things about Michael I never had before, and this taught me a lot about voices. It's very, very fascinating.
I believe all the information to be true, but in Michael’s case he is unique. Every man’s singing voice
gets lower or degenerates over the years. But Michael’s plastic surgery on his nose accelerated the decline quicker. I’m saying that I love his music in all eras!
Artists tend to lower the keys of their songs in live shows to preserve the voice for the purposes of duration and endurance. It has nothing to do with singing and dancing but to endure for a two hour show. Whitney lowered keys so she could endure for the finale of her show which was “And I’ll Always Love You.”
Because she is a mezzo so singing high like that isn't really comfortable for her so that's why she chose to lowering key for most of her songs when singing live.
@@Zai02-gk4dm I Will Always Love You is not her highest song but she was overworking and overusing for so long she needed to lower it.
Your comment about lowering keys for live performance is addressed at 35:55 in the video. Please factor in how much he's dropping the keys and what's happening to his voice with the lowered keys.
While Whitney and Michael are very different performers, Whitney never dropped keys by an entire third immediately after it's released.
Exactly, this video isn’t an analyzation.
It’s literally just someone doing their best to reinforce/support their own opinions.😂
@@BlackMusicArchive You forgot to mention that some songs that Michael recorded throughout the 80s were artificially altered to a higher pitch to support the tempo increase. Especially the song Lovely One… He didn’t hit an E5, it was a D5. The pitch was artificially raised to an E5. They had to speed up the tempo or else the songs wouldn’t fit on the vinyl. And that very same sped up/high pitched version is still used as a reference to this day.
Extremely informative documentary, exactly as it says in the title and honestly, I learnt a lot for
Myself from this video, about how I may well be damaging my own voice, and already have.
Y’all should do prince I don’t know why no one talks about his voice it’s literally 5 octaves and his falsetto is nuts
Im a bit of baritone, but I remember I used to be able to connect my own voice well into F5 by using a mixed voice. I had sinus problems since early childhood and had a surgery to straighten out my bridge. Since then I lost almost all sensation in my nose. To this day I struggle to place my sound forward due to the lack of sensation I feel in my sinus cavity. Could this also be something that happened to Michael?
I've learned so much❤ Thank you! Maybe you can one day look into Tevin Campbell, too.
Yes, I would love to see a vid about Tevin!
I mentioned before about tevin. I'd also like to see peabo bryson, Stephanie mills, Luther, prince, brandy, tamia and kenny lattimore.
I believe what you said, after the Bad tour he felt like some was wrong with his voice. I also dont think Motown really care about his changing voice. They made sure he sang so they can get that money and exploit them..
Why does the greatest superstar then and now and forever gotta be humiliated in some type of way why can’t history just take its place because it’s a page that won’t ever be turn back ever again I mean people are crazy now and days they won’t be satisfied until they find a fault in you or I some kinda way if that ain’t judging what you call it so it don’t matter about his voice he’s still The Greatest SuperStar Of All Time Let peace be unto whom will have love in there hearts with that being said let Michael Jackson rest please if you have nothing good to say at about Micheal it’s better to not say anything at all
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SOMEONE, PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS JOE ROGAN....i yell at the screen whenever he tries to say that Mj was castrated smh
Me too!!!
Say what, now?
I read Robyn Crawford's book and there is a passage where she mentions Whitney Houston being obsessed with Chaka Khan's enunciation. And to think of it there isn't really a single Whitney song where you can't make out every s, c, k, d, t etc to be found.
It’s heartbreaking when you listen analytically like this and hear the tremendous strain that was put on his voice from the very beginning as a child performer. Add that to the trauma of abuse, the wear and tear of touring, recording and stage performance; they were literally working the little man to death. That he not only survived, but adapted and rose to such tremendous heights is proof that this soul was especially blessed and cherished by God.
This was AMAZING!!! You answered so many questions that I had regarding the difference in his voice as a child and as an adult. Beautifully done! I'm sharing this with everyone!
Incredible analysis. Oh man he suffered way more than we thought.
Could you sometime please do an analysis on Conor Mason’s voice from Nothing But Thieves?
Definitely the greatest video essay I’ve seen on MJ, really fantastic break downs and sourcing! Loved the insightful and in-depth findings as well as insane research done
Micheals performance of whos lovin you on the Ed Sullivan show still blows my fuckin mind an 11 year old Having that much punch that much soul in his voice he was a child prodigy destined for greatness but it came at a cost of his happiness 💔
I'm not an expert in this, but I wonder what his voice could have been like if he had been able to get the nodes on his vocal chords removed. I hear that most pop singers get this surgery nowadays... supposedly Adel has had this surgery more than 4 times. MJ and others of his generation did not get this procedure because it was quite dangerous for the voice. It is much safer now and therefore it is a lot more common. Regardless, Michael's voice is singular and special and I love it.
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A lot of these newer singers have improper technique and damage their voices, so I’m not surprised they’re having surgeries.
Excellent analysis. MJ fans in the comments are truly delusional and butthurt for no reason. Multiple truths can exist. He was a phenomenal performer who was overworked too early, leading to the voice developing unhealthily.
Furthermore, refusing to acknowledge that he had his pitfalls and his voice did in fact decline and was damaged is the complete opposite of empathy. I know to each his own and everyone has their favourites, MJ was certainly a phenomenal talent but much like the rest of us he was human too. This to me just shows how fans more than often do not care for their favourites and accept or see them as flawed and complex humans but rather as what they represent to them individually. It is embarrassing but also so human within itself.
He was human. MJ wasn't the only artist to suffer vocal damage either. Rock and metal singers, many of them, do not have good technique either. The problem was the workload he had when he was a child. When MJ was twenty years old he had already recorded more than 16 albums, plus the tours he did during his childhood and adolescence, singing all the material live, being the main vocalist and always pushing his voice to the limit by singing too loud and, in addition, his Illnesses, such as lupus, affected her voice. He continued singing live in the '80s with his Victory, Destiny and Triumph tours with The Jacksons. Then his massive Bad tour with 123 concerts, almost two hours of concert singing live and dancing like a demon, losing weight every night. Considering MJ's case, it is not a good idea to compare him with other singing and dancing artists like James Brown or Tina Turner. When MJ wanted to take care of himself and improve his technique with Seth Riggs, the damage was already done, it was too late. He was a great singer, he took advantage of his problems to his advantage and had no excuses.
So what?
38:09 Oh my God! Karen Slack EXPOSING Mike! Hahahahaha! They said the 'B' word! Oh my God! Say it ain't so!
*Karen Slack: "Well, Michael Jackson wasn't a...he's just, yeah... That's not natura-He WAS a BARITONE."*
BARITONE, she said! BARITONE! Ohhhhhh my God! The dream is dead! Hahahaha!
Michael Joseph Jackson's TRUE Voice Type is a Baritone. Wow. First time hearing this.
He was SINGING Tenor or Male Alto...but he was REALLY a Baritone all along. Daaaaaaaaamn.
I'm a gigantic Michael fan but I also know music just a little bit & I know you guys know your stuff.
You just exposed the truth about Michael's voice in this latest updated version of this video.
Michael wanted to keep his high range for aesthetic, to sing the old songs convincingly, to crossover,
to stay true to his Peter Pan identity, *AND to codeswitch as a Black Man breaking all of these societal barriers.*
If he talks & sings in his true lower voice, maybe Paul McCartney doesn't tell him about the secrets of music publishing.
If he talks & sings in his true lower voice, maybe he won't be trusted on the bedroom walls of suburban White girls everywhere.
If he talks & sings in his true lower voice, maybe he's seen as a threat earlier on & cannot achieve the change he sought.
Michael had to put forth an image of being non-threatening while simultaneously being subversive in the mainstream.
That is HARD TO DO. Easy to be subversive & underground. Easy to be mainstream & acceptable. Hard to be both at once.
Rick James was a threat at 5' 11" with his streetwise eyes & baritone register. He couldn't get past dating Linda Blair.
Teddy Pendergrass was a threat at 6' 1" with his strong beard & growly bass-baritone vocals. No crossover for him.
Barry White was an obvious threat at 6' 4" & well over 300 pounds with his heavy beard & mega bass voice.
Being classy with his orchestra helped but he would remain affixed to the Soul/Black charts as the 1980s commenced.
But Prince was a little more acceptable at 5' 2" despite his baritone register because of his slim build & flamboyant attire.
And Michael was the most acceptable at 5' 10" with his skinny frame, gentle attitude, & tenor-flavored performance.
Once Michael is in, Prince could go further, then Hip-Hop can follow & all Black artists will escape the quarantine we were placed in at the start of the 1980s Reagan Era. Civil Rights can now carry on in the midst of the Civil Rights Backlash.
Anti-Civil Rights Ronald Reagan brought Pro-Civil Rights Michael Jackson to the White House in 1984 for MJ's Clout.
Reagan wins the 1984 election & just a little over 1 year later in 1986, Reagan sees the 1st Martin Luther King Jr. Day observed as a national federal holiday. A day he reluctantly signed into law in 1983, the year of Michael Mania.
Michael had to bury his baritone in his background 'wall of sound' vocals or else he could not change the world.
You just exposed Michael's method to the madness by divulging the truth about his voice. Wow. Applause to you all.
Actually, no he was a leggiero tenor. These tenors' lower registers sound like baritones
i would love to see a Beyoncé voice explained video. shes one of the best vocalists of all times and has one of the best techniques in the industry. her singing style is quite distinct and her usage of runs, riffs, dynamics, melismas, vocal production, harmonizing, layering, growls, range, versatility, etc. is top notch. the usage of her head voice in such an operatic way is also very impressive and also how she has been able to persevere her voice for almost 30 years.
Her voice is quite interesting because when she’s little she has this sweet baby voice but as soon she reaches puberty her voice rapidly changes and deepens to the voice we know today
very much true! i noticed the change started to happen around 05-06 and with her pregnancies it became deeper and deeper. her growls also became so much better and just seemed to flow flawlessly out of her throat with ease when she does it. @@valentinovega5804
@@valentinovega5804I love her deeper voice. It’s filled out nicely.
The Baby Michael Video is back!!!
This raspiness was something he added intentionally
29:48-32:30 ❤️
Right?! That's SOUL we hear!!
No.
@thereritee3687 I think he added it for purpose because he admired James Brown. His premotown singing was more Brown like I believe. The same thing did the best singer from my country long ago. He sang with a clear voice and then his manager played him James Brown and said That how they sing in the world. Then this singer added raspiness and rerecorded his songs. So this was added intentionally. Singers choose how they want to sing and they inspire themselves with one another. Michael for sure took it from Brown.
@thereritee3687 Michael always mentioned James Brown. I know 2 songs of his but not necessarily like him. He also mentioned Jackie Wilson, probably even during grammies 83 but I don't recognize any of his songs. I must check him finally, lol.
Honestly, the comments from fellow MJ fans are a bit disappointing. It's like they don't even care that we missed out on possibly decades of top-notched live singing because of the early missteps. Like, what?
But you have to understand back in the 1970s when they sing in those High Optics that was very common in Soul R&B music.
The best video on Michael's voice I've seen. It made me emotional.
Its bs
@@CCI320 explain?
@@CCI320 rather Jackson was full of it,mind you..
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I would love to see something on James browns voice
Me too ❤
Ommmmggg THANK YOU FOR REUPLOADING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm 30 minutes into this. Is anyone else getting a feeling that this video isn't about admiring MJ, but rather telling us all the reasons he shouldn't have been singing?
Pshhh!
Michael Jackson is a legend.
He succeeded in crafting all his talents from age FIVE to 50, and having the most successful musical career EVER. He loved it, and became a wonderful person who blessed many many people all over the planet! He had true passion and suffered for his calling.
Thank God he loved what he did and accomplished what he was put on this earth for. So many people's lives are better because Michael Jackson SANG. Not only did he sing, but he inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of people creatively, in business, in conviction, in faith, in goodness, etc. ❤
Edit: you literally waited until the last sentence to show appreciation for the #kingofpop. Ok🙄
"If he is placing his voice in the nose, but doesnt have a nose" JESUS. I love him but that comment combined with the timeline of noses at the end took me completely out 😭☠️
I was looking for this video for the longest😭 glad it’s back up💪🏾
The problem with this, is you need an example of someone who sang that good, that high for that long, that didn't lose notes? Who is this dude?🙂
I loved this- so informative and illuminating. I really hope you do Usher next!
i always learn so much from your videos. i didn’t expect it to make me emotional, but man, i really feel for michael jackson ❤️i hope his soul is getting rest
I don’t agree with this his voice was just as incredible as an adult as it was as a child.
you don't agree based on what? are you a professional like all these people providing well researched information?
@@minocious8344 Music is also subjective. Understand that these experts mainly specialise in a specific genre and style of singing
I think his vocals were better as an adult than as a child. Kid Michael couldn't do the nuanced things that adult Micheal could vocally
Sir, I really really appreciate your hard work, and I am really looking forward to your afterwards work. Would you make a video explaining Mariah Carey’s voice
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Love this! For me I love Michael’s older voice, Dangerous and History. I love the rasp! I always thought it was a stylistic choice
@thereritee3687 I think my point is, I think everything Michael went through with his voice helped make him the ever improving artist that he was. Maybe he had no choice, I’ll take that BUT he used it to his advantage. My fave vocal performance of his has to be EARTH SONG. He had a beautiful voice, one of the most popular in the world. It must be the definition of turning a situation around to you advantage
Yes the rasp in his voice is often used with rock and roll artists especially. Something a lot of pop and r&b artists do not have and made his voice especially unique compared to others.
@thereritee3687 yeah i think rasp thing just goes back to soul singers
informative stuff. but i dont believe he deliberately increased the production and dancing on songs to hide his voice not being the same. he was an entertainer, a genius, and a very complicated and confused soul who never chose to be put into the limelight at such a young age. i think he gave everything he had to be the best performer and singer and composer he could knowing he could never have a normal life. but the the nose surgery must have been monumental in his ability to sing. i still think though, its impossible to sing thriller beat it smooth criminal earth song man in the mirror etc properly while dancing and being out of breath. does any artist today, perform 15 choreographed songs with dancing and perfect in tune on point vocals? maybe there is, im old so i dont keep up with these these, but fascinating documentary 🙂
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@@nagia13 if only he could have done even one of those wembley arena This Is It shows in 2009, my friend got me a ticket for the first night in london. RIP MJ
Pleeeeaaase do Beyoncé. I enjoyed this and the Whitney Houston analysis! Thank you for your hard work and research!
Yassss for this video breakdown of the late and great MJ🤩🤩!! I enjoy watching each of your videos and breakdowns of each artist and their vocals. Keep up the good work and much love always😘💖💖
What a pointless video! I have no idea what you are getting at over MJ. Even his autopsy reported that his vocals were in remarkable shape- meaning no anomalies or nodules on his cords. Any singer in rehearsal lr performance is going to strain the voice
source for this claim?
Michael had a beautiful voice from a child to a man and who sang better than him, people talking about on here he had problems with his voice, it just changed as he changed but always been number one
The most beautiful voice everrrrr💯❤️
I really love your content... i would GAG if you did a Britney Spears explained! 😅 you would possibly garner the highest views in your channel's history!!! IJYS 😊
I love Michael so much...
When I would play Rockband and they had The Jackson's ABC I would always pick it and fail so fast because I usually sing high but I couldn't get the notes that he was hitting.
MJ's voice was always magical, soft and sweet... I love it and miss it & him dearly❤
Despite it all though he went on to keep his beautiful voice/vocals into adulthood, thank goodness, one of the best to ever do it, and to me none of yalls criticism matter cause Michael still sounded amazing studio/live and I found nothing wrong with the production of bad and it’s one of my favorites from Michael
What didn't you watch it? He can't sing
@@dondamon4669It’s these delusional stans who think the man was perfect in every aspect. Drives me crazy.
@@dondamon4669lmao, all the video is doing is addressing the difference and decline in MJ’s vocal ability over his lifetime, no one said MJ couldn’t sing, a lot of vocal coaches would disagree with you
@@dondamon4669not even taking it to a technical standpoint, at face value MJ was a great vocalist, listen to his acoustics, definitely the invincible ones
That is true about not understanding what Michael Jackson is singing because for YEARS I tell you, YEARS, in Don't Stop Til You get Enough I thought he sung "keep on, do the bus stop, don't stop til you get enough" It wasn't til a couple of years ago I found out it's " keep up, with the force dont stop, don't stop til you get enough"
Why didn't anyone tell me!!!!😩😩😩
bruh😭
I understood:" Keep on with the four stop, don't stop till you get enough"
you think him overusing his voice at an younger age was due to a lack of knowledge from the people that trained him?
Gladys Knight credits Motown Records' vocal coaches/teachers for her still having a voice today. I think the difference is when you're bringing in the big bucks like Michael and J5 were, your vocal health and longevity are not a priority.
@@BlackMusicArchive that makes sense
Well , his grasping was what I loved more of his vice. So! I don’t care what the world says.
1-Great job as always! I like this more than the other two.
2-When it comes to his nose, during the AEG trial a doctor who treated him stated he had his Turbinates were removed(likely during a nose job). So that may have been the main issue. I wonder how that would’ve affected his singing? The doctor felt it caused insomnia. The surgery happened in the 90s.
3-HIStory tour issues. Fans say ‘sick’ but it’s well documented that he had a dependency on drugs and started using
anesthesia to sleep during that tour
4- It may not change much but I think you do have to account for that his records are pitched higher due to being sped up. It’s not just a fan argument but his coworkers have spoken on it and let fans listen to some of the original recordings.
a turbinate reduction is a pretty routine surgery for allergies. getting them REMOVED though idk
@@arisumego yes his were removed. Something called empty nose syndrome. I had to look it up again but they talked about it during the AEG trial.
Can we analyze the narrator’s voice next
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Well Mike was no ordinary singer. He was dancing, spinning, running at the same time, and if you are doing world tours, yeah you have to drop keys.
I have never once considered that Michael Jackson had voice deterioration until today. Excellent commentary, as always. ❤️
This video is spreading misinformation and his voice didn’t deteriorate. You can listen to his acapella and see he still maintained his voice. His raspy edgy voice was intentional
@@jalen143listen to his later music . Like post history, you can hear the problems
@@mssha1980 yeah his voice needed rest
@jalen143 how can he spread misinformation when he invited vocal coaches,classical singers and vocal expert to his channel and doing Interview with them???he doing research first before making video.its not like he just stupidly making video by his own perception and opinion he even giving proof to back up everything he said.how can you tell whether the rasp was intentional or not???and sometimes when he sing the acapella it's not really as consistent as you claim it was.
@@Zai02-gk4dm did he invite Seth Riggs? Did these vocal coaches ever work with Michael Jackson? Did they understand why he changed his style? Just say you don’t know mj artistry if you think his voice deteriorated. Bunch of idiots in these threads
Thank you for the work you put in towards all of our furthered musical education. These videos are absolutely incredible!