From the time Ariana Grande released her first album “Yours Truly” in 2013 to “Thank U, Next” in 2019, it’s clear that this songstress has amazing talent and has so much more to give. Ariana is admired by many and emulated by so many more. This is why many are asking how to sing like Ariana Grande? Can you become as good as her on stage? Let’s find out.
A short background on Ariana’s singing career
Ariana is an American singer, songwriter and also an actress. She hails from Boca Raton, FL, and started her career as a theater performer in a Broadway musical when she was just 13 years old.
Ariana was cast in Nickelodeon’s “Victorious” in 2010 as Cat Valentine. Her fantastic singing voice and impressive acting abilities took her from stage to TV to the recording studio, at Republic Records to be exactly where she signed her first recording deal in 2011. How was she discovered by Republic? Through her video covers, she uploaded it on YouTube.
Ariana Grande is known for songs like “My Everything,” “Dangerous Woman,” and “Thank U, Next.” Her songs “Thank U, Next,” “7 Rings,” and “Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” were included in the US Billboard 200 chart at the number one slot. Her single “The Way” was included in the top ten US Billboard Hot 100.
How to sing and sound like Ariana
Do you sing and sound like Ariana, or would you like to sound like her because your singing voice is the opposite of her voice? Before we learn how to sing like her, let’s first analyze our singing prowess, how far are we from sounding like Ariana Grande?
If you’re a woman with a high voice (a soprano), then there is a good chance that you can practice and practice more to sing exactly like Ariana. But if you are a man and you have a low voice (baritone), then there’s no use learning how to sound like Arian because you can never achieve her singing voice! You might be better of lip-syncing Ariana’s songs!
So without further ado, here are some effective ways to sound like Ariana Grande.
Improve Your Singing Voice
1. Using your body to sing
If you think that your voice could never be as good as Ariana, then why not sing with your body. Certain body parts can help you improve your singing. For instance, maintaining good posture is one way to sing better.
Ariana is known for her dramatic poses, picture-perfect looks, and her great posture. When she sings, she stands straight and lets the song pour through her. Apply this with your singing. Stand or sit straight; loosen up. Open and close your mouth to relax it. Sing using your breathing muscle or the diaphragm.
2. Never strain your voice
Never strain your voice. Ariana can belt out high notes, but she does this very carefully and pushes her voice but never forcefully because it can lead to vocal strain.
Know your limits. Never strain your throat because any strain can dramatically affect your voice. You can become out of tune, or you can suffer from cracking and breaking.
3. Practice singing in tune
Always sing in tune. Listen to your voice. You can also practice singing in tune using the piano. Play some notes on the piano and try to sing the notes. Listen to your voice to check if you can sing in tune or not.
Do you know that there are mobile apps that can help you sing in tune? Vanido is not a new app because it was around in 2016, helping people how to sing. This app is available on Android or iPhone. Simply download this on your smartphone and use it daily to learn how to sing in tune. Vanido and other apps can help you sing well no matter where you are.
4. Fix your singing voice (vowel method)
Despite having a perfect singing voice, Ariana continues to practice and enhance her talents. Every singer and performer knows the importance of keeping their voices in tip-top shape. And for people like you who want to sing like Ariana, simple vocal treatment may be used. This is called the vowel technique.
Say the five vowels: A, E, I, O, and U over and over again, slowly as you go along. As you say, the vowels, feel how your lips, mouth, and jaw positions to say the different letter sounds. As you do this, keep your jaw open.
This can take a while to learn, but once you have the hang of it, it will be natural to you. But if you find it hard to keep your jaw open, use your fingers to wedge your mouth open. You may also use a cork. Practice until you no longer need to use the wedge.
Say the vowels over again and notice every jaw movement, every lip position, and every time you feel your face muscles strain to produce the sounds. Pretty soon, your mouth and your face will feel very loose and relaxed. You’re no longer tense, and so, you’re ready to learn how to sing like Ariana Grande.
5. Practice your natural vibrato
Vibrato is how you change pitch. A singer who uses her vibrato to change the pitch in your singing voice. Vibrato helps create a breathy and emotional tone in your voice. You must learn how to control your vibrato, which is surely mastered by a professional like Ariana.
Sing with your hand on your chest to “feel” your vibrato. It may sound weird or loose at first, but with continuous practice, you will be able to produce a more natural vibrato.
Check your breathing as you practice your natural vibrato. Stand in front of a mirror with your hands on your chest and then raise your chest. Breathe in and out as you hold your chest with your hand.
Now, sing a note and try to hold it as long as you can without ever moving your chest. As you sing halfway, use your hands to press slightly against your chest. Let your chest move against the pressure.
During this exercise, make sure that your neck is relaxed and your jaw wide open so you can come up with the note. Keep your chest high, and your chin tucked as you continue practicing your natural vibrato.
Singing like Ariana Grande
1. Study your voice
It’s time to study your voice and find out what you can do to gradually sing like Ariana. Some variables make a singing voice unique. The factors include
- Range – the range is the note or notes that you can produce as you sing.
- Weight – the weight is how heavy or how light your voice is. It is also the factor for the richness and quality of your voice
- Timbre – Timbre is the quality and texture of your voice. Some people have more timbre in their voices while some have more gravelly in their voices.
- Tessitura – tessitura are notes that are a part of your tone range which you find comfortable to sing
- Transition Points – the transition points is where you move from singing through your chest register towards the middle and then finally to your head.
- Speech Levels – the speech level refers to your speaking voice range.
- Vocal Registers – the vocal registers are the part of your voice, which you use to sing in, and this could be your head voice, chest, mixed or whistle.
- Physical Characteristics – the physical characteristics of the singer also play a huge role in how he or she sings. People who have large lungs will have stronger vocals.
2. Understand that a perfect copy is impossible
As you understand what makes your voice unique, you will also come to learn what are the limitations of your voice. Accept that even how much you try, you won’t be able to reach Ariana Grande’s level.
Everyone has his vocal capabilities. If you can’t completely copy her voice and her singing, you can at least emulate Ariana’s performance on stage as well as her style and fashion.
3. Discover your own vocal part
Ariana’s vocal part is a soprano, and this is the highest vocal part when it comes to a female’s voice. She sings flawlessly even if she performs live on stage. But this is not practical for most singers.
So, begin by discovering your vocal part. Find out the highest note that you can easily sing. The best way to find out if you can sing soprano is to consult a vocal coach. He will determine what your voice part is and can help you enhance your singing voice according to your voice range.
4. Reach high notes gradually
If you think that you can still improve your voice and reach high notes like Ariana, then you can do this.
Enrich your voice by gradually reaching high notes. Imagine that your singing voice is heavy and has resistance. With low notes, you must imagine your voice is lighter. Press on your abdomen using your palms to add resistance. Practice this exercise daily and try to sing Ariana’s songs with high vocal parts like “Greedy” and “The Way.” For these songs, even Ariana had to practice breathing control to keep her vocal stamina.
5. Practice mixed voice techniques
Combine your head and chest voice, and you get a mixed voice. This is a difficult technique that most pop artists use, and with the help of a vocal coach, you can also master it. The mixed voice technique has a series of steps to help you achieve a mixed voice. Only an experienced vocal coach can help you use this special voice training technique.
6. All about yawning
Yawning helps project your voice and improve your vocal range. When you open your mouth to yawn, the soft palate rises as this is found behind the roof of the mouth. Yawn all the way and feel the soft palate move. Do this more often to strengthen this area.
7. Sing using falsetto
Ariana is famous for dropping falsettos every so often, especially during live performances. Not only will practicing falsetto singing makes you sound like Ariana, but this can also help you add that depth to your singing.
Falsetto singing is high pitched but quietly produced. The sound is similar to a crying toddler; soft and whimpering. To start practicing, listen to the sound of a fire engine siren or a police car siren. Copy this sound and try to reach the highest note you can without straining your voice or shouting. The moment you’re contented with the sound comes back down to rest.
Say the letters “e” and “o” over and over again in a sing-song voice. Sing these vowels as high as you can but softly like a child’s voice. Practice this several times a day.
Performing like Ariana
1. Dress like her
Now for the fun part. You can’t completely say that you can sing and perform like Ariana Grande unless you follow her style. The very firsts thing, of course, is to dress like her. It does not matter if you don’t have the same body type as Ariana; you can still dress like her since most of her clothes are street-wearable. You may also check out a UK-based clothing brand called “Lipsy” where you can buy all of her crop tops, lacy dresses, flared miniskirts, and accessories.
2. Arrange your hairstyle
Ariana’s long hair is mostly pulled up in a neat ponytail, possibly to keep hair away from her face when she performs. But if you don’t want to use hair extensions, you can simply pull your hair up and tie it in a half-down ponytail.
3. Makeup counts
Wear Ariana’s makeup by first practicing how to make the perfect cat-eye. She once said in an interview that she does not use a lot of powder on her face so she won’t get any of the powder in her lashes. She uses a bronzer, mascara, eyeshadow, and a lot of eyeliner.
4. Dance moves
Ariana is also a great dancer, and many times she has upstaged everyone with her moves. She is popular for the booty roll, the dramatic flick of the hair, the air thrust, ballerina, and the sassy finger moves. Use these moves as you try to imitate the way she performs on stage.
Developing your singing style and cover songs
1. Make your own Ariana songs cover
Ariana started to get a lot of attention when she covered the songs of many popular artists, including Mariah Carey. You can cover Ariana’s songs using your new Ariana singing voice, or why not sing in your singing voice instead?
Try her easy songs first, and when you’re ready, you can move on to more difficult, high belting ones afterward. Send a copy of your cover to friends and family and find out what they think. You may also upload through YouTube to see what other people think.
You may get positive comments supporting your talents but expect negative ones too. Just remember that negative comments will help you enhance your talents and improve your singing to achieve your dream of singing like Ariana.
2. Make your music videos
Why content yourself with just making song covers when you can make video covers too. Ask someone to help you record videos, or you can cast people instead. Upload this online and welcome comments, good or bad. You can sing like Ariana Grande if you practice daily. The transformation can take time, but with constant practice and positive thinking, you can surely achieve your goals in no time.
