Music Minute Monday: How to Sing Like Kelly Clarkson
We know you’ve been wondering how the powerhouse of a vocalist does it so we decided not to keep it a secret! **disclaimer, we do not know Kelly Clarkson…but if she happens to be reading this…we’re big fans.
This month we’re diving in to technique through your favorite Valentine’s Day-themed songs (whether it’s love, hate, whatever! We’re gonna cover them all!
So what is it about “Since U Been Gone” that has us all screaming it into our hairbrushes in front of our bathroom mirror? Is it that it’s a great punk song? The moody verses? The mosh-pit-worthy chorus? All of the above? The answer is D, all of the above.
What’s the technique behind it you ask? There’s quite a bit to unpack and we know y’all love lists so let’s break down the technique behind the chorus of “Since U Been Gone”
Breath Support like WOAH
Kelly Clarkson‘s booming vocals are all thanks to her incredible breath support. There’s ample time before the chorus comes in to take a deep belly breath and get ready to punch the first lyric with an engaged diaphragm and open mouth, which brings me to my next point.
Her Big Mouth
Now hold on, I know she’s know for talking a lot but, that’s not what I’m referring to. I’m referring to the actual way she opens her mouth when she sings. Anytime you watch Kelly Clarkson sing live, you can see how wide she opens her mouth to allow for her voice to come out clearly and resonate beautifully! The word “gone” is super important as well because it allows you to hang on to the “Ah” vowel while you’re belting which is essential to creating a round, balanced sound. Keeping an open vowel shape as much as possible is essential to getting that big booming belt!
Springboards/Consonant “Punches”
So this one is actually a bit of a trick to help assist your voice to get stronger on higher notes. Adding an “h” before an open vowel helps to engage your diaphragm adding support to the open note. Keep in mind though that this practice shouldn’t become habit. If you do add an “h” before phrases like “I can breathe for the first time” it should be quick & punchy, you shouldn’t hang out on the “H” or allow too much air to escape because then you’ve lost half of your support before you’ve even used it!
“Springboards” are what I refer to when I’m talking about utilizing a consonant to help drop your jaw and assist you with hitting higher notes. For example the line “I’m so moving on, yea, yea!” The “Y” of “yea” can be used not only to springboard you up to the note but also you can start the note as you’re opening your mouth giving you a bit of a running start before you jump; as it were. You can also utilize the “H” here before the “yea, yea.”
Placement is EVERYTHING
When I mentioned the open mouth earlier, it is also important to note how forward this whole chorus is sung. When I say “forward” I mean the tone is clear, round, and being place at the “front” of her mouth. It doesn’t sound swallowed, nasaly, or thin.
When you have a forward placement, you should be able to feel the sound waves vibrate gently on the back of your teeth at the front of your mouth (which is also why it’s important to keep your mouth as open as possible so there’s nothing blocking your voice from doing what it needs to!)
Obviously this takes practice and patience to master but as we’ve always said, your voice is a muscle, the more you work it, the stronger you get! That being said, be sure to pay attention to your voice. This song does some heavy lifting so, when your voice feels tired or, you’re feeling strain or pain, stop singing and check in on your own technique.
You can always ask your own voice teacher for help in trying to figure out the heavy lifting, and if you don’t have one, Music on The Move Studios offers free mini-lessons to give voice lessons a try!