So you want to be able to sing like Ariana Grande? We’ll go through the different techniques and tones that Ariana uses to be able to imitate her voice. But you need to be realistic about your ability.
Some styles that Ariana uses are easier to mimic than others, so you may struggle with some more difficult techniques. Keep practising though and start with some of her easier songs until you get more used to the different tones and techniques.
The Quick Answer
The best way to sound more like Ariana Grande is to use falsetto and practice whistle notes. Practicing vocal runs and vibrato will also help you to imitate her singing. Remember to warm up your voice and stand straight with shoulders back and your weight resting on the balls of your feet.
How to Sing Like Ariana Grande
- Learn to improve your basic vocal techniques and breathing.
- Be aware of the vocal range.
- Master the natural soft tones Ariana uses at the start of her songs.
- Practise whistle notes.
- Utilise the falsetto technique.
- Try some vocal runs.
- Learn her belting technique.
- Use vibrato.
The Basics
So there are several things you need to keep in mind when attempting to sing well, and these apply no matter who you are trying to imitate.
- Sing from your diaphragm as opposed to your throat.
- Stand up straight with your shoulders back and relaxed and your weight slightly resting on the balls of your feet.
- Warm up your voice properly.
Freddie was able to produce such a powerful sound when singing because he was confident and trusted his ability to reach higher notes and also because he was able to sing using his chest properly.
If you want more advice on proper singing technique, then check out our post on the 5 ways to improve your singing performance today.
Vocal Range
If you’re into singing, then you’re probably aware of the main voice types, which are categorised according to the vocal ranges they fit into. There are 6 common voice types: bass, barritone, tenor, alto, mezzo-soprano, and soprano, with bass being the lowest and soprano the highest.
Ariana Grande has a soprano voice type, meaning that she excels at singing higher notes. So if you fall into a similar range, then you’re likely to have more luck trying to imitate Ariana’s singing.
Natural Softer Tones
You may notice that when Ariana starts a lot of songs, she has a softer and breathy tone to her voice. if you’re trying to imitate Ariana Grande’s performances, then you need to master this breathy style of singing.
Relax, and try to sing from your chest and avoid letting the origin of your voice rise into your throat as much as possible. Try and sing on an exhale to try and imitate this tone as well.
Whistle Notes
Whistle Notes are very characteristic of Ariana’s style of singing. She uses it to some lyrics but also to add detail to the song by making vowel sounds.
It’s a very difficult skills to master, but you can definitely try some techniques to improve your ability to perform whistle notes. Try these tips.
- Try taking a deep breath and stopping halfway through by closing your throat.
- When your throat is still closed, try to push air through it.
- You’ll hear a high-pitched sound, this is a whistle note.
- For the best results, don’t focus on making the high-pitched sound, but instead on pushing the air through.
Ariana's Falsetto Technique
Ariana uses the falsetto technique to be able to reach very high notes. Sometimes it’s used to reach notes that are higher than her “chest voice”. So what is falsetto?
It’s a method used by singers to be able to sing notes that are higher than their usual vocal range, without really increasing the volume, which is what you would naturally tend to do.
To do this you need to have completely relaxed and open breathing. Rather than pushing for that high note, it needs to be more of a sigh and sound airy. A way to try and do this is rather than pushing your voice from your chest, you should try and feel like your pulling your voice in from above.
Try singing with this in mind on the very high notes where this falsetto technique is used to get more comfortable with it.
Vocal Runs
Vocal runs are fast moving melodic lines. Ariana often uses vocal runs starting with “ooh”. It’s a technique used by a lot of singers like Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis and Whitney Houston and it’s a very impressive technique. Here’s how to practice them:
- Pick a vocal run in a song that you’re trying to imitate. There are lots in the backing of “no tears left to cry” at about 2 minutes 30 seconds in.
- Listen carefully to hear the different notes change. Try and pick a vocal run with about 5 changes to start with.
- Practise transitioning between the notes at a slow pace. Just focus on hitting each note at first.
- When you feel more comfortable, start speeding it up until you get to the original tempo.
Huskier Belting Technique
Everything we’ve spoken so far, has been about Ariana’s ability to sing high notes perfectly, using a variety of techniques. But what about the other end of the scale?
Well, being a soprano, Ariana does tend to stay at the higher end of the scale when she sings. However, there are some lower notes in her songs as well. Ariana tends to produce a huskier tone when she sings lower notes, as opposed to the crystal clear sound you hear when she sings higher notes.
This gives her that classic 90’s R&B style when she sings lower notes powerfully.
Vibrato Technique
Ariana has excellent control over her voice which allows her to use vibrato to enhance his singing performance. Vibrato is used at the end of some longer notes and is characterised by a regular pulsating change of pitch, almost like a controlled shaking.
To do this, you must be completely relaxed. That means both your breathing and also your muscles including your jaw and chest. Try widening the back of your throat whilst still being relaxed to warm up, by pretending to yawn.
To sing vibrato you need to make sure that your voice is coming from your diaphragm and not your throat. Listen for this fast regular oscillation in pitch as you are completing longer notes.
This is a technique that you need to practice to try and develop. You can use apps like Spectrogram which will show the changes in pitch to help you know if you’re singing with vibrato. But you most likely will be able to hear it yourself.
So there you go! Those are the best tips for learning to sing like Ariana Grande. Thanks very much for reading. Here are some other posts you might find useful:
- Take a look at our best karaoke singing tips for more advice!
- 5 steps to choosing the perfect karaoke songs.