Justin Bieber: A Sneaky Peaky into the Light, Smoky and Warm Tone

In a recent chat with one of my pupils who ALWAYS selects Justin Bieber songs to sing, I asked… are you a Belieber? And she rather emphatically said… NO! Well, this article is not specifically for the Bilieber but it does make an interesting read overall. And so without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Bieber vocal that continues to mesmerize the world.

His range is said to be A2 - C#5 - F5, and his vocal type is Light-Lyric Tenor (2 octaves, 4 notes and a semitone). Oh, and his vocal rating, according to critics of music, is a C-List.

Justin Bieber’s positive attributes are a light, smoky and warm tone throughout each register. His voice has been described as agile and capable of melismas and seamless transitions from chest voice to falsetto, which makes him intrinsically a very confident vocalist.

Bieber also tends to use his lower register sparingly, choosing to opt for softer passages as opposed to ones that require more projection. However, he has shown the capacity to project down to B2. And as he ascends, his voice tends to gain a much lighter and warmer texture, whilst still maintaining that same ole smoky texture evident in his lower register. He exhibits significant ease in the tenor tessitura, showing almost no effort at all on notes up to F4. And refreshingly, his light head voice mix brings up his chest voice to B4 in the song Love Yourself.

Notably, his light and sweet falsetto has been gaining endurance over time, as his head voice takes on a rather light and slightly feminine edge.

According to some critics of music, Justin Bieber’s negative vocal picture is described as—overall, having lack of power and resonance, becoming nasally and whiny above E4. They also suggest the lower register is breathy, and that upper belts are also forced in some instances as well. And here’s something else. His melismas and runs they say lack musicality, often breaking from what is reasonable for the music, and that his intonation is inconsistent in live settings, citing that his G#2 is way too forced and the Bb5 is not him. Phew! Quite a lot said there already, don’t you think? Now here are a couple of recommended Justin Bieber tracks to listen to: As Long As You Love Me, Love Yourself.

JOETT -- Author: "Letters from a Vocal Coach"