Singers Who Improved the Most (3,839 views)

[clem]

This one's for all those singers who were probably told to give it up, because they didn't have the talent. Show me the before and after of singing's most-improved artists.

[fallenalien]

Bono comes to mind. In the early U2 performances, where U2 was kind of a punk band, he sounded a bit like a castrated version of Joey Ramone.

Not too bad, but far away from some of the power and control he'd develop later. I'm sure stylistic choice played a role, but overalll I found him to be a much more confident singer in the mid 80's to late 80's, compared to the early 80's.

[Seb]

Julian Casablancas

Imagine hearing him sing something like Human Sadness back in 2001

[Brenda]

This kid will never be "the vois"

[Dark Star]

Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen are two well known rockers who will never win prizes for the aesthetics of their voice, but who greatly improved their tone, range and overall stability as they aged. Who'd thought Springsteen could sound like a less refined Roy Orbison or thought Jagger could have a surprisingly formidable falsetto into his 80s'?

[clem]

Tobias Sammet going from sounding like Nelson Muntz 

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{Nelson vois}

To actually being a good quasi-operatic rock/metal singer

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{power metal ballad cheese}

[innuendo]

Freddie Mercury is widely considered to be one of the singers who improved with time. I think he surely improved his technique, as well as his control over his range.

[contraltoqueen]

Taylor Swift's improved a lot since she first started out.

[Osmosis]

Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud has to be up there. She's got some serious power in her voice now.

[Yojojo]

This is what Rosalia used to sound like.



Yeah, she's come a long, long way from there.

[Baronessa]

Paul Rodgers was always a good singer, but he got so much more support and sustain into his vocals post-Free. His tone is also much richer. I'm not sure if it was so much a change of technique that happened, as opposed to just continuing to develop better habits as he got older.

[avi]

At least in the pop-punk scene, Ben Barlow takes this by a landslide.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOyYwzkQB98 (Yes, people like the grittiness of his voice, but his form is complete trash.)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQz3So_p62Y And this is the same guy about 7 years later. Near unrecognizable imo

[Baronessa]

Jim Kerr sounds like a different guy at various points in his career. These clips aren't even from the same singer anymore, dude.

[queenfan11]

James Hetfield's voice improved dramatically from the screechy yelping of Kill 'Em All to the power and anger of ...And Justice For All.


Ronnie James Dio's singing got a lot more powerful over time:

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{1975 vs. 1985}

Elton John's voice developed significantly throughout the 1970s:

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{1970 vs. 1977}

[Yojojo]

Neil Cicierega really upped his game on "Spirit Phone", literally all of his best vocal work is from that one album.