Diana Ankudinova (12,826 views)

[fountain30]

Diana Ankudinova (Диана Анкудинова)

Vocal Range: B2-D6

A remarkable voice for such a young woman to be in possession of, Diana Ankudinova is an extremely unique and memorable talent. Diana's voice is full of visceral emotion throughout her registers, and she does the vast majority of her singing in the 3rd and 4th octave, visiting the 5th occasionally for short periods. 3rd octave notes are androgynous/masculine in quality and can be airy and light or extremely dark and intense depending on technique. The 4th octave is where she prefers to do the majority of her belts and she has no issues sustaining notes for fairly long periods. Vocal runs can be somewhat laboured, most likely due to the heavy timbre of the voice, but the head voice is surprisingly bright and powerful whilst feeling entirely detached from the rest of the voice (as most famously noted in her jawdropping rendition of 'Can't Help Falling In Love'.) Diana Ankudinova's highly distinct performance and vocal style makes her one certainly worth watching, especially considering her age. 

Significant High Notes:

D6 ("The Day You...)
C6 ("The Day You...)
B♭5 ("Can't Help Falling In Love" live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021)
G♯5 (“Can’t Help Falling In Love” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021)
F5 (“Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021)
E5 ("As Your Voice" live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Feeling Good”, live 2017, “Я Россией тебя зову”, “Take On Me” live 2020)
E♭5 (“Can’t Help Falling In Love” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 ,“Rechenka” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Take On Me” live 2020, “Yodel Time” live on The Voice Kids Russia 2016, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022)
D5 (“As Your Voice” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Дудук “, “Dernière danse” live on You Are Super! 2018, ”Crow” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Feeling Good”, live 2017, “Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Родная”, “Рядом ты” ,“Rechenka” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Таджикистан”, “The Closest Soul”, "The River” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “Twinkle” live in Moscow 2022, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022)
C♯5 (“As Your Voice” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “В небо”, "Blizzard" live on You Are Super! 2019, ,”Crow” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Dernière danse” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Feeling Good”, live 2017, “Havana”, “Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 , “Personal Jesus" live on ShowMaskGoOn, 2021, “Родная”, “Рядом ты”, “Хрупкий лёд,”, “Rechenka” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Take On Me” live 2020, “This Is A Mans World” live on You Are Super! 2018, “The Closest Soul” , “The River” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “Tomorrow Is A Lie” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Twinkle” live in Moscow 2022, “Twist In My Sobriety” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022, “Wicked Game” live on You Are Super! 2019 “Wicked Game” live on You Are Super! 2019 , “Yodel Time” live on The Voice Kids Russia 2016)
C5 (“As Your Voice” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Дудук “, “Blizzard” live on You Are Super! 2019, “Волна”, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 ,”Crow” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Dernière danse” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Feeling Good”, live 2017, “Havana”, “Oh, It Is Not Yet Evening” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 , “Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Рядом ты”, "Personal Jesus" live on ShowMaskGoOn, 2021, “Rechenka” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Take On Me” live 2020, The River” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “This Is A Mans World” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Tomorrow Is A Lie” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Twinkle” live in Moscow 2022, “Twist In My Sobriety” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022 , “What A Wonderful World” live 2021, “Wicked Game” live on You Are Super! 2019, “Хрупкий лёд”)
B4 (“As Your Voice” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Дудук”, “В небо”, "Dernière danse" live on You Are Super! 2018,“Feeling Good”, live 2017 , “Havana”, “Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Oh, It Is Not Yet Evening” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Personal Jesus" live on ShowMaskGoOn, 2021, “Я Россией тебя зову”, “Side By Side”, “Таджикистан”, “The Closest Soul”, “The Little Prince” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Tomorrow Is A Lie” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022 , “What A Wonderful World” live 2021, “Yellow Moon”, “Yodel Time” live on The Voice Kids Russia 2016)
B♭4 (“Дудук “, “В небо”, “Blizzard” live on You Are Super! 2019, “В твоём городе”, “Счастье”, “Dernière danse” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Help Me” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Helwa Ya Baladi” live 2021, “Human” live on You Are Super! 2019 , “Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Откровение”, “Side My Side”, “Я Россией тебя зову”, “The Little Prince” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “The River” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021 , “The Way” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “This Is A Mans World” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Tomorrow Is A Lie” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Twinkle” live in Moscow 2022, “Venus” live in Togliatti 2021, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022, “What A Wonderful World” live 2021, “Wicked Game” live on You Are Super! 2019, “Yellow Moon”, “Yodel Time” live on The Voice Kids Russia 2016)
A4 (“As Your Voice” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Дудук”, “В небо”, “Blizzard” live on You Are Super! 2019, “В твоём городе”, “Blizzard” live on You Are Super! 2019, “Волна”, “Dernière danse” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Feeling Good”, live 2017 , “На краю”, “Havana”, “Helwa Ya Baladi” live 2021, “Human” live on You Are Super! 2019, “Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “My Love” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Oh, It Is Not Yet Evening” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 ,“Откровение”, “Personal Jesus" live on ShowMaskGoOn, 2021, “Рядом ты” “Родная”, “Я Россией тебя зову”, “Side By Side”, “Sway” live 2020, “Таджикистан”, “The Closest Soul”, “The Little Prince” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “The River” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “They Hit Us, We Can Fly”, “The Way” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “This Is A Mans World” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Tomorrow Is A Lie” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Twist In My Sobriety” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Venus” live in Togliatti 2021, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022, “What A Wonderful World” live 2021, “Wicked Game” live on You Are Super! 2019, “Yellow Moon”, “Yodel Time” live on The Voice Kids Russia 2016)
G♯4 (As Your Voice” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Дудук” “В небо”, “Волна”, "Can't Help Falling In Love" live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 , “Счастье”, “Dernière danse” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Feeling Good”, live 2017, “На краю”, “Havana”, “Helwa Ya Baladi” live 2021, “Help Me” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 ,“Мой камин”, “Oh, It Is Not Yet Evening” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 ,“Откровение”, “Personal Jesus" live on ShowMaskGoOn, 2021, “Родная”, “Рядом ты” “Rechenka” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Side By Side”, “Sway” live 2020, “Take On Me” live 2020, The River” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “The Way” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “They Hit Us, We Can Fly” “This Is A Mans World” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Tomorrow Is A Lie” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Twinkle” live in Moscow 2022, “Twist In My Sobriety” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022, “Wicked Game” live on You Are Super! 2019, “Yodel Time” live on The Voice Kids Russia 2016)



Significant Low Notes:

G♯3 ("Дудук", “В небо”, В твоём городе”, “Счастье”, “Dernière danse” live on You Are Super! 2018, Help Me” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Havana”, “Helwa Ya Baladi” live 2021, “Human” live on You Are Super! 2019, “Me Voy” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “My Love” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Take On Me” live 2020, “The Closest Soul” , “The River” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021 , “This Is A Mans World” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Twist In My Sobriety” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Wicked Game” live on You Are Super! 2019, “На краю”, “Ночь”, “Мой камин”, “Откровение”, “Родная, “Я Россией тебя зову”, “Таджикистан”, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022, “What A Wonderful World” live 2021)
G3 (As Your Voice” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022 , “Blizzard” live on You Are Super! 2019, “Helwa Ya Baladi” live 2021, “Help Me” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Мой камин”, “На краю”, “Take On Me” live 2020, “The Little Prince” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, The River” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “Родная”, “Я Россией тебя зову”, “Таджикистан”, “The Closest Soul”, “Tomorrow Is A Lie” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Twist In My Sobriety” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022)
F♯3 (“Дудук “,“В небо”, “Blizzard” live on You Are Super! 2019, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “На краю”, Help Me” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 , “Ночь, “My Love” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Mom I’m Dancing” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Oh, It Is Not Yet Evening” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Откровение”, “Родная”, “Personal Jesus" live on ShowMaskGoOn, 2021, “Sway” live 2020, “Таджикистан”, "Take On Me" live 2020, “The Closest Soul”, “The Little Prince” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, The River” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “The Way” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Tomorrow Is A Lie” live on You Are Super! 2018, “Twist In My Sobriety” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 , “Vixen” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022, “What A Wonderful World” live 2021, "Wicked Game" live on You Are Super! 2019)
F3 (“As Your Voice” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Дудук “, “Blizzard” live on You Are Super! 2019, "Help Me” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Helwa Ya Baladi” live 2021, “Me Voy” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Мой камин”, “My Love” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022 ,“Родная”, “Я Россией тебя зову”, “Sway” live 2020, “The Closest Soul”, “The Little Prince” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “The River” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “Twist In My Sobriety” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “The Way” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Vixen” live at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “Was ich dir sagen will” live in Moscow 2022, “What A Wonderful World” live 2021, “Wicked Game” live on You Are Super! 2019)
E3 (“На краю”, Help Me” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Откровение“, “Мой камин”, “Personal Jesus" live on ShowMaskGoOn, 2021, “Родная”, “Я Россией тебя зову”, “Sway” live 2020, “Таджикистан”, “The Little Prince” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Tomorrow Is A Lie” live on You Are Super! 2018, "Twist In My Sobriety",” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “What A Wonderful World” live 2021, “Yellow Moon”)
E♭3 (“В твоём городе”, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 ,“Счастье”, “Мой камин”, “My Love” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “The Way” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Tomorrow Is A Lie” live on You Are Super! 2018 , “Wicked Game” live on You Are Super! 2019 , “Хрупкий лёд”)
D3 (“В небо”, “Blizzard” live on You Are Super! 2019, ,”Crow” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Feeling Good”, live 2017, "My Love", live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022, “Oh, It Is Not Yet Evening” live on ShowMaskGoOn, “Personal Jesus" live on ShowMaskGoOn, 2021, “The Little Prince” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Oh, It Is Not Yet Evening” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021 “Я Россией тебя зову", “They Hit Us, We Can Fly”, “What A Wonderful World” live 2021, “Yellow Moon”)
C♯3 ("As Your Voice” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022 ,“На краю”, “Helwa Ya Baladi” live 2021, “Родная”, “Oh, It Is Not Yet Evening” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “The Closest Soul”, “The Way” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Хрупкий лёд”, “Wicked Game” live on You Are Super! 2019)
C3 (“As Your Voice” live at Woodgrouses Nest 2022,"Can't Help Falling In Love" live ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Help Me” live on ShowMaskGoOn 2021, “Rechenka” live on You Are Super! 2018, “The River” live  at Wood-grouse's Nest Bard-club 2021, “What A Wonderful World” live 2021)
B2 (“Feeling Good”, live 2017, “На краю”)

• Blue denotes falsetto passages.

• Boldface denotes significant vocal moments.

[IhateMana]

I would personally just pick my favourites of those "Can't Help Falling In Love" notes. Visually, it looks like you could sacrifice the F5 and the G5. We don't often talk about over-inclusion of notes from a song, but it is something we consciously try to avoid when making a thread.

edit: just noticed you also have 5 in a row listed from G#4 to C5,as well as Eb5 and E5. Needless to say, that's far too many

[fountain30]

Oct 18, 2022 22:33:51 GMT IhateMana said:

I would personally just pick my favourites of those "Can't Help Falling In Love" notes. Visually, it looks like you could sacrifice the F5 and the G5. We don't often talk about over-inclusion of notes from a song, but it is something we consciously try to avoid when making a thread.

edit: just noticed you also have 5 in a row listed from G#4 to C5,as well as Eb5 and E5. Needless to say, that's far too many

I have considered this and taken some out.

For what it's worth though, the reason I was keen to include the wide selection of notes from this performance is because it is widely considered the most significant vocal performance of her career thus far and they really are significant notes since she used (more or less) her entire demonstrated vocal range within that specific performance.

I wouldn't list so many notes for one particular song if this was a more advanced artist with a bigger back catalogue, but as Diana's career is at a relative infancy, I wanted to make sure her standout performance was highlighted adequately. 

[IhateMana]

you still have a total of 14 notes listed for that song. Regardless of discography or the subjective significance of the notes individually, the maximum you want to be aiming for is around 6-7, and that's usually only if those notes use multiple different registers or techniques

['S]

It's also only two and a half minutes long lol

[fountain30]

Oct 19, 2022 20:44:19 GMT IhateMana said:

you still have a total of 14 notes listed for that song. Regardless of discography or the subjective significance of the notes individually, the maximum you want to be aiming for is around 6-7, and that's usually only if those notes use multiple different registers or techniques

Ok, I have taken more out now. 

[kaji]

Her artificial tone makes my ears wanna die sometimes.

[fountain30]

Oct 19, 2023 19:34:25 GMT kaji said:

Her artificial tone makes my ears wanna die sometimes.

Do you agree with her being labelled a Dramatic Contralto? I'm going to say no because her low notes are... not particularly dramatic?

I don't disagee with you btw. She has a bunch of new releases I need to listen to but as interesting as she is, I certainly have to be in the mood for her. 

[Steingrim]

The bolded C3 and subsequent C#3 sound low for her. C6 and D6 here : youtu.be/WeHkNny99ow?si=FYHfCG8-hdTf0N-p&t=205

[fountain30]

Oct 20, 2023 16:54:14 GMT Steingrim said:

The bolded C3 and subsequent C#3 sound low for her. C6 and D6 here : youtu.be/WeHkNny99ow?si=FYHfCG8-hdTf0N-p&t=205

Oh that's good! Thanks. Will update the thread later

Honestly the C3 sure is low, but i'd even argue from around Eb3/D3 she's putting in effort. I wouldn't expect that from a dramatic contralto but I'm also not 100% sure as there's not a whole list of dramatic contralto's for me to compare her to. 

Also if she's hitting D6's i'm really not sure her significant high notes should be starting at Gsharp4?

[Goober]

G#4 seems fine to me.

[Homelander]

Oct 20, 2023 17:58:07 GMT Goober said:

G#4 seems fine to me.

I agree.

[kaji]

Oct 20, 2023 16:38:11 GMT fountain30 said:

Oct 19, 2023 19:34:25 GMT kaji said:

Her artificial tone makes my ears wanna die sometimes.

Do you agree with her being labelled a Dramatic Contralto? I'm going to say no because her low notes are... not particularly dramatic?

I don't disagee with you btw. She has a bunch of new releases I need to listen to but as interesting as she is, I certainly have to be in the mood for her. 

Not a contralto, and as for the other question, in all the classical systems historically all contralti were 'dramatic'. The German fach system has only a dramatischer alt (dramatic contralto) and tiefer alt (low contralto). Diana is a highly manipulated mezzo-soprano. One that hurts my ears.

[fountain30]

Oct 20, 2023 22:41:58 GMT kaji said:

Oct 20, 2023 16:38:11 GMT fountain30 said:

Do you agree with her being labelled a Dramatic Contralto? I'm going to say no because her low notes are... not particularly dramatic?

I don't disagee with you btw. She has a bunch of new releases I need to listen to but as interesting as she is, I certainly have to be in the mood for her. 

Not a contralto, and as for the other question, in all the classical systems historically all contralti were 'dramatic'. The German fach system has only a dramatischer alt (dramatic contralto) and tiefer alt (low contralto). Diana is a highly manipulated mezzo-soprano. One that hurts my ears.

I agree with you 100%. I found the dramatic mezzo label on her a little odd because she's not a classical singer, so for me I wasn't sure how that fit. 

[bringerofchaos]

As unnaturally dark as it may sound to some of you, it is natural for her. If she were overdarkening, her tongue would be pulled WAY back. She maintains a neutral tongue position, notably in her performance of Can't Help Falling In Love. Plus a physician said that her pharynx is way more spacious than normal. It may be an acquired taste for some of you, but I can tell you she ain't faking that darkness.

Also, we shouldn't be using dramatic for her voice type, since she's a contemporary singer. 

[kaji]

Nov 23, 2023 2:55:28 GMT bringerofchaos said:

As unnaturally dark as it may sound to some of you, it is natural for her. If she were overdarkening, her tongue would be pulled WAY back. She maintains a neutral tongue position, notably in her performance of Can't Help Falling In Love. Plus a physician said that her pharynx is way more spacious than normal. It may be an acquired taste for some of you, but I can tell you she ain't faking that darkness.

Also, we shouldn't be using dramatic for her voice type, since she's a contemporary singer. 

Tongue isn't the only way you can darken the voice. There are plenty of moments earlier on in her career when the sound was less exaggarated. 

[fountain30]

I mean she has a lot to play around with either way, her demonstrated range is very good and I'd imagine it can probably go beyond that should she wish to. It'll be interesting to see how her voice changes over time, really.

[wbradycall]

Nov 24, 2023 23:34:27 GMT kaji said:

Nov 23, 2023 2:55:28 GMT bringerofchaos said:

As unnaturally dark as it may sound to some of you, it is natural for her. If she were overdarkening, her tongue would be pulled WAY back. She maintains a neutral tongue position, notably in her performance of Can't Help Falling In Love. Plus a physician said that her pharynx is way more spacious than normal. It may be an acquired taste for some of you, but I can tell you she ain't faking that darkness.

Also, we shouldn't be using dramatic for her voice type, since she's a contemporary singer. 

Tongue isn't the only way you can darken the voice. There are plenty of moments earlier on in her career when the sound was less exaggarated. 

Her speaking voice isn't as dark as her singing voice lol 😂 .

[arxsyn]

she is most definitely a contralto. Her voice is consistently dark and haunting throughout her entire range low to high. When she sings in a typical female range, she is unremarkable. The people who compose music for her aren't doing her voice justice. When she goes for the lower range, she gets nothing but praise for her 'deep' and dark tones from judges. I am saying this because I was watching a Russian language tv program that gathered alumni from their version of "The Mask" singing contest and they made a spin-off of it without obscuring their identities.

FYI: As a contralto myself. I think i have good accuracy when I can pick contraltos out. Diana definitely stands out from her competitors and people take notice. Diana is still quite young. True Contralto vocal develops over time, like the aging of fine wine. In a decade, her voice will get even more distinctive. I can guarantee it. Many contraltos start out singing as mezzos and are often mistaken for them.

oh and by the way, Diana is in no way a dramatic contralto. She has a more lyrical quality. Dramatic contraltos are basically tenors. Their voices are big, rich, deep, dark and heavy. That person in contemporary pop is Tracy Chapman. The dramatic singer is the rarest among any vocal fach. making Tracy the rarest of the rare because contraltos are the already the rarest vocal fach in women. Who else sounds like Tracy? Gwendolyn Brown who trained classically is also a dramatic contralto.

[kaji]

Jan 24, 2024 5:58:47 GMT arxsyn said:

she is most definitely a contralto. Her voice is consistently dark and haunting throughout her entire range low to high. When she sings in a typical female range, she is unremarkable. The people who compose music for her aren't doing her voice justice. When she goes for the lower range, she gets nothing but praise for her 'deep' and dark tones from judges. I am saying this because I was watching a Russian language tv program that gathered alumni from their version of "The Mask" singing contest and they made a spin-off of it without obscuring their identities.

FYI: As a contralto myself. I think i have good accuracy when I can pick contraltos out. Diana definitely stands out from her competitors and people take notice. Diana is still quite young. True Contralto vocal develops over time, like the aging of fine wine. In a decade, her voice will get even more distinctive. I can guarantee it. Many contraltos start out singing as mezzos and are often mistaken for them.

oh and by the way, Diana is in no way a dramatic contralto. She has a more lyrical quality. Dramatic contraltos are basically tenors. Their voices are big, rich, deep, dark and heavy. That person in contemporary pop is Tracy Chapman. The dramatic singer is the rarest among any vocal fach. making Tracy the rarest of the rare because contraltos are the already the rarest vocal fach in women. Who else sounds like Tracy? Gwendolyn Brown who trained classically is also a dramatic contralto.

With all due respect, I've seen you call all kinds of voices contraltos - even Liza Minnelli. So no, I don't think it's a 'good accuracy' when you pick contraltos out. What you say as 'true contralto voice develops over time' is the simple fact that a lot of mezzos will become contraltos later down the line after pregnancies or menopause. 

Tracy's voice ain't that low. And in classical pedagogy and voice history there has never been a lyrical contralto classification. Only some American pedagogues tried to invent this and the 'coloratura contralto' later in the 1900s.

Here's a quote from an early 1900s opera house programme (Staatstheater Nürnberg) which talks about this:
Alle Altistinnen sind von Natur aus dramatisch und groß im Volumen. Es gibt zwei Arten von Altstimmen: eine dramatischer Alt und eine tiefer Alt.
which translates to "All contraltos are naturally dramatic and large in volume. There are two types of contralto voices: a dramatic contralto and a deep contralto."

[fountain30]

Jan 24, 2024 5:58:47 GMT arxsyn said:

she is most definitely a contralto. Her voice is consistently dark and haunting throughout her entire range low to high. When she sings in a typical female range, she is unremarkable. The people who compose music for her aren't doing her voice justice. When she goes for the lower range, she gets nothing but praise for her 'deep' and dark tones from judges. I am saying this because I was watching a Russian language tv program that gathered alumni from their version of "The Mask" singing contest and they made a spin-off of it without obscuring their identities.

FYI: As a contralto myself. I think i have good accuracy when I can pick contraltos out. Diana definitely stands out from her competitors and people take notice. Diana is still quite young. True Contralto vocal develops over time, like the aging of fine wine. In a decade, her voice will get even more distinctive. I can guarantee it. Many contraltos start out singing as mezzos and are often mistaken for them.

oh and by the way, Diana is in no way a dramatic contralto. She has a more lyrical quality. Dramatic contraltos are basically tenors. Their voices are big, rich, deep, dark and heavy. That person in contemporary pop is Tracy Chapman. The dramatic singer is the rarest among any vocal fach. making Tracy the rarest of the rare because contraltos are the already the rarest vocal fach in women. Who else sounds like Tracy? Gwendolyn Brown who trained classically is also a dramatic contralto.

Whilst I absolutely would call Tracy a contralto due to how androgynous her voice is, I don't think I'd call it "big". 

Also, Tracy never really sang especially low? Low yes, but especially low... no.

[Steingrim]

Jan 25, 2024 23:43:47 GMT fountain30 said:

Jan 24, 2024 5:58:47 GMT arxsyn said:

she is most definitely a contralto. Her voice is consistently dark and haunting throughout her entire range low to high. When she sings in a typical female range, she is unremarkable. The people who compose music for her aren't doing her voice justice. When she goes for the lower range, she gets nothing but praise for her 'deep' and dark tones from judges. I am saying this because I was watching a Russian language tv program that gathered alumni from their version of "The Mask" singing contest and they made a spin-off of it without obscuring their identities.

FYI: As a contralto myself. I think i have good accuracy when I can pick contraltos out. Diana definitely stands out from her competitors and people take notice. Diana is still quite young. True Contralto vocal develops over time, like the aging of fine wine. In a decade, her voice will get even more distinctive. I can guarantee it. Many contraltos start out singing as mezzos and are often mistaken for them.

oh and by the way, Diana is in no way a dramatic contralto. She has a more lyrical quality. Dramatic contraltos are basically tenors. Their voices are big, rich, deep, dark and heavy. That person in contemporary pop is Tracy Chapman. The dramatic singer is the rarest among any vocal fach. making Tracy the rarest of the rare because contraltos are the already the rarest vocal fach in women. Who else sounds like Tracy? Gwendolyn Brown who trained classically is also a dramatic contralto.

Whilst I absolutely would call Tracy a contralto due to how androgynous her voice is, I don't think I'd call it "big". 

Also, Tracy never really sang especially low? Low yes, but especially low... no.

I don't find Tracy Chapman's voice particularly androgynous. Ruby Helder sounds like a tenor, but most contraltos don't sound like that unless they sing in octave 2. Dark, deep, even old, but that's something else.

[fountain30]

Jan 26, 2024 15:35:40 GMT Steingrim said:

Jan 25, 2024 23:43:47 GMT fountain30 said:

Whilst I absolutely would call Tracy a contralto due to how androgynous her voice is, I don't think I'd call it "big". 

Also, Tracy never really sang especially low? Low yes, but especially low... no.

I don't find Tracy Chapman's voice particularly androgynous. Ruby Helder sounds like a tenor, but most contraltos don't sound like that unless they sing in octave 2. Dark, deep, even old, but that's something else.

I totally understand your point but I think for arguments sake, it's really difficult to place Tracy in any category other than contralto. Her placement is fairly deep by most standards and she absolutely does sound like a teenage boy on many of her songs. I will say she has feminine moments, but for what it's worth I don't think this was ever an issue she was concerned by. I can't agree at her having a "big" voice though. Her volume output is OK in the 4th octave and that's about it really. Very little mixing or actual technique going on either, just... a sound, and great tone. 

I'd recommend listening to Des'ree if you haven't - she has a more feminine sound than Tracy but i'd call her a contralto. She has a darkness that Tracy lacks. Similar range too, possibly a couple of extra notes for Des'ree but unlike Tracy she uses more technique with a more rounded sound.

I do reluctantly agree with some of the above comments of Diana's voice being highly manipulated to sound like that of a contralto. It's an interesting sound nonetheless but the giveaway really is how much her voice brightens at the top, to me she sounds far more comfortable singing a Bb5 than forcing out a C3, and you can really hear the manipulation as she lowers her larynx and overall sound.

[Steingrim]

Jan 27, 2024 19:40:21 GMT fountain30 said:

I do reluctantly agree with some of the above comments of Diana's voice being highly manipulated to sound like that of a contralto. It's an interesting sound nonetheless but the giveaway really is how much her voice brightens at the top, to me she sounds far more comfortable singing a Bb5 than forcing out a C3, and you can really hear the manipulation as she lowers her larynx and overall sound.

I get the feeling that someone decided that she could be fit into some sort of niche that could be marketed accordingly. She doesn't even sound like a fake contralto to me, she sounds like a mezzo who's doing something crazy with a lower range that isn't that low. People think she's singing an octave lower than she actually is. She doesn't sound like a male singer either, the resulting voice color is simply artificial.


  

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Jan 24, 2024 5:58:47 GMT arxsyn said:

she is most definitely a contralto. Her voice is consistently dark and haunting throughout her entire range low to high. When she sings in a typical female range, she is unremarkable. The people who compose music for her aren't doing her voice justice. When she goes for the lower range, she gets nothing but praise for her 'deep' and dark tones from judges. I am saying this because I was watching a Russian language tv program that gathered alumni from their version of "The Mask" singing contest and they made a spin-off of it without obscuring their identities.

FYI: As a contralto myself. I think i have good accuracy when I can pick contraltos out. Diana definitely stands out from her competitors and people take notice. Diana is still quite young. True Contralto vocal develops over time, like the aging of fine wine. In a decade, her voice will get even more distinctive. I can guarantee it. Many contraltos start out singing as mezzos and are often mistaken for them.

oh and by the way, Diana is in no way a dramatic contralto. She has a more lyrical quality. Dramatic contraltos are basically tenors. Their voices are big, rich, deep, dark and heavy. That person in contemporary pop is Tracy Chapman. The dramatic singer is the rarest among any vocal fach. making Tracy the rarest of the rare because contraltos are the already the rarest vocal fach in women. Who else sounds like Tracy? Gwendolyn Brown who trained classically is also a dramatic contralto.

In what godforsaken world does Tracy sound like Gwendolyn ? There's not even a slight resemblance. Diana is also very much a mezzo with a depressed larynx. You have to take in account that altered formant frequencies (aka what makes up the colour of your voice) will skew your perception of someone's voice. That's why a lot of tenors with excessive Knödel are often mistaken for baritones. The natural qualities of her voice (tone and vocal weight) do not align with thoseof a contralto, not even the ones on the higher side. 

There is also no evidence that contraltos develop overtime aside from the logic shift in fundamental frequency that happens as we age. A young person can definitely be a contralto (https://youtu.be/DH_JDNk9tmM?si=Z9vnmqTXTm1MiGwr). Only 24 there. Barely older than Diana.