Why Ariana Grande is changing her voice to protect her vocal cords

In the middle of the interview, the sound of her voice changed drastically; she went from a deep and slightly croaky voice to a much higher voice with a soft, light texture.

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Speculation arose.

“THAT WAS SO SUDDENLY A HELP,” one netizen exclaimed. “That’s the programming of her alter ego, Kitten,” another fan joked. Others wondered if Grande was stuck on the voice of Glinda, the character she plays in “Wicked,” who speaks with a softer intensity and higher pitch. (After Austin Butler played Elvis Presley in the 2022 musical “Elvis,” the young actor continued to speak like the King of Rock and Roll long after the film’s premiere.)

Grande eventually responded to the confusion, explaining that she regularly and intentionally changes her “vocal posture” to maintain her vocal health.

For those unfamiliar with the science of voice production, Grande’s explanation may have caused more—rather than less—confusion. But as a speech therapist who specializes in voice disorders, I know how effective these techniques can be.

In singers and actors, excessive and incorrect use of the voice can lead to vocal damage, which is referred to as “phonotrauma”.

Data shows that voice disorders can lead to job loss for anyone, not just singers. But professional singers – whose livelihood, like that of professional baseball pitchers, depends on a fully functioning part of their body – are more likely to suffer financial and emotional stress from a voice disorder.

Cables on a collision course

In order for you to speak or sing, your vocal cords—a delicate pair of thin, V-shaped strips of muscle in your throat—must come together and vibrate against each other as air is pushed through from your lungs.

As the tension and length of the vocal cords increases, they vibrate faster, resulting in an increase in pitch. As the tension and length of the vocal cords decreases, they vibrate slower, resulting in a decrease in pitch.

The more a person uses their voice, the more often their vocal cords collide with each other. For example, when Steven Tyler hits the high note at the end of “Dream On,” his vocal cords vibrate over 800 times per second. By comparison, a hummingbird beats its wings about 70 times per second.

Many famous artists go on long tours where they perform night after night and often have little time for vocal rest and recovery. It is no surprise that many of them end up injuring their vocal cords. There are other habits and behaviors that can damage the delicate mechanism that creates a singer’s unique sound: poor diet, lack of sleep, shouting, smoking and drinking alcohol.

An operation entails risks

For Grande, the pain of losing her voice is nothing new.

In 2013, she suffered a vocal cord hemorrhage, which occurs when a blood vessel in the vocal cords ruptures due to vocal trauma. Doctors ordered her to rest her voice to help her recover.

However, vocal cord injuries do not always heal on their own. Surgery may be necessary, but this option often carries significant risks for singers.

Surgical procedures can lead to a loss of vocal range through scarring. In 1997, Julie Andrews lost her crystal-clear singing voice, which once spanned four octaves, after a minor procedure on her vocal cords.

Fortunately, not all vocal cord surgeries end in disaster: Grammy winner Adele underwent surgery to remove a vocal cord polyp in 2011 and today, more than a decade later, she is still at the top of the charts. In fact, there are many singers, actors, news anchors and talk show hosts who have suffered from various vocal cord injuries and ailments and have been able to successfully continue their careers.

But athletes who do not change their habits and behavior after an injury or successful surgery may end up right back where they started.

Prevention is the best medicine

With that in mind, Grande’s attempt to reduce the risk of a vocal cord injury that could jeopardize her professional success is a smart one.

But how exactly does she achieve this by changing the sound of her voice as she speaks?

Responding to social media speculation, she stressed the importance of changing her “vocal position” to maintain her vocal health.

What she’s actually talking about is the interaction between the vocal cords and the vocal tract, which includes the throat, nose, and mouth. The vocal tract acts like a filter for the sound produced by the vocal cords, dampening some sound waves and amplifying others. This interaction creates a person’s unique, recognizable voice.

When Grande focuses on raising her voice higher in her vocal tract—toward her nose—certain vibrations produced by her vocal cords are amplified by the air-filled cavities in her forehead, creating a brighter, higher-pitched sound that actually reduces the strain on the vocal cords themselves.

In the clip, Ariana’s voice also sounds light and slightly breathy. She achieves this by reducing the force applied to her vocal cords, which may prevent them from closing completely when she speaks.

Keeping a small gap between the vocal cords prevents them from hitting each other violently, which can prevent phonotrauma. This is not to be confused with whispering, which can also be harmful to the voice as it can strain the vocal cords and throat muscles.

As with many health issues, prevention is often the best medicine. Although behavior change can be difficult, Grande seems to be up for the challenge.

Lydia Kruse, Clinical Assistant Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.