Halsey: Voice Profile and Vocal Range (2022)

Vocal Range: D3 – F5 – A5 (2 octaves and a perfect fifth)^[1]https://therangeplanet.proboards.com/thread/662/halsey and attached vocal range video above

Vocal Fach: Soubrette

Vocal Rating: Singer-Songwriter

Analysis: One of the most successful pop acts of the last decade, Halsey embodies an entire style of singing with her unique approach. Her distinctive babyish coo, raspy upper register, and vocal drives all help to create her signature sound, but it’s mostly her diction and vowel shaping, which have drawn intense interest and criticism from listeners.

Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of Halsey’s voice is their use of diphthongs, colloquially identified as “singing in cursive”: rather than holding out the first syllable and transitioning to the second in the end, Halsey makes the switch earlier and changes their sound quickly. While this was initially a trait amongst jazz and blues musicians, it has since found its way into mainstream pop, in large part because of singers like Hasey.^[2]Beth Roars, Vocal Coach reacts to Halsey – Without Me in the Live Lounge

To create her vocal tone, Halsey sings with a high larynx in her midrange, creating a bright and “babyish” sound, while placing her voice more in the back of her throat rather than the mask. Halsey is also often seen shifting their jaw around quickly, kicking the bottom out in front of the top in a display of tension that isn’t admirable.^[3]Sam Johnson, YUNGBLUD & Halsey – I Will Follow You Into The Dark | Voice Teacher Reacts While other singers like Ariana Grande use this to aid their agility, Halsey seems to do this not only for agility but also to color their voice and to execute their vibrato.

Halsey is certainly a soprano given her small vocal weight, youthful, feminine timbre, and weak lower register. As she thus far has not demonstrated a significant upper extension, she would best be classified as a soubrette. Despite being the weakest part of their range, Halsey maintains good tonal quality down to E3 live and D3 in the studio, a slightly stronger than expected lower register for a soprano. As she ascends, her voice picks up treble and resonance around G4 up to C5. Past that point, Halsey begins activating parts of their throat and tongue at the cost of some tonal quality.

As her music often includes rock influences, Halsey often executes vocal drives and distortions to emulate those musicians. Given that her tone is preserved while executing them and that she can flip between that and a bright, clear sound, she’s likely (correctly) using the false folds to drive (“Bad At Love”). While Halsey’s intonation left something to be desired earlier in her career, recent performances seem to show improvement, although a part of this can be attributed to production changes in recorded performances during the pandemic.

Overall Halsey is a vocalist with significant potential but eschews some pedagogical principles to create an idiosyncratic sound.

What do you think of Halsey’s voice? Would you add anything to our analysis? Let us know by commenting below!