Range: F#2 – G#5 – F6 (D7)
Longest Note: 14 seconds
Vocal Type: Coloratura Mezzo-Soprano (4 Octaves)
Vocal Rating: Virtuoso
Vocal Positives: Easily one of the most skilled pop vocalists of the 21st century, Beyoncé is a true virtuoso. She is a vocal acrobat, being able to sing long and complex melismas and vocal runs effortlessly and with incredible fluidity, while remaining perfectly in key and even utilizing different scales. This shows her talent as not just a vocalist but as a musician with a sharp ear.
Excellent trills that are delivered with no breaks. Her breath control allows her to dance while singing without sounding tired, though she does notably and admittedly use playback to support this. Her grunts are growls are achieved without damaging technique, as she twangs her throat above the vocal cords to distort the sound rather than hinder it. A great staccato singer, which is one of the most difficult techniques to master for a vocalist (“I Care”). Of course, she can deliver stunning legato passages as well.
She can hold notes for extended periods with or without vibrato, and without wavering in pitch. The vibrato is well controlled and gives the 3rd lung illusion, as it oscillates evenly, but is also able to be slowed or sped up. Excellent dynamic control, with perfect crescendos that demonstrate excellent musicianship.
Beyoncé can flip through each register effortlessly and maintains agility to every note. Her lower notes are slightly smokey and extend well into the 2nd octave, and are colored beautifully. She excels in this area of her voice and demonstrates her attention to detail as most women vocalists would choose to ignore this part of the range.
Her belts are well supported and although chesty, placed quite well, and maintain a bright and powerful ring up to Eb5. The head voice is well-supported and resonant, even past C6 with an almost operatic quality. At the extremes (“Love On Top” and ” 1 + 1 “, Beyoncé knows to pull in the corners of her mouth to brighten the sound.
Finally, she again demonstrates excellent musicianship with her phrasing, manipulating her tone, rhythms, and volume to create different emotional effects. While being able to move listeners with dramatic, sorrowful vocals is one demonstration, she also plays scorned and angry exceptionally well, as well as empowering.
Vocal Negatives: Upper belts can be perceived as shouting, and can also sound shrill without vibrato in the early years. Now, the issue is more that she uses growls and distortion too much on that part of her voice. She loses some clarity in lower notes in live settings, which is to be expected. Her lack of unique tone leads some to brand her as “boring,” though this characteristic is completely subjective, as is the criticism that she “fails to move” someone emotionally. While her ear is certainly very sharp, it is not perfect, as can be seen with some acapella performances.
