Natural Talent vs. Trainable Skill – How Far Can You Take Your Voice?

This is one of the biggest myths we hear about singing: “You either have it or you don’t.” And I get it. It’s easy to watch someone crush a high note on The Voice and think, “I could never do that.”

But here’s the truth: Singing is a skill. Not a gift. Not magic. Not luck.

It’s trainable. Teachable. Repeatable.

But how far can you really take your voice when you don’t have a ton of natural talent…? And if you do have natural talent, do you still need to practice? Let’s talk about it!

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What Is “Natural Talent”

We all know these people… it feels like they came out of the womb singing. Their pitch is great, they have a big range, a powerful voice… the list goes on.

I would say the biggest factor that makes us think that someone has a natural talent for singing is sounding musical. You know how you can clearly hear the difference between someone who just took a couple voice lessons and is now a decent singer compared to someone who has a natural talent for singing? That’s what I’m talking about, that’s musicality, that natural sound.

All that comes down to is dynamic singing. How’s your phrasing, what tones are you using, what embellishments did you add, etc. Luckily that is a skill that can be learned (yes, even if you don’t have any natural talent) so that you don’t have to sound like you just took a couple voice lessons and now you’re decent. With dynamic singing, you can take your singing a lot further and sound like this is what you were meant to do in life.

Does Talent Matter?

🎙 Emily: “You can be born 60% of the way there—but if you don’t practice, that’s where you stay.”

Yes, some people might start ahead. They might have great lung capacity, a strong speaking voice, or naturally good pitch. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us are out of luck.

Singing is like any athletic skill: the right training + repetition leads to results. Even if you have a ton of natural talent, you don’t grow out of needing to practice. Just like Emily said, if you start at 60% but you don’t practice, you’ll stay there and other singers who started at 20% or 40% will catch up and surpass you. Not that it’s a race or a competition, but you can see that no matter where you start, you need to practice to get better.

What About Famous Singers…?

Even the best singers practice. To prove it, we pulled up clips of famous singers doing vocal exercises.

These artists—despite already being successful—still:

• Practice vowel placement

• Work on vocal fold coordination

• Refine phrasing and breath control

That’s not because they’re bad singers. It’s because they’re working singers.

But How Far Can You Really Take Your Voice?

🎙 Emily: “I think anyone can learn to sing. We might not all become Beyoncé—but we can all learn to use our voice in a way that feels good and sounds good.”

We hear all the time that singing is a skill that can be learned. And you might even believe it! But something inside of you is telling you that even if you work hard you’re never gonna be as good as Beyoncé. And unfortunately a lot of singers and even vocal coaches share that belief! Everyone can learn to sing, but if you want to get REALLY good, you have to be born with talent.

I don’t share that belief. Will you be as good as Beyoncé? Probably not. No one is better at singing Beyoncé than Queen B herself. But that’s not the point of singing! If you asked Billie Eilish to sing Beyoncé songs, she’d probably struggle too. But that doesn’t make her any less of a successful singer! Billie and Beyoncé and any other singer who’s successful just know what they can do really well and they stick to that. It’s not about being able to do absolutely everything - it’s about finding your strengths and showcasing that. And every singer has strengths, even if you have “no natural talent” for singing.

So, how far can you really take it…? In all honesty - with the right training and dedication you can take your voice as far as you want.

Talent Doesn’t Guarantee Progress—Effort Does

There are plenty of naturally talented people who never move forward—because they never train. And there are plenty of “average” singers who become incredible artists through consistent, focused work.

So if you’ve ever said, “I don’t have the voice for this,” I want you to ask yourself instead:

“Am I willing to learn, listen, and grow?”

Because if the answer is yes—your voice has so much more in store for you. You don’t need to be a prodigy to become a powerful, expressive, and confident singer.

🎧 Want to hear the full conversation (and get inspired by the pros who still practice)?

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