The Key to Switching from Musical Theatre to Pop Singing

When you’ve trained in musical theatre or even classical voice, you’re taught to sing with intention in every note. The diction is sharp. The vibrato is placed. The volume is clear and consistent.

That’s exactly what makes theatre singers so technically strong… but when you step into pop, all that polish can sometimes work against you.

Pop doesn’t always want “perfect.” Pop thrives on casual, conversational, and human delivery. That means softening the edges, relaxing the articulation, and letting some of the air and imperfection stay in the sound.

That was coach Emily’s challenge. She’s an incredible singer with years of theatre training, but her pop delivery felt just a little too “on.” Here’s what we did to help her sound more pop.

Step 1: Bring the Lyrics Back to Speech

We started by taking the melody out of the equation entirely. We had Emily speak the line exactly like she’d say it to a friend:

“Little girls double Dutch on the concrete.”

Instead of big open vowels and precise consonants, we aimed for a throwaway conversational tone. Why? Because in pop, that casual feel sets the emotional tone for the entire song.

If your lyrics start grounded in speech, the melody will naturally follow that tone — without the theatre lift.

Step 2: The “Lazy Tongue” Technique

One of Emily’s biggest shifts came from relaxing her tongue. In musical theatre, crisp articulation is a must. But in pop, over-enunciating can make you sound rigid.

We practiced slightly relaxing consonants, letting certain sounds glide instead of punch. This doesn’t mean mumbling — it means releasing the muscle tension so words flow naturally.

Instantly, her tone smoothed out, and her delivery sounded more intimate.

Step 3: Remove Vibrato

If you’re struggling with vibrato, good news! It’s not that widely used in pop singing! As beautiful as Emily’s vibrato is, we asked her to reduce it and only intentionally place it in a couple parts of the song. That made her sound so much more pop and each time she used vibrato it was more special, because it was less frequent.

Step 4: More Chest, Less Mix

Emily is an incredible mixer - as is a must in musical theatre singing. But her pop song was asking for a chestier sound. Not louder or more powerful, but darker in tone. So we helped her lower her larynx and bring her placement more into her mouth rather than her sinuses to make her sound a bit darker and richer - essentially more chesty and a bit less mixy.

Step 5: Keep the Personality, Change the Shape

The goal was never to erase Emily’s theatre roots. Her training gives her control, projection, and expression. We just needed to adapt her vowel shapes, consonant weight, and breath flow so she could use those strengths in a pop context.

By the end of the session, she was able to switch between styles without losing her identity as a singer.

Key Takeaway

If you’re moving from musical theatre to pop, the secret isn’t to “throw out” your training — it’s to adjust the feel without losing your foundation.

Here’s your checklist for authentic pop delivery:

✅ Start with speech — say the lyric casually before you sing it.

✅ Relax your tongue & consonants — flow over precision.

✅ Keep volume even — no “climbing” into high notes.

✅ Preserve your personality — you’re adapting, not replacing.

Of course, this list is going to look different for every singer… This is what worked for Emily. Adjust this list as needed for yourself.

Theatre taught you discipline. Pop invites you to let go just enough to let the listener lean in.

🎧 Want to watch Emily’s style shift in real time?

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