What Makes a Singer Great: The Top 3 Things That Make You Sound Like the Pros

For years, I felt like no matter how much I practiced, my voice just wasn’t good enough. I faced rejection after rejection—whether it was from auditions, competitions, or people who just didn’t believe in me as a singer. And honestly? That feeling sucked.

So I did what any determined singer would do—I worked harder. I pushed myself. I thought the more I worked on my voice, the better it would get. But I was wrong.

One day, after receiving yet another “no”, I decided to take a step back and analyze some of the most successful singers out there. I studied all kinds of successful singers across all genres and asked myself: What do they all have in common?

For the longest time, I thought the most successful successful singers were the ones who could do crazy vocal acrobatics—who could belt the loudest or sustain the longest or riff the fastest. But then I realized something… What all these singers did were different from each other (some belted, others sang in a breathy voice for example), but HOW they executed every note was the same.

Every great singer does three things—and when I started focusing on these three things, my voice improved dramatically in just a few months and I was able to turn those “nos” into “yeses” and finally see some success of my own. Let’s break them down.

1. Effortless Vocal Technique: The Sustainable Way Of Singing

Vocal technique is here to help you hit all the right notes at the right time and sound good doing so. But the problem is that many singers don’t focus on the right techniques for them or they cut some corners where they shouldn’t… Like I did.

For the longest time I pushed my voice beyond it’s limits. I didn’t care what it took to belt an E5, as long as I could hit that note. I kept telling myself, singing is supposed to be hard (because that’s what I heard everyone else around me say all the time), so I accepted the tension in my throat, the breathlessness, and the struggle, thinking that with time and practice it would eventually get easier.

Unfortunately that never happened and I eventually ended up with vocal nodules and no voice for 2 months (that a story for another time).

But when I started studying great singers, I noticed that they weren’t fighting their voices. They were working with them and made it all seem effortless.

This is when I decided to focus on what singing felt like instead of sounded like to see if my vocal skills would improve. I stopped pushing through notes and made adjustments until whatever notes I sang started feeling good.

The results were amazing - within just 3 months I not only got my voice back after my injury, but I became a better singer. I could belt higher, my range expanded and my voice felt much more agile, making riffing and pitch accuracy easier! And most importantly, I could sing for hours day after day and not lose my voice.

So this first step in becoming a great singer is to pay attention to what singing feels like because once singing feels good you’ll learn how to hit any note in any way, dramatically improving your vocal skills.

✅ Signs of Effortless Technique:

• You can hit high notes without straining.

• You can transition smoothly between low and high notes without any vocal cracks.

• Your breath lasts longer, and phrases feel easier.

• Your voice feels strong at the end of a song, not weak.

• You can sing for longer without feeling fatigued.

✅ How to Develop It:

• Stop pushing—work on releasing tension instead of forcing volume.

• Balance your registers—make sure your chest, mix, and head voice are connected.

• Train efficiency—singing should feel easy; if it doesn’t, something needs adjusting. My favorite way to train vocal efficiency is with SOVT exercises.

2. Awareness & Dynamics: The Skill That Separates Good From Great

This is what’s going to get you the “you were born to sing” sound. In step 1 you learned how to hit any note in any way and sound (and feel!) good doing so. Now we need to take it a step further and look at HOW you’re singing each note - aka the dynamics of a song.

Dynamics consists of two parts: tone and embellishments. Both of them together is what turn a black and white painting into a beautiful, vibrant and colorful painting.

Examples for different tones would be:

• breathy

• belty

• twangy

• nasally

• the different registers

and a lot more

And examples for Embellishments would be:

• riffing

• vibrato

• flips/cries

• distortion

• onsets/offsets

and more.

The best way to learn singing dynamically (aka using all these tones and embellishments in a way that makes sense for the song) is through training your ears by listening to some of your favorite singers - aka, developing awareness.

✅ What to Pay Attention to When Studying Other Singers:

• How they use dynamics (loud vs. soft moments).

• The textures and tones in their voice—do they sound breathy, powerful, bright?

• The runs, riffs, and embellishments they add to make a phrase interesting.

• The registers they are using - is everything sung in a mix voice or are there more contrasting moments?

I always say that you have to start listening to music like a singer, just like an actor watches movies like an actor, not like the average person. Just learning the notes and lyrics isn’t going to cut it if you want to sound like the pros. So next time you’re listening to a song I want you to pay really close attention to the vocal performance of the singer. Which tones and embellishments do you hear? How about the volume? And then mimic them. Yes, copy what they are doing.

Imitation is how we learn any new skill in life. It’s how we learn to walk, talk and even write! So don’t be afraid to do the same thing in your singing. This will help you practice those techniques, as well as help you develop a sense for musicality, which give you that “you’re a natural at singing” sound.

✅ How to Build Awareness & Dynamics:

• Imitate your favorite singers—that’s how you’ll train your ears, develop a sense for musicality and learn new skills.

• Analyze great singers—listen closely to their phrasing, tone, and breath control, and try incorporating elements into your own voice.

• Work with a coach—we can point out things you might not hear on your own, accelerating your sense of awareness.

• Record yourself—but don’t just listen for “good” or “bad” (judging). Pick one thing to focus on each time (tone, tension, dynamics, etc.) and ask yourself if you did that or not (analyzing).

3. Artistry: What Actually Makes People Stop And Listen

Now that you can hit all the right notes at the right time and sound (and feel!) good doing so AND you sound like a natural talent thanks to dynamic singing, it’s time to give it your own spin.

Being a vocal acrobat (aka someone who’s technically really great and advanced) isn’t that big of deal anymore… there are SO many amazing singers in this world, yet no one really cares… we have to take it a step further and give the notes we sing our original spin and a deeper meaning. After all, singing is about story telling, not showing off how many different notes you can hit.

✅ What Artistry Really Means:

• You tell a story instead of just singing notes.

• You play with dynamics—not everything is loud, not everything is soft.

• You have a recognizable vocal style—something that makes you unique.

• You let go of perfectionism and focus on connection.

• You pick the right songs (and keys!) for your voice.

Every singer has a sweet spot in their voice, called Prima Voce—the area where their voice sounds the most natural, effortless, and expressive. The problem? A lot of singers force their voices into songs that don’t fit their Prima Voce.

✅ How to Find Your Prima Voce:

• Pay attention to where your voice feels the most natural and effortless.

• Sing songs by artists who have a similar tone to you.

• Ask for feedback from others - which parts of your voice do they like the most?

This was that last missing puzzle piece in my own vocal journey - identifying and picking songs based on my prima voce. After that, everything fell into place and I finally landed a management deal, won contests with my music, got my songs on the radio, and so much more.

✅ How to Develop Your Artistry:

• Experiment with phrasing—where you breathe, where you hold a note, and where you let it go.

• Dig into the lyrics—what do they actually mean to YOU?

• Use contrast—if every line is sung the same way, it won’t be compelling.

• Don’t be afraid to be different—the best singers all have their own unique sound.

Bringing It All Together

WHAT you do doesn’t matter… HOW you do it is what matters. I wish someone would have told me that when I started my own singing journey. I was so focused with working on high notes and belting because I thought that that’s what I needed in order to see success in singing. Turns out, it was my low notes - something I rarely worked on because it came naturally to me - that helped me achieve success.

🎯 Here’s what to focus on starting today:

1️⃣ Build solid technique so your voice works with you, not against you.

2️⃣ Develop awareness & dynamics so you can create a compelling vocal performance.

3️⃣ Lean into artistry—find your Prima Voce, lean into emotional connection and make every performance unique.

Check Out The Full Video With Detailed Breakdowns Here

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