Blog Post 5: What Caused The Change In Mariah's Voice?

A talent that cannot easily be surpassed, a legacy that seems impossible to thump, a name that has made a huge mark in the history of pop culture. "Often imitated, never duplicated" as she describes herself. The one. The only. Mariah Carey.

With those things said, it is obvious that Mariah has proven a lot to us in the span of 23 years in her career. She is credited for inspiring an entire generation of new pop vocalists. That's right! Beyoncé, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, etc. can all thank her for their illustrious careers. Indeed, Mariah is the undisputed queen of music. So, I was appalled by the lack of intellect in today's social media after reading people's comments saying that Mariah has "lost her voice".

There has been a lot of debating about that in the article, "What Happened To Mariah Carey's Voice? - My Analysis" by Lewnaticc from forums.digitalspy.co.uk. The author gave the following factors that led to the change in Mariah's voice.

It is obvious that Mariah's voice has change after the 90s. Those were the days when she was still in her prime. Now that she is over 40, it is only natural that there might be drastic changes. Taken the fact that she also happens to drink a lot and has also worked non-stop for a whole decade. With tours here and there, singing live almost everyday can definitely strain your voice. Another factor mentioned was her constant use of the whistle register, and eventually abusing it. A huge factor though, was that she was born with vocal nodules. Although it is mostly considered a bad thing to have vocal nodules, Mariah was trained to use this to her advantage as to being the reason why her voice sounds husky when talking. This was said to be the main reason of her vocal breakdown for it is hard in her account since it is of both advantage and disadvantage to her.

Lewnaticc said "Maybe Mariah's nodules have finally betrayed her after years of producing her ethereal notes. Maybe her improper technique use throughout the years has finally caused her voice to give in. Maybe she's just getting on in her years."

Whatever may be the reason, we all hope it gets resolved soon. We can't just let this national treasure who played an important part in music - Mariah Carey's voice - deteriorate in a matter of years. And on the contrary, even though her voice has changed, she can still out-sing most of the current singers today.

One of the major factors in order for one to lose his/her voice is when they obtain vocal nodules. I read more about this in the article "Vocal Nodules" by Sarah Whitten from bostonsingersresource.com. When a singer is diagnosed with vocal nodules, it is bad news for them. This is the time when they need to decide whether they should continue singing or not. So what are vocal nodules and why does it cause a problem for singers?

According to Sarah Whitten, "Vocal Nodules are essentially calluses on the vocal folds and are similar to scar tissue on skin after a cut has healed. They typically occur at the intersection of the front and middle thirds of the cords and are the result of either misuse or abuse of the vocal cords. Misuse encompasses behaviors like poor speaking or singing technique or inefficient breathing while abuse encompasses behaviors like excessive yelling, screaming or just talking too much."

While these vocal nodules seem like a nightmare to singers, there is a cure for it! First they must consult a laryngologist who will give them a larynge check-up. They might need to scope the throat through the mouth or nose. If necessary, a laryngologist will be the one to operate the surgery. After this process, the singer will be asked to restrain him/herself from any singing activity for at least 8-10 weeks.

"When a person has vocal nodules their vocal cords can no longer completely adduct, or, come together. The voice can have a raspy quality, and you may experience the feeling of needing to clear the throat frequently as the body senses a foreign object on the vocal cords. A singer with nodules may find that the voice fatigues easily and the middle voice may have an abnormal, breathy quality." Sarah Whitten said.

It is now clear to me that the number one reason why Mariah's voice has drastically changed in the past few years was because of her vocal nodules. Judging by the tone of her voice, she often has a breathy quality to it which is pretty obvious especially on her current songs. And as I said earlier, these vocal nodules that have helped her achieve the raspy effect on her riffs has now damaged her singing capabilities. At the end of the day, the choice is still Mariah's. Should she go on like this or risk it all on a surgery?