We measured pop music’s falsetto obsession

Aug 13, 2019 20:10

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It’s nearly impossible to turn on the radio and not hear a male artist singing really high. Likely he’s a tenor, and more often than not he’ll sing in falsetto. Think Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Drake, Charlie Puth, Shawn Mendes, Adam Lavine, Sam Smith ... the list goes on and on and on.

This isn’t a trend - it has been the status quo for decades.

Using the data diving know-how of The Pudding, and drawing on the expertise of Anthony Roth Costanzo, a professional opera singer, I dig into the world of the high male vocal range by tracking how pervasive it really is across the decades.

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1960s, 1990s, 1970s, music / musician, 2000s, 1980s

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