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2000 Watts- The Truth On MJ's voice

kirk franklin just raps and talks over songs. :lol: "G P are you wit' me!!!"

I love Kirk though lol

Anyways I dont think MJ will do that though. lol Its clearly MJ in 2000 Watts.
 
cinderella said:
I do not get it.... if he can hit such low notes with his singing voice.... why he is not able to speak in such a low way?????
iyo......
I mean there are miracles in the world but still a voice is an instrument of nature, right?



listen to Michael's 'tombyish' speaking voice in for instance" Ain't No Sunshine' and then to his voice in '2000 Watts' (for example).... it's the same voice but after the voice's change.... it's obvious for me...
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Michael didn't start working with Seth until about 1981, well after "Off The Wall", in which Michael still sung in a high tenor voice, even well before that, at the ages of 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, Michael always sang high, that's his natural range. As J5 pointed out, Michael's natural singing range is the tenor range, the highest natural male voice. He isn't a base or baritone singer, although he can sing in those ranges. That's simply because he's very gifted. Seth himself has said Michael is a high tenor and said that his voice was already high when he started working with him, and that Seth was able to bring it even higher.

Here it is:

"You know, everybody thinks you're gay," Vocal Coach Seth Riggs told him one day during a break in a vocal lesson. "I know," Jackson laughed. "The other day a big, tall, blond, nice-looking fellow came up to me and said, 'Gee, Michael, I think you're wonderful. I sure would like to go to bed with you.' I looked at him and said, 'When's the last time you read the Bible? You know you really should read it because there is some real information in there about homosexuality.' The guy says, 'I guess if I'd been a girl, it would have been different.' And I said, 'No, there are some very direct words on that in the Bible too.'"
Misunderstandings like this can be compounded by the gutter press and by the putative inside-track show-biz gossip. Jackson wants a sex-change operation; Jackson has gone under the knife for extensive plastic surgery; Jackson has been shot full of female hormones to keep his face pretty and his voice soaring high. "Not true," says Riggs. "I'm his voice teacher, and I'd know. He started out with a high voice, and I've taken it even higher. He can sing low—down to a basso low C—but he prefers to sing as high as he does because pop tenors have more range to create style."
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The highlighted part. Seth says specifically that Michael's voice started out high and he's just helped him to further expand his already high range. He says he CAN sing low, down to bass, but he has a high voice and prefers to sing in that range because it gives him more control. Michael's voice is a little lower then he sometimes makes it out to be, you can hear it all the time though, like in that blackhawk in Japan, or other places. And that's just now, his voice didn't even used to be as deep as it is now. You can hear that deeper tone though, even in, for example, the video for "Bad".
 
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Is this the quote cinderella?

Seth's support sounded like a talking point: "We're all fed up with the lies and nonsense about this boy we love so much. Michael is different. ... He's not of this world." When Seth debunked the hormone rumors, he let slip just how mundanely Michael speaks. "He isn't naturally falsetto," he resolved. "His voice is as low as yours or mine. Natural, male, husky. But he doesn't like it. He calls it his 'frog' voice, so for personal reasons, after I had taught him to reach that level and maintain it, he decided to stick with it. But it's just a technique—a trick."
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I've never seen it before. In a way it contradicts Seth's other statements, the ones I posted above particularly, so that makes me question it's validity, since that came from TIME magazine. Also the fact that Michael spoke that way long before he ever met Seth, in 75, 76, 77, 78, etc... So he couldn't have "taught him" to maintain it if he was already maintaining it before then. But if it is a real quote, then Seth is basically just saying that Michael doesn't actaully have the high falsetto sounding voice he often spoke with in the late 70s and early 80s. But Michael was super shy back then, and that probably is what caused him to talk like that. And as I pointed out above as well, Michael's shown his "real" voice on a number of occasions. It's really no deeper then his spoken parts on "Dangerous", for example, or "Who Is It". His voice isn't much deeper then he sometimes makes it. There's this misconception because everyone assumes Michael to talk in a falsetto, but he doesn't, and when they hear that, they freak out.
 
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Here's one more quote from Seth on Michael's voice.

He’s a high tenor with a three-and-a-half octave range. He goes from basso low E up to G and A-Flat above high C. A lot of people think its falsetto, but it’s not. It’s all connected, which is remarkable. During his vocal exercises he would put his arms up in the air and would start spinning while holding a note. I asked him why he was doing that, and he said ‘I may have to do it onstage, so I want to make sure it’s possible.’ I’d never seen anything like that before. I thought maybe I should stop him so he can concentrate on his voice now, and dance later. But I figured if he can do it, let him do it.
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Michael's speaking voice is regular, not particularly deep, not particularly high, just average, but his singing voice is naturally very high, that's just his best range, that's all. You know where you can hear Michael's normal speaking voice is in "Bad", at the beggining, when the guy runs to stop him he's proud of him and Michael says "Thanks... Thank you." That's Michael normal voice, and it's hardly deeper then what some think it is.

Plus, Michael's vocal profile is as follows:

Vocal Profile

Vocal timbre: Spinto, Countertenor (this is a male vocalist who can sing in the soprano range), Baritone (in the song 2000 Watts of Invinvible album, for exmaple)
 
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J5, this is the exact quote in the Magic and the Madness, that WBSS21 posted. :yes:

He’s a high tenor with a three-and-a-half octave range. He goes from basso low E up to G and A-Flat above high C. A lot of people think its falsetto, but it’s not. It’s all connected, which is remarkable. During his vocal exercises he would put his arms up in the air and would start spinning while holding a note. I asked him why he was doing that, and he said ‘I may have to do it onstage, so I want to make sure it’s possible.’ I’d never seen anything like that before. I thought maybe I should stop him so he can concentrate on his voice now, and dance later. But I figured if he can do it, let him do it.
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wannabestartinsomthin21 said:
Here's one more quote from Seth on Michael's voice.



Michael's speaking voice is regular, not particularly deep, not particularly high, just average, but his singing voice is naturally very high, that's just his best range, that's all. You know where you can hear Michael's normal speaking voice is in "Bad", at the beggining, when the guy runs to stop him he's proud of him and Michael says "Thanks... Thank you." That's Michael normal voice, and it's hardly deeper then what some think it is.

Plus, Michael's vocal profile is as follows:

Vocal Profile

Vocal timbre: Spinto, Countertenor (this is a male vocalist who can sing in the soprano range), Baritone (in the song 2000 Watts of Invinvible album, for exmaple)

Highest note: B5 (only on record)

Lowest note : E2 (only on record)

Vocal range: 3.6+ octaves (E2-B5; 44 notes by the middle of 1980s according to Seth Riggs, Jackson's vocal consultant (Quote from Seth Riggs); in the 1990s, Riggs said the range expanded to 4 octaves. Apparently, due to aging, Jackson got few additional lower notes, while not losing the highest ones.)

Just as a side note, in a documentary, Seth also said that when he and Michael get together after a lengthy period apart, he said working with Michael is, and I quote, like "re-tuning a Ferarri".
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Thanks for this! :cheeky:


May I ask where you found the vocal profile info? If it's on a website, I'd love to know- it may have other singers there :yes:


He definitely does sing in the soprano range- I am a soprano, and I find a lot of his songs challenging. APOM is a good example- it's a lot higher than people think!
 
Hey cinderella, you know, I'm not really sure. I stumbled on to it by accident, looking for another quote, lol. All the site said was that Seth said it to some press people.

Anyway, yeah marnifrances, he can sing extremely high. Like you said, people probably don't know until they try. But songs like "APOM", "TWYMMF", etc... would be difficult for anyone. Or the chorus on "Cheater". Someone on this forum was kind enough to point out to me as well how Michael is actually credited with singing the soprano solo, along with another singer, at the biggining of "Who Is It". He's able to sing well passed high C in full voice, which is the note Pavarotti was famous for. Any good tenor obviously will be able to sing that note, but Michael can sing well passed it in full voice, which is amazing, considering he also can sing down in to the base ranges. He's got a massive octave range.

I'm not sure where the profile comes from, some website I think. I found it a few years ago, so I can't totally remember from where. You can find a lot of singers vocal ranges just by typing their name in to Google along with the words "octave range".
 
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Thanks for that :)
TWYMMF I can sing quite easily, but trying to do APOM- it's ALL so way up there (except for the chorus) that I end up singing it in falsetto coz it's just so difficult! :lol: I can sing it in full voice, it's just that APOM takes a LOT of breath and vocal conrol to pull off. :yes:
 
Yeah, that's very true. That's what makes Michael so amazing. His control. Anyone who isn't a soprano would have a hard time with that song I think. A lot of people just can't sing well outside of their comfort range, they have a very hard time controlling their voice. Whitney Housten, whom Seth also coaches, for example, is that way. Outside of her comfort zone, she has a lot of trouble. But Michael just seems to be able to sing with incredible control from both the lower and higher ranges.
 
wannabestartinsomthin21 said:
Hey cinderella, you know, I'm not really sure. I stumbled on to it by accident, looking for another quote, lol. All the site said was that Seth said it to some press people.
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yeah, wannabe... you're really good at finding quotes....lol

anyway that's the very quote, I know for sure

so I wasn't hallucinating (sp.?) or sth.
thanks again:)
 
yeah i agree wannabe.

Deep, husky, male...sounded that way when he talked in In the Closet or Dangerous.

Like i said, real MALE voices don't have to be sounding like Barry White. MJ has a normal male voice, and he speaks with it on a regular basis. There's no secret.
 
Right. Not particularly deep, not particularly high. Just average, and he sings high because he's a high tenor. Like I said, you can hear what he sounds like when he's releaxed in the video for "Bad", at the begginging when his teacher stops him to say he's proud of him and Michael says "Thanks... thank you." His voice isn't much deeper then how he speaks at awards shows, etc... Michael's almost got a cartoonish sound to his speaking voice, actually, not meant in a bad way, I mean he's got this really interesting quality, but it's deep and almost underlying.
 
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i think hiz voice iz really like dat cuz he sumtimez talks regular and not dat phony voice but it's kewl i like hiz voice
 
2000 Watts: Real voice or not?

I think it was his real voice! I heard his voice in real life is actually pretty deep. He can impersonate voices as well, like he did as the fat guy in "Ghosts". Although it's probably not something he could do live, cuz I don't think it's easy to sustain.

What do you all think?
 
Re: 2000 Watts: Real voice or not?

Thank you arXter.
I'll merge this witht he original thread.
 
To put the ridiculous theory about an alteration of MJ's voice to an end:

This youTube stream shows an edited version done by a fan using any sound editor that can change the voice pitch.

Just listen to the other voice in the song (Teddy Riley himself). He also sounds different here. Guess why? Because when you change the pitch on a file by using a sound editor, you'll change everything. Even the instruments sound different here.

So this youTube stream shows NOTHING but that you can edit a file and change the pitch.


What can be heard in "2000 Watts" is Michael's real dark voice which he does not use in public, but close friends are known to it have told about it.

Another song which also features MJ using a rather dark voice is the INVINCIBLE outtake "Shout" (B-Side of "Cry", December 2001).
 
no that was his voice. He has a very long vocal range. Hear you are my life. There are some aspects of that song where he sings very low.
 
This is a very interesting thread. I've learned SO MUCH about Michael's vocal range and a lot of technical terms from the people who posted on this thread. So, thank you. :)

I really love the song 2000 Watts and have wondered if it was altered to make Michael's voice lower. I've concluded that he can sing that low and that maybe there was some altering in the song to make it sound futuristic.

Anyways, go to 3:10-3:14 of Michael singing 'You Can't Win'. Those notes are really low and we know there is no altering going on here in 1977.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YrinCQOxB0

Also, I have a theory about Michael's public speaking voice when he speaks in a high tone/pitch. Michael said in his 1993 Oprah interview that it was difficult for him to grow up from being such a young child superstar. He said 'They (the public) don't want you to grow up. They want to keep you small forever'. I think he developed that high speaking voice to sort of have a child-like voice, so that he can be that child for the public. But I also think that when he is shy, he speaks that way also.

Also, i read something from Quincy Jones that when he started to work with Michael for Off The Wall, he had to really work with Michael to break him from singing in the higher tones because apparently at Motown, it's customary that they were taught to sing in their higher registers. I guess it was the norm to sing high with Motown. Quincy was specifically talking about 'Rock with You' when he commented about this.
 
wannabestartinsomthin21 said:
Is this the quote cinderella?



I've never seen it before. In a way it contradicts Seth's other statements, the ones I posted above particularly, so that makes me question it's validity, since that came from TIME magazine. Also the fact that Michael spoke that way long before he ever met Seth, in 75, 76, 77, 78, etc... So he couldn't have "taught him" to maintain it if he was already maintaining it before then. But if it is a real quote, then Seth is basically just saying that Michael doesn't actaully have the high falsetto sounding voice he often spoke with in the late 70s and early 80s. But Michael was super shy back then, and that probably is what caused him to talk like that. And as I pointed out above as well, Michael's shown his "real" voice on a number of occasions. It's really no deeper then his spoken parts on "Dangerous", for example, or "Who Is It". His voice isn't much deeper then he sometimes makes it. There's this misconception because everyone assumes Michael to talk in a falsetto, but he doesn't, and when they hear that, they freak out.
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this is what I trip on cuz ppl always try to make it sound like there is a tremendous diffference from his "natural" voice and the one he used publicly. Its more dramatic and sensational and all, but i don't hear it. Personally, it doesn't sound all that different to me. Only time his voice sounded unexpectanly deep and made me go "damn" was the WMAs from 2006.
 
in the grammy performance of man in the mirror during the live part, he sings "low, low, low, low, low, low, low" and with each one he gets lower and at the last one his voice sounds a lot like it does in 2000 watts.
 
Oh, I forgot to say that like a month ago I asked Teddy Riley if Michael's vocals were pitch shifted or not, so we could get an ending to all the discussions - and this is what he said:

"Yes he did sing that low...people don't know Michael had a low voice...even his talking voice can go low."

Hopefully this will not provoke any "I told so!" reactions here - but satisfactions that we don't have to speculate about it any more :)

This was something I felt we needed to ask him so it would not be yet another one of those questions that we'd never get answered.

Quite an amazing tool Michael's voice was.
 
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The first time I heard the song i didn´t beleive it,i thoughtthat he was a man imitating Michael! XD

I do not understand either of effects, , but certainly one thing is using a more serious tone like he did in Ghost and other thing is the tone in this song it´s so strange ...

Anyway ... I love this song and the mystery that is! I like to think that Michael wanted to become us a little crazy with this song (which I love) and he did it.
 
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