Miley Cyrus covers Summertime Sadness

[COLACNT 5,180]

miley has better control, technique, and consistency, but i don't think she has a better voice. but i mean, she's also been in the spotlight for like 87% of her life, and her daddy is a famous singer too. so her means, exposure, and experience have far surpassed lana's in terms of breadth but none of that really has anything to do with actual ability. lana sounded better in her lizzy grant days, and she still occasionally pulls out a hackney level performance but its kind of unfortunate that you can't always expect to hear a great performance from her 

 

i mean, lana says herself that she's a "writer first, singer second" and i totally believe her because if i'm being brutally honest sometimes she really sounds like shit. her voice can be really wispy and schizophrenic (which isn't always a bad thing), and sometimes i'm like what is that sound that just came out your mouth girl 

 

and it seems like she's starting to win critics over so i doubt she'd get any sort of vocal lesson at this point which is a fucking shame cause i'm sure she could be a much better performer if she focused on certain issues. luckily for her, her voice is really only like 40% of the package you're buying into  

[lola 6,641]

yeah, i wish she would take some singing lessons as well. she probably wouldn't need too many, maybe she just needs to practice with her band more or idk warm up before a show. she's a good singer, she has a wide range or whatever you call it, she just hasn't been professionally trained (like miley probably has been her entire life) so she doesn't really know how to use it live.

[leaked_version 10,499]

Random and quite off-topic I know, but I personally think that a song like Rooting For My Baby could have been written by Lana or at least Lana could pull it off easily. 

It has become my favourite track on Miley's album. Sadly, it's just on the deluxe version.

 

For those who have never heard it and mostly despise everything Miley is doing, it is maybe a nice suprise.

 

http://de.musicplayon.com/play?v=796146

[slang 1,532]

@@JhnMabius, @@HeartshapedChevrolet, @@Hundred Dollar Bill are not  contradictory. What's a matter of opinion is not whether LDR sings well, but what aspect of her musical performance is more important flawlessness and power, or character (Dylan or Cohen, anyone?). But the problem with any statements about LDR's live is she's inconsistent. Sometimes she's blasé; sometimes she's freakin amazing. I suppose being unreliable is the same as being not quite as good (as Miley), but there is an open issue of whether, Miley, who is a stellar vocalist, could tackle one of LDR's harder songs, like Off to the Races (which has at least 4 Youtube live performances, but none from BTD or Paradise tours). Also for a good LDR SS live to compare to Miley see:

 

 

But I agree with formal training being a good idea. It's supposed to be relevant to confidence/nerves issues as well. I suspect even super divas get training or coaching regularly, if only to figure out ways of challenging themselves vocally to better see what their vocal limits are. 

[Coney Island King 26,003]

Sometimes it's more about emotion and genuine delivery than high notes and perfected vocals, that above video is why i love Lana's voice on that song and not Miley's.

[Valentino 885]

Didn't watch the cover but wanted to mention something about singing since I am taking (classically oriented) voice lessons. Voice lessons are basically a requirement for anyone interested in singing seriously. It's very easy to get a "powerful" sound in the short term but lose it in the long term, and you can't support a career on one song (I mean if you want to be known as a one hit wonder and not a singer, go ahead). I disagree that Miley has control over her voice. More than Lana? Yes. Miley has poor technique, though, and whenever I heard her I feel like she's always on the verge of losing control of her voice. Hearing her hit those high notes in "We Can't Stop" is always incredibly painful because she's forcing it so much and it sounds strained. And this is in studio, where she has every modern technology available to make her sound her best.

 

On studio, Lana also has the issue of being off the beat (she's always a little behind in Born To Die, which was absolutely maddening and made me hate the record when I got it), which from I heard from the Brazil concert is also a problem, though thankfully to a lesser extent. Lana is also singing in the part of her voice where she clearly isn't comfortable. She's not a naturally low voiced woman and never will be. She sounds so much more comfortable on For K than on Ride, where you can hear her voice kind of groaning to reach those low notes, and you can notice the lack of ring in her higher notes ("I hear the birds..." "I just Ride). When you have a problem doing your songs in studio, no duh they're gonna be even harder live. In addition, she uses this fake girly high voice that's not her normal voice (think Lolita) which means that no part of her register sounds natural. Add in the stage fright and insecurity (she has no conviction in her vocals) and you get why people say Lana is a bad singer. A pretty timbre can only do so much before poor technique obscures it.

 

With good vocal training (there's a lot of pseudoscience peddled in voice training because it's very hard to actually study the vocal cords; we have no visual confirmation of how the whistle register physiologically works, for example), I do believe Lana could be a much better singer than Miley. She has the timbre, which you can't change, and she can learn to reach the extremes of her range in a healthy manner (no more groaning at the bottom or fluttering at the top). Vocal training can give you the confidence to perform, too. Plenty of famous singers have had stage fright; off the top of my head I can list Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and Agnetha Faltskog from ABBA. Nevertheless, they went on stage and gave it their all (and Agnetha is much like Lana in that she's an inherently private person who is not interested in being super famous and surrounded by strangers. guess what happened to her).

 

Lana can learn to become a better and more consistent singer (yes, both at the same time) if she wants to, but it would take time and effort. Depending on who you go to and how messed up your voice is, you can actually be taught to sing from the very beginning (I'm p sure this is standard in classical but in a more pop-oriented style someone with major fundamental damage would need to do this). It definitely requires good practice (unlike a physical instrument, the voice itself can get tired and so iirc you shouldn't practice for more than an hour straight a day). Don't know if that interests Lana since she wants to see the world and experience life and stuff. I'd love to hear her sound more comfortable on her songs, though. Lana with a vocal coach would be 

[Summersault 824]

Didn't watch the cover but wanted to mention something about singing since I am taking (classically oriented) voice lessons. Voice lessons are basically a requirement for anyone interested in singing seriously. It's very easy to get a "powerful" sound in the short term but lose it in the long term, and you can't support a career on one song (I mean if you want to be known as a one hit wonder and not a singer, go ahead). I disagree that Miley has control over her voice. More than Lana? Yes. Miley has poor technique, though, and whenever I heard her I feel like she's always on the verge of losing control of her voice. Hearing her hit those high notes in "We Can't Stop" is always incredibly painful because she's forcing it so much and it sounds strained. And this is in studio, where she has every modern technology available to make her sound her best.

 

On studio, Lana also has the issue of being off the beat (she's always a little behind in Born To Die, which was absolutely maddening and made me hate the record when I got it), which from I heard from the Brazil concert is also a problem, though thankfully to a lesser extent. Lana is also singing in the part of her voice where she clearly isn't comfortable. She's not a naturally low voiced woman and never will be. She sounds so much more comfortable on For K than on Ride, where you can hear her voice kind of groaning to reach those low notes, and you can notice the lack of ring in her higher notes ("I hear the birds..." "I just Ride). When you have a problem doing your songs in studio, no duh they're gonna be even harder live. In addition, she uses this fake girly high voice that's not her normal voice (think Lolita) which means that no part of her register sounds natural. Add in the stage fright and insecurity (she has no conviction in her vocals) and you get why people say Lana is a bad singer. A pretty timbre can only do so much before poor technique obscures it.

 

With good vocal training (there's a lot of pseudoscience peddled in voice training because it's very hard to actually study the vocal cords; we have no visual confirmation of how the whistle register physiologically works, for example), I do believe Lana could be a much better singer than Miley. She has the timbre, which you can't change, and she can learn to reach the extremes of her range in a healthy manner (no more groaning at the bottom or fluttering at the top). Vocal training can give you the confidence to perform, too. Plenty of famous singers have had stage fright; off the top of my head I can list Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and Agnetha Faltskog from ABBA. Nevertheless, they went on stage and gave it their all (and Agnetha is much like Lana in that she's an inherently private person who is not interested in being super famous and surrounded by strangers. guess what happened to her).

 

Lana can learn to become a better and more consistent singer (yes, both at the same time) if she wants to, but it would take time and effort. Depending on who you go to and how messed up your voice is, you can actually be taught to sing from the very beginning (I'm p sure this is standard in classical but in a more pop-oriented style someone with major fundamental damage would need to do this). It definitely requires good practice (unlike a physical instrument, the voice itself can get tired and so iirc you shouldn't practice for more than an hour straight a day). Don't know if that interests Lana since she wants to see the world and experience life and stuff. I'd love to hear her sound more comfortable on her songs, though. Lana with a vocal coach would be 

 

But...but i like her high girly voice  To be honest I've never thought her vocals sounded bad on studio recordings. Those things you list as flaws are to a great extend the qualities I like in her voice and give her songs character. It might not be great technique but it works.

 

I do agree with you though on her live vocals. She still struggles  with her low notes and she's just plain inconsistent, even now when she has improved a lot. If a vocal coach could help her get consistent live with the things she already can do, then I wouldn't mind. As long as she doesn't turn into Lea Michele

[JhnMabius 175]

Didn't watch the cover but wanted to mention something about singing since I am taking (classically oriented) voice lessons. Voice lessons are basically a requirement for anyone interested in singing seriously. It's very easy to get a "powerful" sound in the short term but lose it in the long term, and you can't support a career on one song (I mean if you want to be known as a one hit wonder and not a singer, go ahead). I disagree that Miley has control over her voice. More than Lana? Yes. Miley has poor technique, though, and whenever I heard her I feel like she's always on the verge of losing control of her voice. Hearing her hit those high notes in "We Can't Stop" is always incredibly painful because she's forcing it so much and it sounds strained. And this is in studio, where she has every modern technology available to make her sound her best.

 

On studio, Lana also has the issue of being off the beat (she's always a little behind in Born To Die, which was absolutely maddening and made me hate the record when I got it), which from I heard from the Brazil concert is also a problem, though thankfully to a lesser extent. Lana is also singing in the part of her voice where she clearly isn't comfortable. She's not a naturally low voiced woman and never will be. She sounds so much more comfortable on For K than on Ride, where you can hear her voice kind of groaning to reach those low notes, and you can notice the lack of ring in her higher notes ("I hear the birds..." "I just Ride). When you have a problem doing your songs in studio, no duh they're gonna be even harder live. In addition, she uses this fake girly high voice that's not her normal voice (think Lolita) which means that no part of her register sounds natural. Add in the stage fright and insecurity (she has no conviction in her vocals) and you get why people say Lana is a bad singer. A pretty timbre can only do so much before poor technique obscures it.

 

With good vocal training (there's a lot of pseudoscience peddled in voice training because it's very hard to actually study the vocal cords; we have no visual confirmation of how the whistle register physiologically works, for example), I do believe Lana could be a much better singer than Miley. She has the timbre, which you can't change, and she can learn to reach the extremes of her range in a healthy manner (no more groaning at the bottom or fluttering at the top). Vocal training can give you the confidence to perform, too. Plenty of famous singers have had stage fright; off the top of my head I can list Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and Agnetha Faltskog from ABBA. Nevertheless, they went on stage and gave it their all (and Agnetha is much like Lana in that she's an inherently private person who is not interested in being super famous and surrounded by strangers. guess what happened to her).

 

Lana can learn to become a better and more consistent singer (yes, both at the same time) if she wants to, but it would take time and effort. Depending on who you go to and how messed up your voice is, you can actually be taught to sing from the very beginning (I'm p sure this is standard in classical but in a more pop-oriented style someone with major fundamental damage would need to do this). It definitely requires good practice (unlike a physical instrument, the voice itself can get tired and so iirc you shouldn't practice for more than an hour straight a day). Don't know if that interests Lana since she wants to see the world and experience life and stuff. I'd love to hear her sound more comfortable on her songs, though. Lana with a vocal coach would be

Exactly. You cant compare Miley to for example Mariah Carey (or any opera singer) who had nearly perfect control of their voices at their prime and still manage to have lots of power to this day, and I agree her voice strains sometimes on high notes but only because she doesnt "mix" her voice she pushes to get there but she still does it . Im sure if Lana sung a G#5 in chest like Miley did does people would praise her instead of saying she didnt do it well.

 

Its very annoying how people criticize Miley so much because she likes to act like a slut to gain popularity, Miley is not a bad singer, Celine Dion sings with nasal voice too and everyone praises her.

 

And yes Lana can be "better" than Miley but shes very far from that. Lana doesnt sing with power because she doesnt want to and she sounds great that way, like 90% of her songs are sung softly, 0 resonance in her live performances. She chooses to sing that way.

[Miguel3Zero 202]

Exactly. You cant compare Miley to for example Mariah Carey (or any opera singer) who had nearly perfect control of their voices at their prime and still manage to have lots of power to this day, and I agree her voice strains sometimes on high notes but only because she doesnt "mix" her voice she pushes to get there but she still does it . Im sure if Lana sung a G#5 in chest like Miley did does people would praise her instead of saying she didnt do it well.

 

Its very annoying how people criticize Miley so much because she likes to act like a slut to gain popularity, Miley is not a bad singer, Celine Dion sings with nasal voice too and everyone praises her.

 

And yes Lana can be "better" than Miley but shes very far from that. Lana doesnt sing with power because she doesnt want to and she sounds great that way, like 90% of her songs are sung softly, 0 resonance in her live performances. She chooses to sing that way.

Technically speaking I think both you and KBr have many valid points. Now imagine Dylan with the voice of an opera singer

Just like when you distill liquor; if it gets too pure everything will taste the same. Have you ever thought about  that people wants diversity? Someone wrote " If you want pitch-perfect voices go to the opera" I, for my part wants LDR to sound uniquely LDR, and Dylan, Cohen, Janis Joplin etc. also.

[Valentino 885]

Technically speaking I think both you and KBr have many valid points. Now imagine Dylan with the voice of an opera singer

Just like when you distill liquor; if it gets too pure everything will taste the same. Have you ever thought about  that people wants diversity? Someone wrote " If you want pitch-perfect voices go to the opera" I, for my part wants LDR to sound uniquely LDR, and Dylan, Cohen, Janis Joplin etc. also.

 

There's diversity in opera, though. o: Every opera singer certainly does not sound the same. But I understand you want diversity beyond the scope of opera. Dylan's gruff, talk-singing style was part of his appeal. Obviously operatic technique won't suit every singing style, but what good technique does is help you do what you want to do in a less unhealthy way (ex. belting and growling) so you can keep doing it longer. Some people prefer the sound that an unhealthy technique gives and it's a tradeoff with longevity. Personally, I think people who want a career in singing should take voice lessons just to understand how the instrument works and how to keep it running for as long as possible... and then they can make their own stylistic decisions. You want to sing heavy metal? Go ahead! But maybe you'll sing in a healthier way and then you can sing heavy metal for 10 years instead of 5 (apparently there's a "right" way to scream and growl, which I need to find because it always leaves my throat feeling incredibly sore).

 

Someone here mentioned liking her high girly voice, and I like it too... on some songs. It suits Lolita very well, for example. The new Yayo, however, has it too and I feel like it just doesn't belong, as well as that fluttery thing she does where it sounds like she's lost complete control of her voice. I wonder if she's lost that ability to sing clearly in a natural, unaltered voice. Her voice just sounds so beautiful on Sirens and you don't really hear that in her post Sirens work. I can hear it at times during the verses of Lucky Ones and a couple of other songs, but she slips into her girly Lolita voice before long. Her low voice sounds nice when she's not forcing it like on Ride, and vocal coaching could probably make it easier to reach those notes live. Lana is lucky enough to have a nice voice with many distinctive sounds, and I just think with training she could basically use all the tools in her box. It'd give her a wider vocal palette to play with, which is usually a good thing.

[smoledman 200]

I'd rather have a great songwriter with vocals that are quirky and can be worked on than the other way around. Nobody ever talked about Thom Yorke's weird vocals, because he's a great songwriter.

[YesAlen 117]

Yeah she belted some notes, maybe too much, less is more.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93CZ6oFR8Q0

 

BUT at 3:22 she fails like 

 

And this is where Lana shines like an angel. 

 

Do you get what I mean? 

[Lauryn 1]

This is complete crap! She fucked this song up!

[Jazzmin 302]

I'd rather have a great songwriter with vocals that are quirky and can be worked on than the other way around. Nobody ever talked about Thom Yorke's weird vocals, because he's a great songwriter.

So would I but she could work on her singing skills, staying a talented songwriter at the same time. I absolutely adore the vocals on studio versions of her songs (yeah, BTD too, in fact maybe even more than LDRakaLG) and I'm just stunned by that "I hear the birds" in "Ride", I know it isn't sung correct but sounds fucking amazing for me. Yet, if she sings in the way that can destroy her voice, I really do wish the critics would keep their negative opinion and encourage her to more training.

[JhnMabius 175]

Yeah she belted some notes, maybe too much, less is more.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93CZ6oFR8Q0

 

BUT at 3:22 she fails like

 

And this is where Lana shines like an angel.

 

Do you get what I mean?

You obviously have never heard Lana sing Summertime Sadness live lol

[Chris Cuomo 3,320]

Didn't watch the cover but wanted to mention something about singing since I am taking (classically oriented) voice lessons. Voice lessons are basically a requirement for anyone interested in singing seriously. It's very easy to get a "powerful" sound in the short term but lose it in the long term, and you can't support a career on one song (I mean if you want to be known as a one hit wonder and not a singer, go ahead). I disagree that Miley has control over her voice. More than Lana? Yes. Miley has poor technique, though, and whenever I heard her I feel like she's always on the verge of losing control of her voice. Hearing her hit those high notes in "We Can't Stop" is always incredibly painful because she's forcing it so much and it sounds strained. And this is in studio, where she has every modern technology available to make her sound her best.

 

On studio, Lana also has the issue of being off the beat (she's always a little behind in Born To Die, which was absolutely maddening and made me hate the record when I got it), which from I heard from the Brazil concert is also a problem, though thankfully to a lesser extent. Lana is also singing in the part of her voice where she clearly isn't comfortable. She's not a naturally low voiced woman and never will be. She sounds so much more comfortable on For K than on Ride, where you can hear her voice kind of groaning to reach those low notes, and you can notice the lack of ring in her higher notes ("I hear the birds..." "I just Ride). When you have a problem doing your songs in studio, no duh they're gonna be even harder live. In addition, she uses this fake girly high voice that's not her normal voice (think Lolita) which means that no part of her register sounds natural. Add in the stage fright and insecurity (she has no conviction in her vocals) and you get why people say Lana is a bad singer. A pretty timbre can only do so much before poor technique obscures it.

 

With good vocal training (there's a lot of pseudoscience peddled in voice training because it's very hard to actually study the vocal cords; we have no visual confirmation of how the whistle register physiologically works, for example), I do believe Lana could be a much better singer than Miley. She has the timbre, which you can't change, and she can learn to reach the extremes of her range in a healthy manner (no more groaning at the bottom or fluttering at the top). Vocal training can give you the confidence to perform, too. Plenty of famous singers have had stage fright; off the top of my head I can list Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and Agnetha Faltskog from ABBA. Nevertheless, they went on stage and gave it their all (and Agnetha is much like Lana in that she's an inherently private person who is not interested in being super famous and surrounded by strangers. guess what happened to her).

 

Lana can learn to become a better and more consistent singer (yes, both at the same time) if she wants to, but it would take time and effort. Depending on who you go to and how messed up your voice is, you can actually be taught to sing from the very beginning (I'm p sure this is standard in classical but in a more pop-oriented style someone with major fundamental damage would need to do this). It definitely requires good practice (unlike a physical instrument, the voice itself can get tired and so iirc you shouldn't practice for more than an hour straight a day). Don't know if that interests Lana since she wants to see the world and experience life and stuff. I'd love to hear her sound more comfortable on her songs, though. Lana with a vocal coach would be

sigh-- her voice is such a precious thing and yet she has so many quirks. didn't she say she actually started singing in a lower voice because she thought it would attract more people? my singing teacher use to say she'll ruin her voice sooner or later if she keeps it up lmao

[JhnMabius 175]

sigh-- her voice is such a precious thing and yet she has so many quirks. didn't she say she actually started singing in a lower voice because she thought it would attract more people? my singing teacher use to she'll ruin her voice sooner or later if she keeps it up lmao

Thats true but I will like to say that it does make her stand out. Its so rare for a female singer to sing a full song low like she does in Burning Desire. Still she manages to pull it off perfectly and make it sound that beautiful. Its only when she must go below a low D that she has problems (SS, Ride, Blue Velvet). It seems to be too low for her and she doesnt even attemp the notes. I personally think her bigger problems are in her middle and high voice, her tone changes every performance o.o

[keanefar 1,007]

Me trying to understand all this singing stuff:

[LolitaE 143]

I only saw this recently, I think Miley totally ruined her song! I won't deny she can sing but no, not this song. Hated it!

[letsescapelizzy 672]

I only saw this recently, I think Miley totally ruined her song! I won't deny she can sing but no, not this song. Hated it!

 

hi lolitae, nice to see this thread revived after 2 years, lol.. but yes great posts above from valentino and a few

others as well.. interesting read. i agree, dont like mylies version as the original. different sort of feel,.there are so

many other great female voices i have found in the past year or 2, that could sing ss great. in fact, a few of them

had me thinking it was a lana song recently..but just similar voice/emotive/tone/feel, etc..

 

i heard a clip of kelly clarkson doing off to the races recently, which was kinda strange to see..