Rethinking
Deep Voice
A note about “real” vs “fake”
Michael Jackson used different voices for different reasons. Some were protective. Some were performative. Some were playful.
They were all real parts of the same man, shown at different moments depending on context, comfort, and control.
Yes, he sometimes used a voice that was not his natural speaking register. But that doesn’t mean he was fake. It means he was surviving.
Three distinct registers
Many people refer to “his deep voice” and then present a concert clip where Michael speaks a bit lower than usually. However, that’s not his naturally deep voice. In our opinion, Michael possesses three distinct vocal registers.
- To kick things off, we have his high-pitched, soft-spoken voice. (his public voice)
- Next up is the smooth mid-range he employs during the spoken segments of ‘In the Closet’ and right at the start of the ‘You Rock My World’ music video.
- Finally, there’s his deep voice, a baritone gem he kept under wraps from the public eye. (see: Westhaven ranch 1976/Ralphige prank call 2007)
Honorable mention: A dazzling array of voice impressions. A seriously underrated and underutilized talent.
A one-of-a-kind vocal shape-shifter1not our expression, but Arthur Jafa‘s
In the 1976 Westhaven Ranch video below you can see how Michael shape-shifts his voice constantly, switching between registers and modulating his voice. He not only changes his voice, he switches between different personas. He even says “and we’ll now turn the mic over to another person” and “I’ll turn the mic back to my daughter”. It’s a playful way of trying out voices and personas.
Michael also says “that’s me controlling this voice”. He is literally acknowledging here that his voices are an intentional act he was in full control of.
That means that the high-pitched voice was a choice, and sometimes a performance. But it was also something he maintained for decades, which tells us how important it was to him. That doesn’t mean it was false. It means it was deliberate.
What was the psychology behind it?
We believe Michael
- performed different aspects of himself for different purposes
- used voice like an instrument – technically, artistically and psychologically
- had to protect his vulnerable self by shifting registers in public
We believe Michael’s high-pitched voice contributed to his non-threatening persona. It may also have stemmed from his struggles with body dysmorphia. He was told he sounded like a frog and wanted to avoid resembling his father.
Technically he was able to preserve his remarkable high singing voice by limiting the usage of his deep voice registers.
We’ve noticed that the more relaxed or annoyed he was the deeper his voice tended to be. Others suggest that the context played a role as well: he often used his natural voice in private or business settings.
His voice coach kept insisting he should embrace that rich, deep sound of his, but apparently, those pep talks fell flat.
We want to take a short moment to address doubts many people have.
Argument 1)
I don’t believe there is this deep voice many people are claiming. He didn’t go his whole life faking his voice.
He showed us a part of himself, the part he was comfortable with showing in public. But there’s more to him than the childlike image. That doesn’t make him less innocent. It makes him more human.
Argument 2)
Nobody talks like that naturally. What was he hiding?
Maybe he wasn’t hiding something sinister. Maybe he was just doing whatever was necessary for him to survive while being under pressure all his life.
tbc