Vocal Type: Mezzo-soprano
Vocal Range: 2.6 Octaves and a semitone (C3-Bb5)
Whistle Register:No
Vocal Pluses: Naya Rivera has great control of her instrument. This allows her to sing complex melisma; hold notes for extended periods of time without wavering in pitch; and helps her to excellently control the dynamic and timbre of her voice [Hear Songbird]
Strong lower-range that extends to the bottom of the third octave. The notes produced here are full, rounded and of medium weight, but are accessed effortlessly meaning they don't have the foggy quality some Divas exhibit when hitting lower notes [hear Boy Is Mine].
Her belting range as a whole has a light, bright, and youthful colouring to it with a slight rasp at times. Both the notes at the top of the fourth octave and those well into the fifth octave sound to be achieved via great technique, thus producing notes that have an easy quality to them, with a consistent tone and timbre.
Naya Rivera primarily uses falsetto to reach the higher notes. This means notes produced have an airy sound, with a warm and light quality to them. Using her falsetto to hit notes makes it easier for her to flip between registers, but it is possible for her to create notes with her head voice- like the exclamations in Smooth Criminal- which are weightier and have a stronger dynamic.
Vocal Negatives: The voice can sometimes have a slight nasal quality to it.
Her lower range and her mid-voice is definitely where she shines and her instrument has the most power and resonance in those areas. Her chest voice progressively thins as the belts get higher but stays strong enough to issue the notes with a good balance of power and control. Because Rivera's tone is less strident than Lea Michele and blends more easily, I find she has a fair amount of versatility.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't too familiar with her voice before I did this profile, but out of the three Glee females I have completed she has been my favourite voice.
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of Glee, never have been! Lea's voice just about decapitates me everytime I hear her and the same goes for Amber. But I do like this ladies voice, the smoky and earthy texture is lovely also the lack of that whole (overkill) showmanship that seems to go hand in hand with the programme in the voice is extremely pleasant. Well done DD great profile!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd ps. I will eventually get round to Delta, I toyed with Charlotte Church too but there is not any vids for either so it might take me a touch longer. Hope you are well btw :)
Yes, I like Naya's voice the most out of the three ladies profiles so far. It's smoky, balanced, and flexible.
ReplyDeleteI agree. She's my favorite of the three Glee divas.
ReplyDeleteI like her a lot, but I still have that thing for people who belt, so I still love Lea more than her; but Naya's voice is actually the most pleasant one.
ReplyDeleteOnly thing is that Glee producers always tend to auto-tune the songs and therefore you can't really decide whether she actually has the range or timbre or not.
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR SO LONG. THANK YOU
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of Glee also and yes i hate Lea too but she's a good singer.
ReplyDeleteNaya is a soulful singer with good techniques but i just don't find her voice too special. It sounds different but it falls flat ME. She sounded more like a contralto for me
She has a great voice, that much is clear BUT much like with all the actors on Glee she sounds very "kiddish". While Rumor Has It/Someone Like You was a great cover, I don't think it was anything compared to the original. And the fact that her voice does have such a unique quality to it, I think is one of the reasons she cannot sing numerous genres. Especially is she was singing with the boys they put on lead. I don't think her raspy-ness and whatever you call Cory's voice would mesh well together at all. Yes they did Like A Virgin together but most of Glee's songs, especially in the beginning had an 80's rock theme. A lot of the songs they give Lea do have a big theatrical feel to them, which is why (since so many don't like musical theater) I think a lot of ppl don't like her voice but I think Spring Awakening is a perfect example of how she can do songs with a more, not pop or even rock but songs with a bit more of a "rock feel" like the ones in Spring Awakening. Cause there were quite a few more "rock sounding" songs in there and they all sound good. Plus hearing her in Glee's covers of Cry, Go Your Own Way, and Paradise of The Dashboard Light, you can tell she is capable of something other then Broadway. I think they both should consider another genre besides pop for their debt albums. They both want to do pop but I think they can do better.
ReplyDeleteI'm dying to see Dianna Agron's profile! Love her voice soo damn much, even though her singing isn't as good as Lea's
ReplyDeleteShe has a very bright, very special voice. That stands out even in small batches.
ReplyDeleteIf you like Naya, you should definitely check out her song from "Diva" episode, especially http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAbD1uCJrcQ ... Alicia Keys, watch and learn!
ReplyDeletePersonally, despite her amazing technique, extremely pleasant, smoky timbre (I simply can't imagine someone disliking it), great harmonies with itself and everyone else in Glee, I still... don' feel anything hearing her and I've never felt like listening to her solos.
Maybe it's because I always prefered singers you either love or hate, Lea Michele being the perfect example (I'm currently obsessed with "Being Good"... well I'm obsessed with every song from 4th season). BTW I missed the beginning of the episode and I've heard she's (Lea) doing some warm-ups in head register, so possibly we'll be able to hear a couple notes more, once it's available online :)