Ways for Aspiring Vocalists to Develop Their Singing Style Without Copying Their Favorite Artist

Every singer starts somewhere, and “somewhere” is usually imitation. You fall in love with an artist’s tone, phrasing, runs, or attitude-and you naturally want to sound like that. The problem is that copying works short-term, but it can trap you long-term. You end up chasing someone else’s voice instead of discovering what your voice wants to do.

Developing your own singing style doesn’t mean you stop being influenced. It means you learn to translate influences into choices that fit your body, your personality, and your storytelling. Here are seven practical ways to build a style that feels authentic-without becoming a knockoff of your favorite artist.

1) Copy the ingredients, not the finished product

Instead of trying to recreate someone’s exact tone, break down what you actually like about their singing into ingredients you can remix.

Listen to a performance and write down:

• Tone: bright, smoky, nasal, airy, gritty, clean
• Phrasing: behind the beat, ahead of the beat, conversational, long-held notes
• Dynamics: whisper-to-belt, steady intensity, dramatic swells
• Melodic habits: lots of slides, big leaps, tight runs, simple hooks
• Emotion: playful, intimate, angry, nostalgic, confident

Now choose one ingredient to practice at a time. When you separate ingredients, you stop copying and start building your own recipe.

2) Find your “default” speaking voice and sing closer to it

Many singers sound generic because they sing in a “performance voice” that doesn’t match how they speak. A fast shortcut to an authentic style is to bring more of your natural speech into your singing.

Try this:

1. Speak the lyric like you’re telling a friend a story.
2. Keep that same mouth shape and attitude.
3. Add pitch without changing the personality.

You’ll often discover a more believable tone, clearer diction, and a phrasing style that’s uniquely yours.

3) Choose three influences from different lanes

If all your influences are in the same genre, your “style” will default to imitation. Instead, pick three singers who are very different and borrow small elements from each.

For example:

• one singer for tone and texture
• one for phrasing and rhythm
• one for emotional delivery or dynamics

Then remix. The goal is for no single influence to dominate. The blend creates something new-and unmistakably you.

4) Build your signature moves (2-3 repeatable habits)

Most recognizable singers have a few consistent habits-little “signature moves” that show up across songs. You can develop yours intentionally.

Possible signature moves:

• a specific type of slide into choruses
• a preference for straight tone before adding vibrato
• a particular riff pattern you return to
• a habit of singing slightly behind the beat
• a breathy onset on intimate lines, cleaner onset on big hooks

Pick 2-3 that feel natural and practice them across different songs. Consistency is what turns “random choices” into “style.”

5) Practice one song in five different emotional intentions

Style is often less about sound and more about intention. Two singers can sing the same notes, and one will feel unforgettable because the intention is clearer.

Take one chorus and sing it as:

• a confession
• a challenge
• a goodbye
• a flirt
• a memory

Notice what changes: your volume, tone, vibrato, consonants, breathiness, and phrasing. This helps you discover the emotional lanes that feel most honest for you-and those lanes become your style.

6) Record short “style studies” and critique choices, not talent

Many singers listen back and judge themselves personally (“I hate my voice”). That kills experimentation. Instead, critique choices like a producer would.

After recording, ask:

• Did I sing too many runs, or not enough?
• Where did my tone feel most natural?
• Did my phrasing support the lyric?
• What moments sounded like me?

Then keep what worked and change one variable next time (more straight tone, fewer riffs, different vowel shapes, softer dynamics). This is exactly how artists develop style on purpose rather than by accident.

If you want guidance and structured exercises to run these experiments faster, vocal courses online can help by giving you targeted drills and style-focused prompts-so you’re not stuck guessing what to practice next.

7) Write (or improvise) your own melodies-even simple ones

Nothing reveals your style faster than singing something you didn’t learn from someone else. You don’t need to be a “songwriter.” You just need to improvise.

Try:

Your instincts will show you your natural melodic shapes, rhythms, and emotional tone. That’s your style. The more you do this, the less you’ll depend on copying.

The takeaway: style is a pattern of honest choices

Your singing style isn’t a costume you put on. It’s the consistent set of choices you make when you’re focused on telling the truth of a lyric. Influences are still welcome-but they should be raw materials, not a template.

So experiment, record, refine, and keep what feels natural. Over time, you’ll notice something powerful: you’ll stop sounding like the singer you admire-and start sounding like the kind of singer someone else tries not to copy.