Singing Guide: Charlene Soraia
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Charlene Soraia is one of the most special and unique artists of the UK independent scene. Her angelic voice and tender delivery have gathered her a dedicated fanbase, and her stripped-back arrangements draw the listeners' attention to the honesty and sincerity of her songs. Her style is very introspective and delicate, subtly combining folk, indie, and pop elements. She is also known for her odd time signatures, typically incorporating complex chord progressions with a lot of changes, thus making her music accessible to musicians who enjoy exploring unconventional and daring choices.
If you are a fan of Charlene Soraia, the following tips will help you on your journey to sing like her:
Work on Your Breathing
Breathing is crucial when it comes to singing, and Charlene Soraia's music often features long, sustained vocal lines that require ample breath support. Therefore, starting with breathing exercises using the Farinelli breathing technique can help you build strength and endurance in your diaphragm and core muscles. According to this technique, make sure to push your lower belly out when inhaling, and imagine you are filling a balloon. For exhaling, pretend you're blowing out a candle, and engage your core muscles to support the sound.
Master Your Dynamics
Charlene Soraia's music thrives on subtlety and restraint, with gentle nuances and fluctuations giving her voice a distinct character. Therefore, working on your dynamics is essential if you want to imitate her style. Try practicing singing softly – whispering even – and incorporate gradual crescendos and decrescendos, as well as sudden changes in volume to bring attention to specific words or phrases.
Explore Vocal Registers
While Charlene Soraia is known for her high-pitched voice, which she often uses to great emotional effect, she also incorporates lower registers in some of her songs, giving them a deeper, more intimate quality. It's crucial to practice switching seamlessly between registers to create a smooth and effortless sound. A good place to start is by experimenting with the chest voice, which can give you a fuller, richer timbre than your head voice.
Experiment with Vibrato
Vibrato is a technique that can add depth and emotion to your singing, and many of Charlene Soraia's songs feature it prominently. One way to practice vibrato is by singing "bouncy" notes using the diaphragm bounce technique. This technique is done by quickly pumping the diaphragm muscles as you sing, creating a slight fluctuation in pitch in your voice.
Focus on Articulation
When it comes to articulating your words, it's important to pay attention to the clarity of your vowels and the crispness of your consonants. This is particularly important in Charlene Soraia's music, which often requires intimate vocal delivery. Using the finger-bite exercise can help you enunciate more clearly and crisply.
Charlene Soraia's Songs to Try
- Wherever You Will Go - A great song to practice on your dynamics, vibrato, and articulation.
- Caged - This song's fingerstyle guitar picking and sparse arrangement make it an excellent showcase for Charlene Soraia's unique voice.
- Ghost - This intimate and haunting song is a perfect example of Charlene Soraia's ethereal sensibility.
- Now You Are With Her - This song is a perfect example of Soraia's ability to convey powerful emotions through subtle vocal delivery, featuring long, sustained vocal lines, and a memorable chorus.
Singing Carrots Resources
- For a vocal range test, click here.
- To practice pitch accuracy, try our pitch test.
- Use our pitch monitor to visualize your sung notes on a virtual piano.
- Our pitch training tool features interactive vocal warm-ups, pitch visualizer, and exercises for range and agility.
- To explore famous singers' vocal ranges, check out our artist vocal ranges.
- To find songs appropriate for your vocal range, check out our song search.
- To create your performance set and get linked lyrics, sheet music, and vocal warm-up exercises, try our Educational singing course.