Singing Guide: Lecrae feat. Tori Kelly
Vocal technique, exercises, tips and relevant resources
Lecrae is a Christian hip hop artist who has won numerous awards for his music and advocacy. In his collaboration with Tori Kelly in the song "I'll Find You," Lecrae showcases his unique vocal technique, which is a fusion of rap, spoken word, and singing.
To learn singing like Lecrae, first, you need to understand the importance of breath support. Lecrae's performance style requires a lot of energy, and to deliver powerful verses, proper breath support is essential. To improve breath support, Singing Carrots offers a breathing exercise called "Farinelli Breathing Exercise," which can strengthen your diaphragm and expand your lung capacity. Also, Singing Carrots provides an article on "Breath Support" that explains and demonstrates the different breathing techniques involved in singing.
Once you've mastered breath support, you can move on to phrasing and rhythm. Lecrae's style is heavily influenced by hip hop, which means that timing and flow are critical in the delivery of each line. Singing Carrots has an article that covers the basics of rhythm and phrasing in singing, which explains how to count rhythms, rests, and phrases. You can use the "Sustain Vocal" exercise to improve the length of each note and incorporate different rhythmic patterns.
Lecrae's music often features mixed voice, which is a combination of chest and head voice. Singing Carrots offers a video about "Voice Registers/Mixed Voice/Voice Break" that can teach you how to transition between the two and avoid vocal strain.
To perform like Lecrae, you also need to incorporate spoken word into your singing, which is a form of poetry that emphasizes the delivery of words. Aspiring singers can start by reciting poetry or listening to spoken word performances of other artists.
In summary, to sing like Lecrae, it's essential to master breath support, phrasing and rhythm, mixed voice, and spoken word. In addition to the resources already mentioned, Singing Carrots also offers a vast library of songs to practice and develop your skills. With regular practice, you can develop your unique vocal style while still taking inspiration from artists like Lecrae.