- 6 weeks ago
From soul powerhouses to rock legends, these vocalists push their voices to extraordinary heights (and depths). Join us as we showcase artists who have stunned audiences with their exceptional vocal versatility across genres. Featuring iconic performances and unbelievable notes, these singers prove true talent knows no limits. Which powerful performance stands out the most to you? Let us know below!
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00:00No matter what, I wanna keep it real, you know
00:06Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we'll be counting down our picks for pop singers with the most mind-blowing ranges in music history
00:13I don't know if it's me, but I love the way I feel inside
00:22Number 20, Kelly Clarkson
00:24Could this be the greatest love of all?
00:30American Idol was first aired in 2002, and Season 1 was won by vocalist Kelly Clarkson
00:35Since her victory, she's developed a reputation for being one of the most incredible singers of the century
00:40Her exceptional talents and passion have given her an extremely lucrative career, selling over 80 million records globally
00:46I just can't take it, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't
00:53Clarkson's range is approximately three octaves wide, and her biggest hits such as Since You've Been Gone are excellent examples of her talents
01:01Over 20 years since her debut, she's still releasing albums semi-frequently, with her 2023 album even getting nominated for a Grammy
01:08Number 19, David Lee Roth
01:17Van Halen is one of the most instantly recognizable hard rock bands in history
01:21Across their 48-year career, they had multiple vocalists, but David Lee Roth served the longest
01:26Outside of Van Halen, he's also had a celebrated solo career, which wouldn't be possible without his vocal talents
01:41Estimates claim his range is phenomenally almost five octaves wide
01:45This means he is potentially the greatest singer in hard rock
01:48After a huge career, he announced that he wanted to retire in 2021
01:58This didn't remain the case for long, he returned to performing in 2025, showing he's just too addicted to his singing to quit
02:11Number 18, Aretha Franklin
02:13The Queen of Soul is considered by many to be the greatest vocalist to have ever lived
02:17Rolling Stone magazine gave her this title on two occasions
02:30She began her career in 1954, got signed by the age of 18, then performed until her health got in the way in 2017
02:36With over 75 million records sold, she is easily one of Soul's most famous figures
02:49Estimates claim that she mastered around three octaves, which is far from being the widest
02:53Despite this, her singing was remarkably impressive
02:56Not for the range, but for her masterful delivery and technical ability
03:00Number 17, Jeff Buckley
03:10In 1994, Buckley and his band released their debut album, Grace
03:13While it didn't make a splash initially, it had become highly praised by the decade's end
03:17Unfortunately, Buckley drowned in 1997, meaning he never lived to see his success
03:29His range was roughly four octaves, and he had mastered his falsetto voice beautifully
03:34The influence that Buckley's voice had was immeasurable
03:45He inspired vocalists like Tom York of Radiohead, who may have never become such a confident falsetto singer without him
03:51Even Coldplay admitted to ripping him off
03:53It's safe to say the 21st century pop landscape might look vastly different without him
03:58Number 16, Corey Taylor
04:06You might be surprised to hear this, but Corey Taylor, Slipknot's lead vocalist
04:10Has one of the larger ranges in contemporary music
04:12I know, it's been coming for some time
04:19Taylor can comfortably nail notes across four entire octaves
04:23Additionally, he's mastered the art of metal screaming, something millions of his fans are jealous of
04:27This made him an essential part of what makes Slipknot so appealing
04:37Fans adore their intensity and energy, which they have way less of without Taylor
04:42Unfortunately, his extreme vocals have harmed his voice over the years
04:45A lot of fans consider Slipknot's 2001 album, Iowa
04:48Which will be admired by metalheads for decades, the peak of his vocals
04:53Number 15, Mike Patton
05:01Next up we have the first individual on our list, with a six octave vocal range
05:05Patton is best known for his musical projects Faith No More and Mr Bungle
05:09The former is the more popular endeavour, which created the hit track Epic
05:21The latter is an extremely experimental band, with a style defined by Patton's eclectic talents
05:26Singers he has inspired include Corey Taylor and even Serge Tankian from System of a Down
05:38The list of bands that he's joined and artists he's collaborated with is enormous
05:42Yet he's never achieved much mainstream success
05:45This motivated him to start a label, to find musicians who would otherwise fall through the cracks
05:50Number 14, Beyoncé
06:00Destiny's Child was one of the best selling girl groups ever
06:02Forming in the 1990s with Beyoncé as a primary member
06:06Out of all six of their members, Beyoncé had the most successful solo career
06:10She's one of the most iconic figures of our century, and for good reason
06:20Beyoncé's an exceptionally skilled vocalist, with a range almost four octaves wide
06:25She's sold over 200 million records in her career, and still regularly puts out albums
06:30Few artists are as celebrated as she, who has won 35 Grammy Awards
06:43In total, she's been nominated for more than 1,300 awards, and has won more than 750 of them
06:49After decades of singing, her vocals are still majorly impressive
06:53Number 13, Prince
07:03If you're a funk musician, there's almost no chance you weren't influenced by Prince
07:07Even if you've never listened to him, he reshaped the genre so much, his influence is unavoidable
07:12While he dabbled in virtually all genres and styles, his sound was always defined by his substantial range
07:17Prince could dominate the upper register in a wonderfully unique way
07:28He could comfortably sing across four octaves, but some claim that he could reach across five octaves on a good day
07:34Regrettably, Prince died in 2016, but that hasn't stopped his fans from loving him
07:47His contributions were so monumental, he'll be in the music industry textbooks for centuries to come
07:52Number 12, Freddie Mercury
08:04Queen's frontman is famous across the globe for his extraordinary talents
08:08Mercury had a four-octave range, and one of the strongest voices in rock history
08:12Passing by like Lady Godiva
08:15I'm gonna go, go, go, there's no stopping me
08:20As part of Queen, he created many famous and impressive songs like Don't Stop Me Now and Bohemian Rhapsody
08:26The lyrical performance on the latter track is one of the major reasons it's such a classic anthem
08:30Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo
08:35Over three decades have passed since Mercury tragically died, but his name hasn't become any less celebrated
08:41Countless vocalists have been inspired by him, and they'll continue to do so as long as the human race keeps on singing
08:52Number 11, Dimash Kudaibergin
08:54Next is the second entry on our list with a six-octave vocal range
08:58Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergin
09:00His background includes significant classical training, but the music he creates is a blend of classical and pop
09:06He's sung songs in 12 languages, an incredible feat
09:17Kudaibergin also has perfect pitch, meaning he can instinctively reproduce any pitch
09:22This talent was noticed when he was a young child, and he's been training hard since
09:26He was only five years old when he first sang on stage, and hasn't stopped in the decades since
09:36Kudaibergin isn't as commonly known in the West as are other entries, but his immense talent deserves to be checked out
09:43These hearts this time, cause I am feeling alone on this side
09:49Number 10, Celine Dion
09:50It's no surprise that the queen of power ballads is an amazingly talented vocalist
09:54The Canadian star began her career releasing French albums in the 80s, then became an international star after transitioning to English music
10:01Dion's iconic voice is famous for covering more than three octaves
10:14One of her highest notes is the iconic climax to All By Myself, which is a jaw-dropping F5
10:20On the other side of the spectrum, she can reach incredible lows
10:32One example is the phenomenal notes that she sings in Have You Ever Been In Love?
10:36Which have hit B2 in live performances
10:39Number 9, Axl Rose
10:44Frontman of Guns N' Roses and briefly ACDC, Rose has been considered one of the best rock singers of a generation
10:58It's for good reason, since he has a mind-blowingly large range
11:01His lowest recorded note is an F1, then his highest is a C6
11:05That's just above four and a half octaves in total
11:08Just shut up and sing
11:18Sorry is often considered the song where he sings the highest, while There Was A Time is his lowest
11:23It doesn't matter what song you're listening to though, he takes every opportunity he can to show off his talents
11:28It was a long time for me, it'd be a long time for anyone
11:34Number 8, Paul McCartney
11:35Sir McCartney is one of the most successful musicians ever, by an overwhelming margin
11:39He was originally the Beatles guitarist, but he was put on the bass after Stuart Sutcliffe left in 1961
11:45His bass lines were groovy, but his vocals were where he truly shone
11:49He possesses a tenor voice with an estimated range of just above four octaves, slightly lower than Axl Rose's range
12:06It's estimated to span from A1 to C sharp 6, making it one of the widest ranges in pop
12:12You can hear his deepest notes in his collaboration with Michael Jackson, The Girl Is Mine
12:31His highest are probably in Cut Me Some Slack, featuring ex Nirvana members
12:43Number 7, Whitney Houston
12:45One of Houston's most appropriate nicknames is The Voice
12:47It's simple, but it serves as a testament to how amazing her vocals are
12:51She released her first album in 1985, which was a huge success
12:55Houston's career only went up from there
12:57I fall in love whenever we meet
13:05With over 220 million records sold, she's one of the most celebrated vocalists ever
13:10And for good reason
13:11I'm wiser now
13:15I'm not the foolish girl you used to know
13:20Her lowest note is a C sharp 3, which you can hear on Try It On My Own
13:24Then her highest on record is an impressive E flat 6
13:28From her 1999 Wembley performance of Heartbreak Hotel
13:31Therefore, we can estimate that her range was just over an extraordinary three octaves
13:45Number 6, Steven Tyler
13:46Also known as the Demon of Screamin'
13:48Tyler is exactly what the name implies
13:50He's been the lead singer of the rock band Aerosmith since their founding in 1970
13:55The band has since sold over 150 million records globally
14:06It's unlikely they would have done so well if not for Tyler's next level vocals
14:10He can sing just over four octaves, ranging from D2 to E6
14:14His highest comes from their climax of their hit track Crazy
14:21Which is so high, it barely sounds human
14:24Tyler's lowest notes are shown off in the tracks St. John and Under My Skin
14:29Number 5, Minnie Riperton
14:33In 1974, Riperton released her best known single, Loving You
14:37It was quickly certified gold in America, alongside peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100
14:44Do do do do do do do do do
14:52She tragically died five years later aged only 31
14:58Despite her untimely death, she solidified herself in music history
15:01history. She's also celebrated for singing in the Whistle Register remarkably well. It's likely
15:13Rupertun achieved such skill from being trained in opera singing, but of course,
15:17she preferred pop and soul to opera.
15:194. Christina Aguilera Aguilera is another entry hailed as the voice
15:31of a generation. Her career began in 1990, and she became a Disney star soon after.
15:36She wouldn't achieve real, mainstream success until roughly 1999, though.
15:49Since then, she's become popular enough to sell over 100 million records. There's no way she
15:54would have achieved this without her tremendous vocal skills.
16:04Her range goes from B2 to C-sharp 7, which is a little over four octaves in total.
16:11Aguilera's highest note is found on The Christmas Song, then the lowest is from the similar Have
16:16Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, which she performed at a Disney parade in 2011.
16:203. James Brown This man was so skilled that he's never had
16:31just one nickname, but multiple. Brown's career began in the mid-1950s, then didn't end until
16:37half a century later when he tragically died in 2006. He primarily sang soul, but also dabbled
16:42in funk and R&B. Along the way, he developed a huge range.
16:55It spanned four octaves and one-third, ranging from D2 to an incredible F-sharp 6. This was
17:01undeniably a huge reason he achieved 17 number one Billboard R&B singles.
17:07When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame began in 1986, Brown was one of the first ten inducted.
17:20It's clear why he's regarded as the king of soul, with few artists matching his influence
17:25and skill. 2. Ariana Grande Whether you love her music or hate it, everyone
17:38agrees Grande has incredible range. The singer has a mastery of four octaves in total, a range
17:43few can match. In 2020, she became the highest-paid woman in music globally. At one point, the top
17:54three tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 were all Grande. She was the first solo artist to achieve
17:59such a feat. Grande displayed the highest notes that she could perform with a cover of Emotions
18:09by Mariah Carey. It wouldn't be surprising if Grande could sing in pitches only heard by dogs.
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18:381. Mariah Carey Taking our top spot is the endlessly talented vocalist
18:42Mariah Carey. Her mother was an opera singer and vocal coach, who was likely a huge inspiration
18:55for her. Carey started singing at three and hasn't stopped singing since. Now she possesses an almost
19:00ethereal voice, capable of five octaves. This talent helped her to sell over 220 million records globally.
19:08The list of awards Carey's received is monumentally huge, including Grammys and AMAs. In total,
19:22she's won 170 of the 304 awards that she's been nominated for. Additionally, she holds several
19:29Billboard Hot 100 records, which are unlikely to be beaten anytime soon.
19:33What's your favourite display of incredible range in a song? Let us know down in the comments.
19:44Somebody true love.
19:51Love.
19:52Love.
19:53Love.
19:54Love.
19:55Love.
19:56Love.
19:57Love.
19:58Love.
19:59Love.
20:00Love.
20:01Love.
20:02Love.
20:03Love.
20:04Love.
20:05Love.
20:06Love.
20:07Love.
20:08Love.
20:09Love.
20:10Love.
20:11Love.
20:12Love.
20:13Love.
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