Does Mariah Carey Have Voice Damage? 

Her biggest enemy is herself People always compare her to her20s self I wish her inner peace

“Any time someone gets on stage it deserves respect” what a beautiful sentiment I wish more people saw it that way instead of tearing people to shreds after a “bad” performance (When most of the time the people who say those bad things could never get up on stage themselves)

Mariah discussed having vocal nodules as early as her debut. Her voice is unique in that she found a way to use her nodules as a hinge around which she can close the bottom part of her vocal cords to achieve the whistle notes she's famous for. They are simultaneously the reason why her speaking voice is so low and raspy and why she has the ability to reach notes well into the 2nd octave. She has a performance of Emotions on Top of the Pops where she is avoiding nearly every single upper and middle belt but hitting whistle notes with relative ease. That was in 1991. The nodules affect her belting and head voice the most, so I'm not surprised that I haven't heard her belt in the 5th octave with stability and vibrato since around 2008. And, nowadays, her connected head voice is practically nonexistent. I think at some point Mariah began to realize that her nodules were making her voice more difficult to use, so she began to force out the notes rather than relax because relaxation often led to cracking and destabilizing. This change in technique is probably most noticeable between 1996 and 1997. Since then she's been using a lot more glottal tension to sustain these notes instead of focusing on relaxing and smoothing out her voice. She refuses to get surgery on her nodules because she's afraid she'll lose either her lower or whistle range or even end up like Julie Andrews with no voice at all. And there is absolutely no way she could find the time to rest her voice in a sufficient manner to relieve her nodules, at least to the point of achieving a voice reminiscent of 2003. As much as I love her music, I just wish she'd take a hiatus, rest her voice entirely, and drastically change her style of living to accommodate her nodules. That's just me, though.

i see disecting, no jugement and a lot of caring and empathy.. i LOVE your work.

Nodules and lack of confidence took some of her best.

"Not that I'm telling any of you to do this, but just try go scream at the top of your lungs for 5 minutes and then try to sing." -- that image really helped me understand her situation. That's why I love your analyses so much.

So refreshing to see ACTUAL vocal coaches critiquing singers' performances

For a split second I thought they were sitting next to each other and I was like “holy shit either Sam is tiny or this guy is massive”

This was honestly one of the best vocal examinations I’ve seen they’re so honest and genuine in examining Mariah’s latest performance it’s so perfect and spot on. They never read or saw any details about her conditions and mindset but just by listening to the vocals they explored and explained in perfect depth everything it was like telepathy reading your mail just from listening to the vocals and seeing positions and postures. You guys are amazing please continue to be truthful and genuine we need that. Also please do more Mariah with her caution tour which is really recent, we need help here.

Mariah herself didn't like it either.

I enjoyed this-not bashing her but explaining. ♥️

I wanted to cry watching this video. I can see that she struggles with being inside her own thoughts. She tries to match her old sound and you can hear her struggle to do that. It saddens me that people expect her to sing the same 30 years later and she has that same expectation for herself. She still has the potential to fix the technique, but she won't have the same style and that's okay.

She's one of the most successful women in music yet one of the most insecure and that lack of confidence is apparent when she's infront of a crowd like this

Post-performance interview she said she hated it. So, your observations are really valid I think. She does not sound as bad in her tours because she’s more confortable with her audience. Definitely, she has suffered serious self doubt recently after the disastrous new year’s eve performance. Also, she just started getting help again for her bipolar II disorder. Medications could be a factor as well, as some psych meds can have drying effect on the vocal cords. Further, she just got out of a very destructive management. Her previous manager probably allowed her to slack in keeping up with her voice as well as being exposed to alcohol and other probable suspect substances. With her new management, she’s slowly getting back in shape. You should go back and listen to her performances in recent years and you will hear a gradual decline in her voice.

As a singer, her performance was very hard to watch because I just felt for her. Her voice is inconsistent here and she can't trust it... Which makes her insecure, which makes it more inconsistent. And honestly it just breaks my heart for her because it would be devastating to me if I couldn't do the one thing I love to do more than anything else and that brings me so much joy. I do agree and think she needs to put in more work so that her singing becomes second nature again, so she can be better confident, so that her voice is in better shape and so that when she is feeling nerves or insecurity, her voice is still there for her and doesn't let her down. And above all, get those nodes fixed if that is an issue.

I hope someone from Mariah's camp sees this video and gets in touch with one of y'all to help her.

It sounds like vocal nodules. As a speech pathologist, I’ve been noticing it for years.

I think you guys make a really good point in terms of her having maybe reprioritised as her fame increased and not having the drive a younger artist might have to spend a lot of time working with their instrument. Also, I think there's definitely something to the issue of whether she's really come to terms with the changes in her voice as she's aged and had issues with nodules etc. Can you imagine what it must be like to have had THAT voice and then find that it's no longer what it once was?

I think she has compromised getting her vocal damage/issues fixed or helped in an effort to retain her whistle register. And that’s a sad sad thing. I’d rather hear Mariah sing clearly, healthily and happily than hear her whistle.

Oh this is so sad to hear. She needs complete vocal rest. I remember Céline Dion having to do it at the peak of her career but she’s still in fine voice now, so obviously it’s worth it. I really feel for Mariah, she’s a legend but she really needs a break & to rebuild her voice from scratch.

Wow great green screening Sam! You should win an Oscar for best editing or something

She was so nervous. She's even shaking during the speech. At the backstage the fans said "u did amazing" and she responded it "I hated it". She said to the interviewer "I hope u go to my concert to see more relaxe performance". Well btw I think this whole performance was live, and the corsette tho zzz she's lack of confident. Does her vocal damaged? FOR SURE, imagine singing Mariah's songs for over the decades -_-

Such a fair and kind analysis of her voice. Very professional! As a lamb i don't feel offended by ur diagnosis of Mariah lol 😊 hopefully she gets a great coach and starts to sing more confidently again!

When Mariah first came out she was unstoppable. Even if you didn't like her music, you couldn't dispute her talent. Her Butterfly CD is my personal favorite and has some of the most heartfelt emotional songs that you could literally *FEEL* not just hear. Listening to her was like therapy. Her skills were ridiculous and a complete "experience" to hear. ❤️❤️

Can you guys do a vocal Analysis of her voice from when she debuted and through out her career and now

Oh I love Mariah and that crack hurt my heart! As a semi-professional singer I can hear her struggle. I have heard her do those songs live with a much cleaner sound.

It’s not a bad performance but it’s not good either. Still a great singer considering the vocal damage.

Mariah: Can do whistle until C#7 with her nodules Me: Without nodules and can't even do High belt😂

she is always so nervous during these kinds of performances, i think that takes a toll on her confidence which affects her voice (and she does still deal with her nodules so far as us fans know)

I love how you’re both are stopping and critiquing the video and then when you press play again both just grooving and bobbing to the songs. It’s great

I totally agree. I wish she'd take care of her voice and herself. And from reading some of the comments people think you are ripping her apart and you're not. It comes from a place of concern.

It must be difficult to sing with a corset tightening your diaphragm.

I loved this, you guys had such a balanced approach with empathy and criticism.

As a huge Mariah fan, I know that her voice is damaged and is not going to sound like what it is in the past. But luckily for us, Mariah continues to make music for us and I will forever be grateful for that. She is probably nervous because the media is quick to criticize her for a bad performance and she tends to get paranoid. She also mentioned before her acceptance speech that she was nervous

I totally believe her voice is damaged. I know every single song by her by heart and I know her voice. I love her and always will.🥰 I'll buy her music until the end. Love you til the end of time 😊🤗

Her voice is very rare, not a lot of people born with great vocal range will have nodules in the exact right spot to make her able to sing this way.

*To be honest:* We also have to keep in mind that she's been singing around her vocal nodules for over 4 decades with nearly 3 of those decades being full of unbelievably difficult songs and she's still singing around them here, however they've gotten worse over time that it's harder to sing around them like she used to (plus age). Also, it's obvious that she's incredibly nervous because of all the ridicule she's received in recent years. Plus the level of "snatchation" of her waist is probably restricting her breathing. I agree with the point you guys made about *Mariah* not putting in as much effort in continuing to train her voice.

There’s fan footage of her saying she hated her performance 😢. Also she’s literally in the midst of a tour, she sings beautifully night after night, here she sounds terrified and strained to the gawds. 😔 About her whistles. Mariah says when she was very young she would wake up in the mornings not being able to talk(nodules?) but she figured out that she could squeak talk (whistles register?) And that’s how she figured out she could make her voice go that high and started incorporating into her singing. Please analyze her voice when she was younger, like 1990-1998. I’d like to hear from professionals the transition of vocal quality between the musicbox and the daydream eras and then between daydream to butterfly eras

Marc has the most kind and warm presence! he speaks so concisely and respectfully, what a wonderful guest on your channel Sam. hope to see more of him :)

you guys have have to react to her vocals on her recent tour !! she was nervous here so her fullest potential wasn't reached !

A fact: her voice has wicked over time. Another fact: she is tied to hers amazingly difficult songs from her golden age. Another fact: nodles and oversing in a almost 30 years. And Mariah still is there singing and giving the best to perform. It’s a almost 50 years-old-women, DAMMM SHE IS A LEGEND 👸

Finally someone with study and knowledge, and not just a fan among comments. Thank you for this video.

Mariah had nodules since her childhood. It wasn’t because of her technique, but singing so much aggravated it for sure.

“Oh this is definitely live...” 👀👀 Hahaha!

I was 2-3 minutes in before I realized this was a green screen overlay, well done

"I don't know her!" @ 27:40. Sam doesn't realize he just quoted a famous Mariah line! Love it!

The fatigue and hoarseness I hear in her singing hurts my heart. If I were in her shoes, probably would have left the stage afterward and cried endlessly. It's so sad how insecure she seems to be. Being able to relate to that myself, my heart really goes out to her. You guys are so honest, yet also encouraging. You don't just tear her down. You sympathize. That's important--crucial in music to lift one another up, not be intimidating and arrogant, which is, sadly, what I've experienced. I wish more musicians were as kind as the two of you.

Having had nodules, I feel for her. I got really sick and was singing a lot. 4 months of no talking , lots of rest, and water managed to heal them without surgery. Luckily I caught them early and was able to heal them. I wouldn't wish them on anyone. I definitely take care of my vocal chords now.

Bad nerves, criticism & nodules are def factors. Watch her Vegas performances 🔥

I really liked this review you both provided of her performance. As a true fan of Mariah, I am saddened by the current quality of her voice. But your review was extremely informative and helped me better understand what is going on with her voice. I also appreciate how encouraging and positive you were regardless of her vocal cracks and flat notes. As a singer myself, we can be our own harshest critic and I really hope Mariah can find a vocal coach that will motivate her to improve her technique and build up her confidence so that she can deliver better live performances. I know the 80-90's Mariah is gone, but I would rather have a mature sounding 21st century Mariah than her trying to recreate a sound that is not possible with the voice she has now.

When I had a pseudo cyst, I was able to whistle tone & sing very low, but unable to sing very well in my normal register. I honestly believe that she has always had some form of nodes that have enabled her to sing so high, however, as the nodes have hardened with age, her normal register is struggling a lot more. Her voice sounds extremely like mine before I had surgery & voice therapy.

"She truly has some of the best songs" Yass we love a lowkey stan!

Mariah is usually her own worst critic, she is known to be a perfectionist, she looks annoyed at her own voice.. But even when her voice is not at the top of her game she still better then most popstars. But as a fan, it is scary because she was known for. Sounding better live than on recording, I just hope she gets to sing for many years to come.

obviously i love how positive sam is. but what i also love is how positive the comments on his videos are as well! he's creating a really nice nook of youtubedom, i think that's so cool.

"She's out of balance with force and flow." truer words were never spoken.

Our queen was so so nervous :( She also does have vocal nodules and she just got done with the US leg of her caution world tour. Thanks for the analysis!

She said it herself in an interview that she wants fans to see a more relaxed performance she had just got off tour and her kids birthday party from the previous day if you listen to her perform these songs from like last year at the iheart musice festival or on her tour you wouldn't be disappointed i promise you

Well she struggles a lot with performance anxiety especially after her New Years performance so like she is by no means comfortable up on that stage. I know she has suffered from nodules unfortunately. These types of performances are not easy for her and I hope that people can understand and see that, but also see that she is not as young as she used to be. Her voice is going to change with age and not everyone is the same. One singer might sound the same as they did when they were 20, some might sound better, and some may get worse it is what happens to the human body as we age.

I think if she gets herself a good vocal coach she could probably restore a lot of her voice. I was watching a video where Whitney’s vocal coach(Gary Catona) said Whitney could have gotten 85% of her voice back if she stopped smoking. When he first met her in 2005 she had no voice completely gone and only had 1 audible note to her voice. But as he worked with her he got her voice back close to the Just Whitney era(2003) It’s sad some of greatest singers don’t take care of there voices. Aretha is another example who didn’t take care of her voice. Although it did get better in the 90’s then what it did in the 80’s!

I'd LOVE to hear your analysis on Amy Winehouse from her early jazz days to her more hiphop soul era.

She’s been dragged by the media countless times she’s lost confidence and she’s been having nodules since even before she started in 1990. She was born with them and threw out the years they had been deteriorating but she’s still got it. She’s also in her Caution World Tour (2019) plus she still is gonna have another tour/shows this Christmas Season in her All I Want For Christmas Is You Tour and and is returning back in February (2020) to her Residency in Vegas the Butterfly Returns. So she’s got hella of performances and if you could imagine the SETLISTS *faints*

I'm supposed to be studying but here I am. God dammit

Thank you for this honest and technical analysis. I enjoyed it. 😊

How long did it take you guys to realize that Marc's head isn't twice the size of Sam's, that they are in fact in different locations?

When the doctor said "When you're on stage, you deserve respect" SHE DIDN'T HAVE IT FOR 4 YEARS BEFORE 2019 :( Her confidence is gone :(

I’m so happy you brought up that this has nothing to do with her musicianship! You both hit the nail on the head that it is most likely vocal fatigue and/or damage that she can work through and come back from it 👍🏻👏

This was an excellent, detailed video surrounding Mariah. Honest analysis, nothing going oh it's just a bad day (well perhaps) but there's more to it. Whenever I hear her, I wonder what's going on with her voice. She has such a great range, and Mariah in her prime was something to behold, yet over time I can't imagine it would ALWAYS be sustainable..... many of her performances I have heard over the years have been underwhelming, but that's not to say she isn't good. So many things go into each performance and everyone has good and or bad days. Definitely energy level is low here, but still killing those whistles. :) Given her wealth of vocal control, I would be interested how you anazlyze someone like Celine, who has also had to adjust her vocals over time. Is she doing her voice justice in your eyes? Certain notes seem less attainable, but again with time passing it's expected. Plus ALL the shows these two do must be killer! They are the epitome of divas, and rightfully so....well earned titles! Love the vids :)

I saw her in concert in Vegas about a year and a half ago. She had some issues at the beginning not sounding as polished and kind of played it safe initially. After half way through, she found her stride and hit her whistle register. Most amazing concert and so many memories of singing her songs growing up. Love your concern for her and her voice.

She is older and has nodules and just came off a 24 City tour weeks prior

A very long reaction video but very good analysis though

Thank you for making these videos! This is super interesting interesting, as are all of your videos! I hear what you're saying about her phonation - we talked about healthy vs unhealthy phonations and sounds in my vocal pedagogy class last year and it's really informative to hear examples. When you point it out, it's almost like a pedagogy refresher. For example, I definitely heard her pressing quite a bit, but any time she goes out of mode I into mode II, it's clear and agile, which makes me think she doesn't currently have nodes or at least only has the beginnings of nodes rather than full-on permanent damage.

Such a great analysis! Honestly I think a lot of it was related to stage fright too, she started having trouble with that unfortunately. Also maybe the tight corsets she uses make it difficult for her to breathe properly? Honestly I'm not a Mariah fan, but I really do hope she gets better, because she clearly is very very talented!

Nobody ever gives her credit when she has these performances right after a tour. Tours really wear down your voice and she probably just needs a little break as well. But congratulations Mariah for pulling through and doing it live. I enjoyed your performance!

I LOVE that you're so generous and not a basher or unkind in the way you give honest analysis. It definitely makes me as a singer want to work with you. And as someone who shares that outlook that "getting up onstage deserves respect" and that voices require constant care and practice, I truly appreciate how devasted you and Marc seem at the decline of Mariah's voice and how empathetic you are at her struggle. That's genuine, and makes me feel like you truly care about her and her voice and vocal health. I have question about her well known use of corsets. wouldn't they make things that much ore difficult. She sounds like she's really struggling with her breath in this performance. I mean I had a two-hour gig at a posh place the other night and had to wear a pretty fancy dress, and thought hey, I'll wear some spanx cause it makes the silhouette look nice. I kid you not, in the break I had to strip those things off. They weren't even crazy tight but they felt quite constricting and I couldn't lift and expand my ribcage or engage my core the way I'm accustomed and it just made me work that much harder, even with good technique. I wasn't hoarse and didn't really suffer any ill effects but it was truly exhausting to sing wearing that control garment. And Mariah wears really tight corsets!

My two favorite RU-vid voice teachers! Arguably the two most skilled and knowledgeable voice teachers on RU-vid. Love them both. I always learn something new from both. Fangirling!

Thank you for this amazing analysis!! You're both so pro!

I think another detail that wasn't mentioned here is that she is vacuum sealed into a corset during this performance. So, not only is her voice not in the best condition in general, she's literally struggling to breathe at all. What do you think, Sam? I'm not educated like you, and would love to get training from you, so to hear what you think about how breathing affects things on top of any damage would really be interesting to hear.

I saw her in February of this year and she sounded pretty great. Her voice was pretty strong and she was hitting her notes decently. (But full disclaimer: there were 2 or 3 instances of lip-syncing but the majority of the performance wasn’t). But this BBMA performance you could tell she was nervous and possibly choking a little due to that. And you guys make a great point that she might not prioritize her voice that high nowadays. Her kids come first as she’s said in previous interviews (Still I’m proud of her! I love her so much!) (Also Sam please consider doing a Best of Mariah Carey vocals compilations like you did with Beyoncé and Lady Gaga!)

It just saddens to think that we won’t be able to find a voice as beautiful as hers any more and I do wish that she finds the inner strength in her to get better. All the best to her.

Hi guys! just loved the love and honesty you both put into this reaction to her performance. It showed you are both fans also, as most of us here are. Love also that we can say when something is not all that good without people reacting and attacking back. Hope Mariah can get the help she needs so we can have her around for many many years more. Thanks again for a great vid.

Don’t forget she just got off Caution tour. She drinks a lot too. She is getting older. There are so many factors here. Her nodules that she has confirmed she had.

She can’t sing like how she used to but Mariah will always be my baby 🎼

I appreciate this video and the respect you gave. I was wondering about her myself since her newer music is much less dynamic in terms of vocal pitch, tone and sound. She will always be one of the greatest, and I hope she doesn't forget that!

Does this physically hurt as much as it sounds like it does?

I love watching these videos Sam Johnson, the collaborations between two professionals. I feel like I'm in a masterclass. I know some of your audience complains about all the talking but they should F* off and watch the video content by itself before watching your commentary videos. Your videos are so useful and engaging. Keep it up maaaaaan

She looks unenergized because she is always nervous in these performances and she knows how significant her change of vocals are. She is scared that people will be like “oh no she doesnt sound like daydreamriah now she’s ugly she lost her voice”. Like stop hatin people, she is off her prime and is still singing

Do you have a video on the adverse effects of drinking, smoking & the most damaging voice practices AND the importance of hydration? Thanks!

Thanks for doing this review with respect

Lets NOT forget that she’s 49, been in the game over 30 years (it’s insane !), been a singer since her childhood, depressions, NODULES and NERVOUSNESS because on her recent tour her vocals was really good. And her songs are HARD but great reaction ❤️

That dress she was wearing was so tight she probably couldn't breathe healthily enough to sing!

I feel sad for her:( But at least she doesn’t give up, so for that I have much respect.

Man you guys are so informative! This is awesome!!

Thank you Sam for being very objective and fair with your reaction and analysis. :)

Please do a vocal analysis of Celine! I love watching when you guys get together. You both break it down into terms that a non- pro can understand. She's been getting ready to tour again so she has tons of resent performances. In my opinion out of the singers of her generation she has managed to maintain her voice the best. What do you guys think!

I've trained classically (vocal) for many many years. I haven't had a coach for 10 years and was frustrated with the quality of my singing. I found a brilliant vocal coach who trained in opera and she is brilliant! She helped me rediscover the true tone and timbre of my voice. Four years later and I'm better than I was. I've heard the decline in Mariah's voice over the years. I encourage people to get proper voice training. It really helps. I appreciate your comment of giving the stage the respect it deserves. Thank you for being honest!

I LOVE Mariah Carey! ...and love the analysis of the performance. I used to sing along with her tracks a lot AND DO THE WHISTLE TONES. But..it's not comfortable so i haven't done them in years. Glad I found your channel!

I feel like he should watch a performance from Mariah from the caution tour (2019) she sounds so much better during concert

I always enjoy the lectures on this channel. The most informative and academic-like illustration on vocal techniques I've ever encountered on RU-vid.

Am i the only one person here who likes her voice even in her bad days or nervous? Its great in my ears.. very unique voice. Love her. Atleast she is/was brave to sing w/o live autotune unlike todays artists hahah

Sam, I've been waiting for this video since 1998. Thank you. Love you.