The queen of breathy vocals, Billie Eilish, has a catalogue of brilliant songs, but one track stands out as the ideal starting place for beginners.
⏱ 2 Minute Read
Billie Eilish burst onto the music scene in 2015 with the dreamy pop ballad Ocean Eyes.
She’s since gone on to enjoy a host of hits, build a legion of fans and headline Glastonbury.
But what really sets Eilish apart from her pop counterparts is her distinctive, aspirate vocal quality.
It’s an intimate, emotive style that many young contemporary singers want to emulate.
Vocal coach Hannah Smikle says ‘breathy singing’ is one of the most common vocal techniques that students in her studio want to master.
“Singers still love to belt, and riffing is one of those things that people really enjoy exploring,” Hannah tells the Singing Teachers Talk podcast.
“But in recent years, there’s also been an influx of singers who want to explore a breathy kind of singing, and a more ethereal tone to their voices.
“It can be a nice alternative for those singers who don’t want to belt or don’t feel comfortable in that more energised sound.”
Breathy vocals for beginners – Choosing repertoire
If a student is looking to explore a breathy vocal style, there is a wealth of Eilish material to dive into.
“The Greatest is nice,” Hannah says. “So is When The Party’s Over and Ocean Eyes, but they do really get up there [in terms of pitch].
“The one I’d go for is probably the least extreme of her breathy singing because of how high she takes it up with some of her other songs.”
The song Hannah would start with is Lovely, Eilish’s duet with Khalid (produced by her brother Finneas).
“I like Lovely the best because it’s a slightly easier one as a vocal. It’s also a bit more progressive in terms of the verses. They start lower down and then, almost like a scale, graduate through a pitch range to where the chorus starts on this breathy descent.
“It’s a good one for people who don’t want to go super high but are quite happy to explore a fair amount of vocal range.”
The track offers other benefits too, Hannah says.
“The thing with Billie is she’s got a great range and covers a fair bit in nearly all of her songs,” she says.
“So aside from the breathy singing, you also get the challenge of navigating starting in chest voice, progressing through the mid-range and then ending up in your head voice. It’s a great one that ticks so many boxes.”
Learn more
Listen to the full podcast with Hannah, where she also reveals:
- The vowels she uses to help a singer find a breathy quality.
- Her favourite tracks for exploring belting and riffing.
Develop your teaching skills
Want to help singers explore different vocal techniques safely? Why not study with BAST Training? You’ll learn how to assess the voice, diagnose technical problems and use vowels, consonants and scales to strengthen and develop the voice.
Main image: Canva.
