Hayley Williams
Vocal Type: Light-Lyric Soprano
Vocal Range: Bb2 - A5 - A6 (3 octaves 7 notes and a semitone)
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Strengths: A technical and emotive vocalist, Hayley Williams’ voice has an edge that has been manoeuvred and molded into a unique vocal styling. A knowledgeable singer, she has honed her skills to create (the appearance of) a fully connected range that rings with a spunk-infused attitude.
With her faceted pop-punk vocal styling, Hayley has the versatility to play with tone, timbre and delivery to create vocals that are sympathetic to the music. For instance: she can deliver speedy and flawlessly-timed phrasing that is clear and concise [Misery Business]; or be powerful, sturdy and bright enough in tone to cut through instrumentation [Ignorance]. To any of these styles, Hayley is able to apply a wide, developed and rolling vibrato that rings like a bell [Brick By Boring Brick].
Hayley's lower range is extremely well-developed and excellently accessed. It carries the trademark resonance and spunky tone down to the bottom [Say Anything]. Over the years, due to her voice maturing and being trained, the extension has turned darker and become better supported [Hate To See Your Heart Break]. Easily accessed from the mid-range, it is the only part of the voice that has a dark colouring. It also has a flexibility, being able to be huskier and softer [For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic] if needed.
As she ascends into the midrange, Hayley gains more solidity to her tone, becoming much brighter. The voice gains a haunting, enigmatic nature not present in any other part of the voice [Emergency]. This is where Hayley begins to incorporate her signature edge [Let The Flames Begin]. The middle region can mirror the characteristics of the belting voice, and so, it flawlessly climbs up into it [Fast In My Car].
The belting range is where Hayley truly shines: With incredible resonance and great vocal support, she begins using the edge to her advantage, giving the voice an immediately identifiable character [Still Into You]. Due to the freedom, Hayley can execute many different vocal tricks here, such as: holding mid-belts for lengthy amounts of time with control and vibrato [Decode]; phrasing mid-belts that resonate excellently [Part II]; or sliding and executing a rock-oriented style of melisma, even at her top notes [All I Wanted]. She can also create a tenser, throatier sound to her upper belts by singing with a more chest-dominate mix. Whichever timbre she does choose, the Diva can jump into her belt from any region of the voice, enabling for quick slides or scoops.
Hayley has a head voice that has a clean, thick and full timbre when used [The Only Exception]. It’s accessed easily from the rest of her range, and shows great development and solid control- despite the lack of usage. She is also in command of a piercing whistle register that can be held for extended amounts of time [Link].
As a whole, Hayley is a versatile vocalist that has a wide variety of tones and timbres to play with. This allows her to dip in and out of other genres like dance [Stay The Night], Hip hop [Airplanes] and rock. [New Found Glory], with ease
Vocal Weaknesses: Due to the appearance of vocal nodules, Hayley has been known to deliver inconsistent vocal performances in a live setting.
Thanks to BacktoBlack for updating!
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