This question comes via an email from AmbeRussel [check out his youtube channel here]. If you'd like to ask a question please me email at divadevotee@gmail.com
"Hey I just found your blog online and I enjoy what you have to say. I was just wondering, since i have been having this debate, who you think has a better voice between Beyonce vs Christina Aguilera?
I personal feel that 1 girl's voice is 10x better but doesn't sing as well while the other female singers with the best tech. But there is very little to her voice. I don't want you to be biased so I've used no names. lol.
Can you help me by giving you 2 cents?"
AmbeRussel
Wow, that's definitely a difficult question as I like both the singers. But if I'm going on the voice alone, I'd have to go for Christina Aguilera as the better singer. For me, Beyonce's voice is average in terms of its overall tone, power, and range. However, she has worked hard at her instrument and as such has learnt to lift her voice from mediocrity with 3 notable things:
- A gorgeous vibrato: Possibly the best in the industry
- Outstanding control: Also possibly one of the best in the game. Not only can she hit notes effortlessly, and with pinpoint accuracy, but she can do it while dancing.
- Intelligent delivery: Beyonce can sing anything. She goes from hip hop, to RnB to pop to adult contemporary very convincingly and that's because of her understanding of music.
Sometimes it can be overbearing and, of late, I've been giving it a bashing on the blog because its being pushed too far, but those things still don't change the fact that when its at its best there is no question Christina Aguilera could out sing Beyonce.
Thanks for the question
Note: The very fact that this is a blog means this is just MY opinion. Please feel free to leave yours below, but please be civil and keep it focused on why you agree or disagree.
I highly disagree with you on Christina out singing Beyonce but, I respect your opinion.
ReplyDeletebeyone isn't even that good...hell, Kelly Rowland was the best out of Destiny's Child. Beyonce just had better management and marketing. But neither one of them can hold a candle to Christina or Whitney. Period.
ReplyDeleteThe raw ability that Christina's voice is capable regardless of execution is outstanding. Actually i think it is outstanding BECAUSE of her lack of proper execution. I only wished she would have taken lessons earlier than now so her voice would be at its full potential. Beyonce will be singing the same way for the rest of her career due to her training, however Christina continues to change things up. As far as natural ability Christina wins hands down. Beyonce's voice as far as its tone and texture is rather dull and boring. Christina (from Stripped and onward) has so many textures and colors to her voice that she always keeps us guessing whats next.
ReplyDeleteYou can't match the technicality of Beyonce's voice. Christina is gifted and the voice of her generation, but Beyonce can't be compared to her. They both have amazing voices. If we were to consider who had hit songs, that award would go to Beyonce, without a question.
ReplyDeleteyou're right Christina have the voice and Beyonce have the technique.
ReplyDeleteand yes Beyonce have more hits but I think Christina is a better song write see "The Voice Within", "Ain't No Other", "Walk Away", "Makes Me Wanna Pray" and "Can't Hold Us Down" Flawless song writing.
WHAT HITS ?? ..BEYONCE HAS 5 ,CHRISTINA HAS 5 ..beyonce has more Grammys but what does that have to do with vocal range and being the better singer ..Christina is obliviously the better singer there are things she can do with her voice that beyonce can't, even with beyonce's technique .beyonce's voice is very good but it often lack originality and sounds the same in very song it never changes but Christina her voice changes from time to time ..the only thing beyonce has over christina is the techniques but even with a bad technique Christina still manages to sound good just image if she had vocal training .Christina is very versatile from jazz to rnb to pop and many more genres beyonce just funk rnb and soul ..they are so different
ReplyDeletethe title said who is naturally a better singer? . beyonce can sing but her voice is all robotic and vocal training she isn't really a natural talent to me with time she sound better but when she was a child she sound like hot mess but she is really gifted she sounds the same in ever song -too boring.Christina on the other hand her voice has been like that since she was .well forever and she always had that voice even without vocal training she still manages to sound good , strains above C5 and too throaty and voice can be irritating .
ReplyDeleteone has the voice the other the technique . one sings with emotions the other lacks emotion. one is a powerhouse the other a smooth funkier,one has the rawness the other too polished, they both over sing, both show off melisma .. i like both but i would pick Christina
Beyonce.
ReplyDeleteI've never understood when people say "Beyonce had vocal training. She's not a natural talent". Does vocal training give you unnatural talent? o.O And if so, then wouldn't being an unnatural talent trump being a natural one?
All the greats worked on their talent, whether it be vocal training, backup singing, theater etc.
Beyonce has a LOT of resonance in her voice from bottom to top, the entire range is secure, few people have a secure, connected 3+ octave range. That is very rare. Christina has a huge hole in her voice.
And when it comes to musicianship, Beyonce is just light years ahead. She understands what she's doing when she's singing, and she does it exquisitely. She can sing in any delay, sing any interval, in any meter, she's creative, her improvisation is sharp. She can sing on any scale. I especially love her blues-scale and harmonic minor-scale based riffs and improvs. She's just the bomb.
Huh...if the question is that of natural talent, then Christina wins. If neither of them were trained, Christina would blast Beyonce into outer space. As it stands, Beyonce has the better voice right now, and this is BECAUSE of her technique. Her superb resonance, breath control, tone, and fluidity, as well as versatility allow her to sing any genre she chooses. While Christina can take on a lot with her belting, I have a feeling that she would be at a lack if she had to sing a Beyonce song - Halo would give her nightmares. Beyonce could probably manage any song by Christina, so long as it didn't use whistle tone, and do it in a more healthy fashion. Don't get me wrong - Christina's wonderful. The only problem is that I don't want to have sympathetic pains every time I hear her belt.
ReplyDeleteChristina Aguilera, no doubt about it.. beyonce is annoying, seriously
ReplyDeleteBeyonce songs aren't difficult to sing though. Did you heart Christina sing like 3 seconds of Single Ladies? That's as good as it get. I cannot see Beyonce singing a song like Mercy On Me, Makes Me Wanna Pray, Hurt, You Lost Me or even I Am.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Christina's voice, genre wise, is way more versatile than Beyonce's.
You're wrong. I love both women with all my heart, but I think Beyoncé's songs are pretty difficult and Christina will die trying to sing a high belting song like Get Me Bodied or Love On Top. Christina has a way better head voice, though. She can hit notes in the sixth octave with a lot of ease, while Bey's head voice is almost never used.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I Am is not a hard song to sing, is pretty ease if you have a good mid register and falsetto. I think Stronger than Ever from Bionic or Lift Me Up are harder.
i completely agree with your assesment
ReplyDeletebut christina has been in the game for 10+ years you would think she would have learned how to use her voice
I think what most people associate with is tone; that is the first thing you hear if you are not into the voice like that. Christina obviously has a much more inviting sound. But Beyonce's voice is admittedly much more average in comparison. I like Bey's voice because it has this brassiness to it (you have to watch her live to understand), and it is twangy.
ReplyDeleteAll Christina really has over Beyonce is her tone, her loudness, and range (as disconnected as it is). Unfortunately anything else Beyonce sweeps technically (Beyonce's three octave are connected while Christina is damn near unsupported in her lower register, her chest exist somewhere else, and her head and whistle register are nothing more than extended falsetto), or is just subjective (the emotional appeal; whether people admit it or not, there are people who actually do feel something when Beyonce sings).
When Christina is on it, she is on it, and with Beyonce, she never seems to be off (I'm lying, as a Bey stan I can tell when she isn't there for that song or performance)
Let's see - Mercy on Me even Christina hasn't attempted live, so let's not go there, especially seeing as Beyonce doesn't seem to have any problems singing those E5s, while Christina's lucky nowadays to get a belted Eb5. Makes Me Wanna Pray is easy if you have the high F#, which Beyonce on the most part does. Hurt is also pretty easy to sing; You Lost Me and I Am are simply shadows of the past when it comes to really challenging ballads. And as for genre - Beyonce can do a full switch from R&B to pop to Broadway to Classical in the blink of an eye, while Christina is kind of stuck in 'Christina Aguilera' mode no matter what backing track she's singing over. Her vocals are all the same - it's either softer, slightly mixed vocals, or an all-out, "I'mma kill you with my voice" blast - often in the same song. There's no middle ground - there's no "genre" to speak of. She's become a genre unto herself. While unique, it also gets tiring, and shows an inability to learn how to sing otherwise.
ReplyDeleteChristina is far better, no one can even imitate her voice, but beyoncé is better at dancing-singing, and that's so cool too.
ReplyDeleteI like versatile singers and who is more versatile than Xtina? No One!
she sings : rock with raspy voice, latin music, pop, electro, blues, soul, jazz...
No Christina has bad technique beyonce has so much control, amazing runs but beyonce is not robotic and Beyonce does not lack range she has 3 octaves
ReplyDeletelol i assume now everyone know beyonce only sounds good live because she lip sings,what a slap iin the face to musicians like christina who gives her all in EVERY performace.
ReplyDeletebottom line christina is better its no competition with the voice,beyonce does form the most part have catchier songs but whos gonna remeber 'girls run the world '10 years from now?Beautiful is a testimtent of time
:)
they dont call xtina 'the voice of the generation' for nothing!
I agree
ReplyDeletebut it doesn't mean she is a better singer... Madonna had more hits than anyone but it does not means he's the best singer... It just means better management...
ReplyDeleteI dont think Beyonce could pull off "You Lost Me' that song is too epic!!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree. No way does Beyonce have the ability to inject as much emotion into the song as Christina. If she got it, we'll have what we've had from Bey in the past.... robotic, monotonous recordings.
ReplyDeleteThis is weird question that can simply not be answered. How do we determine who sounds better naturally? What do we consider?
ReplyDeleteAs it stands, Beyonce is the better singer, and that's really the only thing that matters.
We can definitely determine who is naturally a better singer. Some people- like Christina- are gifted with a unique tone and a big range. Others, like Beyonce, are cursed with average tone and range. Objectively, taking only those two facts into consideration, who would you say is better off naturally? There's really only one true answer to that.
ReplyDeleteAs it stands, who the better singer is is purely subjective, as singing itself takes into account various things such as emotion, which is also purely subjective. Beyonce is the better technical vocalist, however.
No one should say that these legends are anything less than vocally superb. However, because they can both hit (most) of the same notes people always wonder; who is better? I am a Christina >STAN< but I have come to realize that she is not much better than Beyonce & vice versa. I say this because even though they may hit similar notes, they hit them in different ways. Beyonce goes off of what she has been taught/what she has learned. Christina goes off of emotion & instinct. This is where things get a bit tricky.
ReplyDeleteIt's safe to say that Beyonce's vocals are "cleaner" because they are practiced, but due to that fact they can sometimes come off a bit monotonous & limited. Christina's vocals, on the other hand, are more (a lot more) textured & have a fresh (dare I say) amateur-ish quality because she is always willing to push herself in that moment due to the emotion she is feeling...where as Beyonce will stay on the safe side & experiment behind closed doors. Christina's vocals are limitless but she forgets that she doesn't need to take them everywhere. In terms of power...I would say that they both rise & fall at this point.
Beyonce is powerful (kinda), but sometimes when she hits those longer & louder notes she can go from belting to losing the note due to billowing, like she unleashed a loud torrent of air & it is coming out of her mouth, this doesn't happen often but it still happens. It shows her limit & who practiced she is in her craft. We all know Christina's problem, even a >STAN< like me, she goes from 0 to 60 too often & too fast & pushes 60 to 100 & from there it is hit or miss she can be textured & raspy or screechy & scratchy... raspy (Tina) is good but scratchy (Patti, sorry bout it) isn't. And I wont even go into riffs...they both need to STOP!
To end, I LOVE Christina and her natural ability to master music but I also appreciate Beyonce because of her dedication to strengthen & master her voice. As aforementioned, Christina is a exquisite singer but it does not make her the better singer. Beyonce wasn't born with a beyond voice but with techniques & lessons, she was able to keep up. So back to your question, who do >I< think is a >naturally< better singer? I say Christinaaaaahahaaaaahhhhaaaaaahah!!! (< get it? lol)
I really admire, and am jealous of, both christina's and beyonce's melismas and runs. They both have powerful voices, they both have talents. However, I feel that christina is much better in terms of raw talent. Her singing is unique, powerful and full of emotion. That is what i like about her. Beyonce is one of the best technical vocalists out there, and i respect her for that. But beyonce does seem quite monotonous at times. In terms of natural talent, i feel that christina is the better one.
ReplyDeleteI love your description of both Diva Devotee! I also think that Christina is naturally a better singer! :-) But they are both amazing!
ReplyDeleteThey're both amazing singers, each with their own strengths. I've been a long time fan of Christina and think that in her peak, her voice was on fire. She may not have the control that Beyonce does but her voice was just out of this world. Lately, I've noticed that it's not quite the same but I hope I'm wrong. Beyonce on the other hand has amazing control of her instrument and knows exactly how to use it. Her tone may not be amazingly unique or different but the way she uses her voice is out of this world. She hits notes with ease and clarity. She definitely knows what she's doing. Her range may not be an wide as Christina's but for me personally, it's more about how the voice is used than the notes it can hit. I think both are wonderful to be honest and like I said above, each singer possesses their own vocal strengths. I've seen both women in concert and they're both fantastic.
ReplyDeleteKelly is a great singer as well but she doesn't have the same control or ease/clarity as Beyonce does. And for a long time Beyonce and Kelly shared the same management. Some singers just make it bigger than others unfortunately. Kelly deserves more success as a solo artist than she's had, that I can get behind. On the other hand, it's not like Beyonce hasn't worked for her success though. The woman works HARD. That's one thing I've always admired about her. No matter how popular she gets, she still works equally as hard. Beyonce doesn't rely on the fact that she is Beyonce to carry her career. She still puts in the same amount of work.
ReplyDeleteBeyoncé doesn't really sing it's called lip syncing
ReplyDeleteThis is a very well written topic. I must say that I would think that Christina wins. As Ethan had said, if neither of them trained, Christina would still have the better voice.
ReplyDeleteCheers.
Adam M
https://singingmethods.net
It just like picking a perfume with the same brand and kind but the other one might be the flanker one. One is more sensual and thick scent, and the other one is light and airy. Though both of the juices got their own fan.
ReplyDeleteBeyonce is the extreme type of perfume I guess.
I love both of them. But if the
ReplyDeletequestion is-who is naturally better singer? – then Christina wins, big times.
Beyonce is also a brilliant singer, but Christina's voice will stand out in the
middle of thousand voices because she has a unique god-gifted voice. Contrarily,
Beyonce’s voice sometimes gets confused with Whitney, as she imitates her a lot
and sometimes she sounds like Rihanna. There’s no point with hitting high notes
as many concurrent singers can do it whether technically or naturally, because
they all have to be good to stay in the industry.
Beyonce’s Halo, listen and others
are brilliantly sung, but her songs are one dimensional, as compared to Christina’s.
Because Christina can sing songs like Hurt, You Lost Me, The Voice Within,
Blank Page at the same time the songs like Fighter, Can’t hold us down, Your Body,
Let there be love, and not to forget the classics like Genie in a bottle!! And to
the best of my knowledge, she also sang a lot Spanish songs. Both of them are inexplicably
brilliant, but Christina can pour such emotions that hardly anyone can get up to
that level.
In short, Beyonce is the tigress of
singing but Christina is the Goddess. And I can say without reservation that
Christina is Unique. Period.
Ooooooooh, I LOVE this. A very interesting topic. Here's what I think: You have to be able to differentiate singing from the voice. They tend to be used and referenced interchangeably, but they most certainly are different. There are people who possess voices that have a penchant to do more things virtuously that other voices don't do quite as easily. However, there are those who possess those seemingly bland voices but sing well due to technique (placement/mixing/support, etc...).
ReplyDeleteNaturally, who can do more with their voice? I'd say Christina, undoubtedly. The better singer? Beyonce.
Beyonce transcends Christina in control/vibrato, honestly. Intelligent delivery? More consistently, Beyonce (with her own songs). Christina's instrument, though, I say is naturally a lot stronger than Beyonce's. I tend to gravitate more toward the instrument itself & marvel at its capacity rather than the technique in which its used, although that's something I greatly admire as well. Sometimes it depends.
But, to answer the question simply? Christina. Beyonce's instrument is low-tier in my honest opinion. But, one must also remember that a tool is as strong as the person who wields it...so that's another thing to consider. Still, Christina lol
A good voice does not make someone a good singer, just as having a good piano does not make someone a good pianist. If we were so far as to say Christina has a privileged voice and we were to compare it to a violin, we could say she has a stradivarius in her throat. But that stradivarious is being played by a complete amateur who abuses it constantly and hasn't even learned to sing a scale well in tune. On the other hand, if we went so far as to say Beyonce's voice is average and compared it to an instrument, we would say the violin was made up by an unknown artisan. But that violin is being played by Paganini.
ReplyDeleteThis is kinda late, but Christina singing a mere 3 seconds of one of Beyonce's easiest songs to sing isn't impressive at all. If she were to cover Love on Top, it would sound something like an orchestra of the combined screams of all the souls burning in hell. Bey's literally throwing E5's around in that song like loose change. A cover by Christina would be a strained, sloppy nightmare. Plus, I don't think Christina's voice has the agility and control to immediately switch from belting in chest voice to vocal runs in head voice.
ReplyDeleteOf course Beyoncé is the best here, Christina has a horrible technique and she screams too much, it seems to a scream battle! singing is not about screaming. Beyoncé has just a clear voice, with incredible runs and melismas, and that's why she is the most influent person in the music industry nowadays. Period! oh and I have to say: 17 grammy's ;)
ReplyDeletelol well nowadays xtina sounds, unfortunately, kinda bad :( I was sad to notice her vocals during her live performances on the voice of her new album. :'( She pulls on her vocal nodules too much which results her ruining and damaging her voice a lot. However, if I were to judge based on today, Beyonce is definitely the better singer. She has a certain resonance and flow to her voice, along with a KILLER vibrato. Plus, she can entertain like crazy. Chris just fell off the wagon a bit. Hope to hear from her soon though. xoxo- gossi... lol jk
ReplyDeleteI agreee! She doesn't sound the sameee :( Bey sounds almost exactly as she did 5 years ago. I don't get it. Don't get me wrong xtina is a powerhouse vocalist, absolutely amazing. But now she's just kinda old news :/ Onto new vocalists (GO WATCH ARIANA GRANDE)
ReplyDeleteThese two are on the same level as far as vocals. If we look higher, we see players like whitney, celine and mariah. if we look higher, we see aretha and patti, If we look higher we see no one.
ReplyDeleteThat's because Streisand and Ella were on a entirely different planet altogether I guess, that you can't see them? You should get yourself a better telescope. ;-)
ReplyDeleteListen to those songs by Christina that you listed and tell me if she actually uses any versatility in her voice in them or if it's the same tired strained sound
ReplyDeleteI like both Christina and Beyonce. However I wish Beyonce would do more ballads and the same for Christina...I don't really like plenty of dancing and concert histronics, or maybe I'm just old school and into vocal divas such as, Aretha, Barbra, Patti, Whitney, and Mariah in her prime. Technically, Beyonce has the edge but I think Christina might have the potential to be technically great.
ReplyDeleteBeyonce wins this one. Christina is just painful to listen to. I swear, my throat hurts when I watch her sing. But beyonce does it so effortlessly and it's just pure music when I listen to her.
ReplyDeleteAlso, since when did vocal training mean you don't have natural talent? Michael Jackson worked with a vocal coach , does that mean he has no raw talent?
Vocal training is to help someone use the right technique and sing 'safely' without damaging your voice. Beyonce also needed it because she sings while dancing , that requires a lot of breath control!
On the other hand , if christina got herself some vocal coaching and developed musicality , she might win.