It's been a while since we had some Ariana Grande on the site, so let's change that with her set at Jimmy Kimmel Live. Taking to the stage, the pint-sized singer with the 4-octave range gave us near enough note perfect renditions of Yours Truly's The Way and Right There.
Watching the performances it's becoming more and more undeniable that Ariana's "whistle notes" are in fact extended falsetto. That's no bad thing, as it allows for more connection to the rest of the range, as well as more dependability, than the whistle register does- unless of course you're someone like Minnie Ripperton, who could seamlessly move between head/falsetto and whistle. However, though Ariana can definitely sing in the whistle register [see here], I'm still seeing fans wrongly credit notes like those in the videos below as examples of her skill in the highest register of the human voice.
Still, whistle notes or not, the elasticity and skill of her youthful voice is something to behold! Check out the performances and see if you agree with Katy Perry, who said of Ariana's voice:
"I love her. I think she has the best female vocal in pop music today...She has literally the best voice, the best voice live. She kills it. She's so good."
Thoughts?