How to Sing Like David Bowie (Character Singing - Musical Acting) Every Vocalist Should Try This!

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Take a minute to think about who, from a vocal, musical standpoint, has had a tremendous impact on you. Think of several names. I'll bet some of the people that came to mind are great singers, but I'll also bet that some of them are first and foremost, great artists!!

David Bowie is one of many vocalists who (rightly so) puts art, expression, character and creativity WAY before vocal prowess, precision and technique.

He sets the bar as one of the best entertainers of our time and when you google him, he tops the charts on the lists of amazing vocalists!

But he's not a technically great singer. He doesn't have a huge range. He's not terribly pitch accurate and there's all sorts of reasons why typical singing judges would tear him apart.

Yet... He has gone down in history as one of the greatest vocalists of all time!! Join me for this "How To Sing Like" video on David Bowie's style and lets study and internalize what truly makes an amazing vocalist! YOU CAN DO IT TOO!! You'll feel empowered and encouraged!

[goodmaggie]

LOVE David Bowie. My favourite singers are imperfect technically. I love the broken, vulnerable, human-ness of his vocal character. These are qualities I want to cultivate so I guess I'll have to be willing to be stoopid and insult myself he he. Once again you've delivered a thought provoking, insightful analysis Chris. Thankyou so much.

[schlumbl]

When rock was still raw and unpolished....
I really like classic rock and love David Bowie. His style of singing was special. And he interpreted his songs new every time he performed live.
He was so unique and I still miss him.

[halloweenjack]

Honestly Bowie is pretty underrated in terms of vocal abilities.
Especially if you listen to "Sweet Thing" oder "Lady Grinning Soul".

[s.kanessuperbiatv]

As someone who's a huge Bowie fan, I've been asking for this since I found out about Chris' channel and it's great to see how much he listens to recommendations. As others have mentioned as well, the isolated vocal tracks help really humble the singers and is super inspiration to see how simple singing can be.

[derricksingerandthebonsaig]

It's these isolated vocals that really helped humanize vocalist. That I personally never realized the production in many of my favorite songs. Such as doubling and blending tracks to get sounds. I've also jumped down the rabbit hole of live videos. I'd love to hear a isolated vocal with the band "LIVE". Ed Kowalczyk range always impressed and fascinated me.

[erikdolnack]

A big influence on Bowie as a singer, was Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd. Syd was one of the first British rockers to not bother to Americanize his voice, but rather defiantly sung with a heavy British accent. Prior to that, most British rockers, such as Lennon and McCartney, tried to sing like Elvis or Little Richard or Fats Domino. We must remember that as teens and young men, those British rockers adored American culture and wanted to emulate American pop culture. Why Syd chose to sing in such a British manner is anyone's guess, but it may not have even been a conscious decision on his part, as Syd suffered from mental illness and excessive drug-use such as LSD.

[ronalddegroot]

The part about the vocaal break/crack was really interesting and i agree with what you said. My favorite singers/vocalists are the ones with the rawest performances because it makes the music more "real" to me. Most of todays music is way to overproduced and clean for my taste.

[GrandmasterofWin]

Man you saved my life. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your channel. I'm 30. I've been singing for a long time. I "knew" a lot of this stuff on some level and have been told I have a great voice by people who've honestly heard it but until this year I've never recorded it. Can't tell you how nerve wracking it is for me, finally - after almost 20 years of singing in the car or shower or casually among friends - to be standing behind a condenser mic in a booth, that I built, and hitting record. My throat tightens, my body tenses up, I get hyper aware of everything I'm doing and even feel a bit light headed. A kind of muted terror. You've given me hope and reminded me that it doesn't have to be perfect, just honest. Even Bowie had his flaws. Peace, man. Thanks again.

[granskwal]

Hey Chris,

French Singer-songwriter here. Amazing content man ! Really ! I took several years of singing lessons in both contemporary and classical style, and your videos really blow my mind everytime.

I pratice as I listen to the video. Does wonders to my singing and it helps me find the right "character" for my songs to.

Could you do one on "Life On Mars", his voice sounds incredible on this one, and his tone is gripping througout the whole range.

Cheers from Brussels !

[originalvonster]

I hadn’t realised that Bowie is British until I watched this and now it’s so obvious and I can’t unhear it haha.

[KyOte]

YOU DID IT! THANK YOU!
One thing I really appreciated from hearing these isolated vocal tracks, was just how great he was of delivering a story in a lyric. He seemed to have a great sense of vocal dynamics, knowing when, and maybe more importantly, when NOT to turn the "SINGING" on.
Also, I never realized just how integral his accent was to the Ziggy character, in particular. He always sounded "English" to me, but it just sounds like on this album, He really exaggerated it. I see why, you can hear how the accent lends itself to twang and nasal resonance which he is employing a lot of here.
Music hasn't been the same since he left. That level of artistry is rarely seen or heard today. Bowie really set the bar for true rock and roll entertainment. Today, we have a lot of "Players", and a LOT of "Singers". Very few real Artists & Stylists. Bowie was both of these. A fiercely independent Artist who offered much more than just a record and a tour. On top of all that, he reinvented himself and his career multiple times over. That doesn't happen anymore. It barely happened back then. Him, Iggy, and Lou are the only ones I can think of who pulled it off. The latter two just because of Bowie facilitating it for them.
Anyway, A True Icon who changed music & influenced everything in his wake.
Thanx Chris

[Spineloro]

Very good analysis👍✨ I discovered Bowie when I was a teenager in the 70s, my english was pretty weak at that time, but Bowie’s voice and attitude was so theatrical that I could feel and understand what he was singing about, really amazing… ❤️✨

[danielhayes]

Would love to see something on Silverchair. Daniel John’s is a highly underrated singer in my opinion. Especially Diorama era.

[johnpolitis]

“I have a brother in Cane Hill.”(David Bowie)
“The subject matter was very significant for me. It was all family problems and analogies put into science fiction form.”(David Bowie)

Bowie himself said of the song: "It was about the disassociated, the ones who feel as though they're left outside, which was how I felt about me. I always felt I was on the edge of events, the fringe of things, and left out. A lot of my characters in those early years seem to revolve around that feeling. It must have come from my own interior puzzlement at where I was".

[deedee-tcfh]

Great Analysis of The Star Man... Waiting In The Sky... and he definately has the Sarf Landon accent but I suggest you try to do the same with his Avante Garde iconic track Sweet Thing from the DD LP..

[nicolasgarcia]

man you're such a good vocalist, and vocal coach, Chris!!
thanks for sharing these contents!! your videos are being so helpful for me, and I'm sure that a lot of people relate to me.
thank you!!
and also, a suggestion. Elton John, as you mentioned in the video.

[WilliamTallman]

Thank you, great analysis!! Saw Bowie a number of times in Detroit, then San Francisco. Always admired what he was doing.

[BigManTate]

Love these vocal tutorial/ analysis videos Chris! Very helpful in learning new ways to sing. One vocalist I highly recommend you do a video on is Danny Worsnop. He's gone through a ton of vocal changes and different genres and has a very interesting voice, one of my favorites anyway. I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy that 🙂

[mangasky]

Bowie had a multitude of voices that he drew upon throughout his career. Compare Starman to his crooning on Wild is the Wind or Win. But it was also very important to him early on that he sing with an English accent and not a fake American one like some of his contemporaries (cough) Jagger.

[lspyderp]

Chris, you have great control and diction in your vocals, I luv learning from you, fantastic, brother!