Michael Jackson is undoubtedly one of the most famous pop stars of all time. His career was one defined by numerous things, including multi-platinum albums, moonwalking, and an incredible falsetto. While his library of music showcases his four-octave vocal range, many are surprised by evidence of the “Thriller” singer singing or speaking in lower tones.
A 1997 clip of the Jackson performing “In the Closet” in Copenhagen from the HIStory World Tour recently resurfaced to the amazement of fans everywhere. The video starts with the musician singing in his iconic falsetto, then quickly flipping to a deep voice to sing-speak, “One thing in life you must understand…” The studio version of the song has a woman whisper-singing those lyrics, so the crowd is seemingly surprised. They responded to Jackson's low rendition with wild cheers.
The video was posted on Reddit in late September 2022 and has gotten over 60,000 upvotes and thousands of comments from surprised viewers. “I've never heard him sing/speak without the falsetto before,” one commenter says. “He sounded like a completely different person.” Another admits, “I was NOT ready for that.”
People were quick to point out that this was not the first or the only time the famed performer revealed his wide singing range. Whenever the singer’s prowess is discussed, it’s hard to not find a link to the 25-minute video of Jackson’s vocal training session with coach Seth Riggs. A quick Google search for “Michael Jackson real voice” or “Michael Jackson deep voice” will point you in the direction of dozens of videos, piecing together random interview and performance clips seeking to prove Jackson donned a fake voice in public settings most times.
With proof that the performer had publicly shown his wide range several times, many shared their theories as to why Jackson seemed to rarely share his low voice. One of the popular ideas is that the singer spoke in a high pitch to preserve his singing voice. Some have replied with personal stories to support this idea, like this comment: “I was a music major…and trained to speak in a higher voice to maintain the high notes I worked so hard for. It’s kept them reachable, almost a decade later, even though I don’t work them often.”
While the real reason may never be known, it’s pretty incredible to see a musician achieve such a wide range of vocal capabilities. Scroll below to watch the performance that has everyone talking.
A 1997 clip of Michael Jackson performing “In the Closet” in Copenhagen from the HIStory World Tour recently resurfaced to the amazement of fans everywhere.
Michael Jackson using his deep voice during a performance in Copenhagen, 1997 pic.twitter.com/CtsIQefmvL
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) September 29, 2022
People were quick to point out that this was not the first or the only time the famed performer revealed his wide singing range, like in this vocal session with his coach Seth Riggs.
h/t: [Reddit]
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