Top 10 Songs with "Vocal Fry" Technique

Vocal fry is the lowest register of the human voice and is recognized as a subtle croak at the bottom of a vocal register. It's a popping or rattling sound of a very low frequency. Vocal fry feels like it is "below" your normal singing voice, and singers use it to access their lowest notes or for effect. It's used by both males and females in many music genres, from pop to metal. Vocal fry can also appear in speaking voices. Vocal fry is also considered a style of speech.

How did vocal fry get its name? It makes a sound so deep that the voice starts to crackle and pop like frying bacon. Vocal fry isn't recommended as a default vocal style. You use it on a word or several words in a song, not all the time.

Vocal fry is called a vocal register, vocal effect, vocal technique, or vocal style, depending on who analyzes it. Vocal fry is performed with the vocal folds closed, and air passes between the closed vocal folds. The singer actually doesn't use the vocal cords to produce this sound, and for that reason, vocal fry is one of the safest vocal techniques.

Fun fact: vocal fry is also the sound many people unintentionally make when they wake up in the morning, realize they have to get up, and produce that slow, lazy, and slightly raspy "Ahhh."

Singers often use vocal fry to increase expressiveness, achieve heightened vocal emotion or intimacy, or emphasize raw emotion. Words sung in vocal fry can sound very different: sexy, sad, emotional, or apathetic, depending on the singer's goal.

"The vocal fry register (also known as pulse register, laryngealization, pulse phonation, creak, croak, popcorning, glottal fry, glottal rattle, glottal scrape, or strohbass) is the lowest vocal register and is produced through a loose glottal closure that permits air to bubble through slowly with a popping or rattling sound of a very low frequency. During this phonation, the arytenoid cartilages in the larynx are drawn together, which causes the vocal folds to compress rather tightly and become relatively slack and compact. This process forms a large and irregularly vibrating mass within the vocal folds that produces the characteristic low popping or rattling sound when air passes through the glottal closure. The register (if well controlled) can extend far below the modal voice register, in some cases up to 8 octaves lower, such as in the case of Tim Storms who holds the world record for lowest frequency note ever produced by a human, a G −7, which is only 0.189 Hz, inaudible to the human ear." - Wikipedia

The Top Ten

  1. ... Baby One More Time - Britney Spears

    She used vocal fry at the beginning of the song, when she sings "Oh baby baby."

  2. Hero - Enrique Iglesias

    He used it several times, but the easiest one to identify is when he sang the word "I" three times in the chorus: "I can be your hero baby, I can kiss away the pain, I will stand by you forever" (play the sample to hear the first two of the "I"s).

  3. Home - Michael Bublé

    It's in the pre-chorus when he sings "And I've been" from the line "And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you."

  4. Sinful Passion - Dimash Kudaibergen

    He uses it several times at the beginning of the song when he sings with his low, soft voice.

  5. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - Marilyn Manson

    In this Eurythmics cover, Marilyn Manson used extensive vocal fry, most often at the beginning of the song (the sample features part of it).

  6. Rain on Me - Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande

  7. God is a Woman - Ariana Grande

  8. Savage - Megan Thee Stallion

    Megan fries in pretty much every song, including this one.

  9. Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City - Whitesnake

    David Coverdale enters the vocal fry register several times during the first verse, but he fully uses it when he sings the word "babe" (I capitalized it):

    "Ain't no love in the heart of the city

    Ain't no love in the heart of town

    Ain't no love, sure 'nough is a pity, BABE

    Ain't no love 'cause you ain't around

    Baby, since you been around"

  10. Wap - Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Ride - Lana Del Rey

  12. ?

    Alice - Lady Gaga

    13. The Contenders

  13. B.I.T.C.H. - Megan Thee Stallion

  14. Let's Make It Baby - Bon Jovi

    This is one of the sexiest songs I know where he uses vocal fry several times, especially on the words (in order of appearance): down slowly, a little bit closer, love me.

    P.S. This song has two versions, and the sample here doesn't feature the version I'm talking about.

  15. I’m Too Sexy - Right Said Fred

  16. Clown - Emeli Sande

    It's used when she sings "I'll be [your clown]" ("clown" is not in vocal fry).

  17. Bad Idea - Ariana Grande

  18. Moist Vagina - Nirvana

  19. Cowboys from Hell - Pantera

    Phil uses it when he says "We're takin' over this town." This moment is what inspired me to extend my range to a lower register.

  20. Hot Girl Summer - Megan Thee Stallion

  21. The Way - Ariana Grande

  22. Unanswered - Suicide Silence

    This is already fry screaming - nothing sexy about it. He's just using the same technique (closed vocal folds) to produce screams that express raw emotion. The only difference is the amount of air that needs to pass between the closed vocal folds. Much more air is needed here.

  23. One Last Time - Ariana Grande

  24. Creep - TLC

  25. Let's Dance - David Bowie

    Play the sample - it's the first word you hear ("put," from the line "put on your red shoes").

  26. Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande

  27. Deadhead - The Devin Townsend Band

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