Top 10 Celebrities Known for Their Frequent Use of Vocal Fry

Vocal fry is the lowest register of the human voice, characterized by a deep, creaking, rattling, gravelly, or guttural sound. It is usually produced at the end of a sentence but can also occur at the beginning. This vocal phenomenon is also known as creaky voice, creak, croak, glottal rattle, glottal fry, laryngealization, pulse register, pulse phonation, and strohbass.

Vocal fry is produced when very little air passes through the vocal cords while they are relaxed, causing the cords to vibrate more slowly and irregularly. It is referred to as fry because the sound is often likened to food frying, though many describe it as sounding more like a creaking door.

Everyone has vocal fry to some extent, but some individuals use it more frequently than others. The celebrities included in this list are those who use vocal fry so often that it has become a notable characteristic of their speech, contributing to their fame.

1. Kim Kardashian

   

   Kimberly Noel Kardashian (known as Kim Kardashian. Formerly West. Born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the sex tape Kim Kardashian, Superstar, shot... read more

   Everyone uses vocal fry usually when ending and beginning sentences, but some people use it constantly, and she's no exception. After all, she may be the true queen of vocal fry we know of.

   There are more than 7 billion people in this world, making it hard to know who the true queen or king is, but she's famous, and we clearly know her. We can guess she's as much of a deep frier as a woman might possibly be. Not just because of how extreme her vocal fry was, but because she used it so much. Pretty much every word she spoke was in the vocal fry register.

   She's also known for her valley girl accent and has used it for years. Many young women have been changing the way they talk to sound more like her. She's been famous for decades, since shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which ended in 2021 after 13 years, 11 months, 24 days, and 20 seasons. After that, reality TV will fall from relevance.

2. Khloé Kardashian

   

   Like Kim, Khloé is known for her extreme and constant use of vocal fry. Somehow, Kim gets all the attention for it despite Khloé being a deep-frying Kardashian too.

3. Kourtney Kardashian

   

   Kourtney Mary Kardashian Barker, born April 18, 1979, in Los Angeles, California, is an American media personality, socialite, businesswoman, and model. She first gained fame starring alongside her family in the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians and its spin-offs, including Kourtney... read more

   Another member of the Kardashians, Kourtney uses extreme vocal fry and is an example of deep-fried celebrities.

4. Zooey Deschanel

   

   Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is best known for her deadpan comedic roles in films such as The Good Girl (2002), The New Guy (2002), Elf (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Failure to Launch (2006), Yes Man (2008), and 500 Days of Summer (2009... read more

   She uses lots of vocal fry throughout her life. Her career is what we know of and how she got famous.

5. Katy Perry

   

   Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, professionally known as Katy Perry, was born on October 25, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California. She is a singer, songwriter, actress, and has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2013.

   She is among the best-selling artists ever, with four Guinness World Records... read more

   She fries when both talking and singing, though more when she talks than when she sings.

6. Kurt Cobain

   

   Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 - April 5, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the frontman of the grunge band Nirvana. Founded in 1987, Nirvana achieved global success in the early 1990s, reshaping rock music with albums like Bleach, Nevermind, and In Utero. Cobain died... read more

   Legendary artist and member of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, was known for his use of vocal fry and made it into art in his songs. Never forget the legend we loved and lost. Sadly, he committed suicide at only 27. R.I.P. Kurt Cobain.

7. Chris Cornell

   

   Christopher John "Chris" Cornell (July 20, 1964 to May 18, 2017) was an American rock musician and singer-songwriter. He was best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the frontman of Audioslave. Renowned for his powerful voice, he possessed a wide... read more

   Legendary artist Chris Cornell was known for his major use of vocal fry and became influential in music. Sadly, he committed suicide by hanging himself. He was only 52. He was a majestic gentleman. R.I.P. Chris Cornell.

8. Kylie Jenner

   

   Kylie Kristen Jenner is an American media personality, model, entrepreneur, socialite, and social media personality. She gained fame through the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians and later founded the cosmetics company Kylie Cosmetics. Forbes named Jenner the world's youngest self-made billionaire... read more

   She frequently uses vocal fry and somehow adds uniqueness when using it, even in the brief song that made her famous (Rise and Shine).

9. Britney Spears

   

   Britney Jean Spears (born on December 2, 1981, in McComb, Mississippi) is an American former singer and actress. She was raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. As a child, she performed acting roles in stage productions and television shows, such as The Mickey Mouse Club, before signing with Jive Records in... read more

   Her line "Oh baby baby" in her debut and biggest hit, Baby One More Time, brought the trend of vocal fry into the celebrity world. Ever since then, many have tried to imitate her vocal fry and verses. It became the biggest debut in the history of music (yet that was before we even had YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, or TikTok).

10. Scarlett Johansson

    

    Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress, model, and singer. She made her film debut in North (1994).

    Johansson is considered one of Hollywood's modern sex symbols and has frequently appeared on published lists of the sexiest women in the world.... read more

    Scarlett Johansson, formerly known as the world's highest-paid actress (with over a whopping $14.3B from her total films including Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making her the 9th highest-grossing actress of all time), until Sofía Vergara (best known for playing in Modern Family, which ran from 2009 to 2020 with 11 seasons and 250 episodes), is known for her use of vocal fry.

    While she sounds smooth in her movies and shows, she fries remarkably in her interviews.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Pillbox Patti

    She frequently uses vocal fry in both her speeches and music.

12. ?

    Zendaya

    

    Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman is an American actress, singer, and producer. She began her career as a child model and backup dancer before gaining recognition for her role as Rocky Blue on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up.... read more

    She often uses vocal fry.

The Contenders

13. Paris Hilton

    

    Paris Whitney Hilton is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, actress, singer, DJ, and author. She rose to fame in the early 2000s through the reality television series The Simple Life, as well as through fashion, fragrance, and nightclub ventures. Hilton has since expanded... read more

    She uses massive vocal fry and says everything extremely. She is the original queen of it before any of the Kardashians, including Kim.

    It was revealed in her record-setting documentary on YouTube (This Is Paris) that she talks deeper than we used to think. She admitted her higher-pitched voice was all a character act she performed for the last 20 years. She should definitely climb toward the top numbers on this list. She led the vocal fry trend in pop culture before any of the other stars, including Britney Spears or the Kardashians and Jenners.

14. Gigi Hadid

    

    Jelena Noura "Gigi" Hadid is an American fashion model. She signed with IMG Models in 2013 and rose to prominence shortly afterward. In November 2014, she debuted in the Top 50 Models ranking on Models.com and was named International Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council in 2016.

    She uses vocal fry most of the time.

15. Marilyn Manson

    

    Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician, songwriter, actor, painter, multimedia artist, author, and former music journalist. He is the lead singer and only constant member of the band Marilyn Manson, which he formed in 1989.... read more

    He is one of the few rock vocalists who have frequently used fry screaming (for example, in "Angel With The Scabbed Wings"). Raspy belting is a more common rock vocal style (for example, used by Ronnie James Dio and Tina Turner).

16. Lindsay Lohan

    

    Lindsay Dee Lohan is an American actress. In addition to acting, she has worked as a model, singer, songwriter, and producer. She has appeared in several notable films, including The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, and Mean Girls, which established her as a teen idol in the early 2000s.

    She fries a lot and had quite a history of fame-induced stress leading to some dark moments over the last 12+ years.

17. Rihanna

    

    Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados. She began her music career in 2003 by recording demo tapes with producers Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, and eventually signed with Def Jam Recordings after an audition for... read more

    Her songs frequently have vocal fry in them thanks to her.

18. Camila Mendes

    

19. Candice Swanepoel

    

    Candice Susan Swanepoel is a South African model best known for her work with Victoria's Secret. She became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2010 and appeared in numerous fashion shows and advertising campaigns for the brand. Swanepoel has also worked with many other major fashion houses and designers throughout... read more

    She is definitely known for using vocal fry.

20. Gabbie Hanna

    

    She definitely uses vocal fry.

21. Emma Watson

    

    Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson is a British actress, model, and activist. Born in Paris and brought up in Oxfordshire, Watson attended the Dragon School as a child and trained as an actress at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts.... read more

    Known very well for her vocal fry, she was also known for her role as Belle in the 2017 live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. She sang surprisingly smoothly for the most part despite her voice being known to commonly fry. She was also known for playing Hermione Granger in Harry Potter.

22. Brad Pitt

    

    William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and three Academy Award nominations for acting, in addition to three more nominations and one win as a producer under his company, Plan B Entertainment.... read more

    The former husband of Jennifer Aniston, he uses vocal fry a lot, all I can say.

23. Mel Blanc

    

    He used massive vocal fry to play the voice of Elmer Fudd from Looney Tunes. He was the most prolific voice actor who ever lived. The man with 1,000 voices. R.I.P. Mel Blanc.

    I am probably not the most qualified person to say this, but he was the greatest voice actor ever.

24. Takako Fuji

    

    She frequently used vocal fry to play her role as the ghost from The Grudge.

25. Dimash Kudaibergen

    

    Dinmukhamed Qanatuly Qudaibergen, commonly known as Dimash Kudaibergen, was born on May 24, 1994. He is a Kazakh singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.

    He gained international recognition as a contestant on the Chinese talent show Singer 2017, where he finished as the runner-up. Dimash... read more

26. Tina Fey

    

    Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. Fey also created and starred in the critically acclaimed comedy series 30 Rock and has received numerous Emmy... read more

    She uses vocal fry a lot.

27. Tatiana Shmaylyuk

    

    Lead singer of the metalcore band Jinjer, she is known for a really extreme vocal fry. I suppose she might not be famous enough to be considered a "celebrity," but I feel like she fits this list well.