Anyone who's ever heard Michael Jackson's speaking voice knows that it's unusually high, very unnatural for an adult man. I was just wondering, is his voice like that naturally, or did he have some medical procedure done to make it like that?

I heard that when MJ was a child-singer with the Jackson Five, he had surgery done to keep his voice from changing when he hit puberty so he could continue his singing career into adulthood. Can someone tell me if that's true?

It certainly doesn't sound natural - even in his "pre-white" days it was just as high, LOL! ;D

I've never heard the surgery thing before, but to be honest, it wouldn't surprise me. Now, I have heard guys with high voices (this one guy I knew several years ago, was in his late 20's and, on the phone often got mistaken for a woman!), but not quite THAT high. ;)

who gives a sheesh

who gives a fudge

who gives a sheesh

who gives a fudge


HAHAHAHAHA

Nice one Chucky - like the way those words are filtered out to be replace by others!

Jacko himself is quoted as saying that he had only one nosejob, to help him get the highnotes. ::)
BTW, when I feel the urge to f*ckin swear and sh*t, I do it like this! ;)

I think Michael Jackson is one of the most talented musician's of Rock history.
Can you PLEASE not include him in the "Rock" genre....at best he was/is "Pop" ;)

Can you PLEASE not include him in the "Rock" genre....at best he was/is "Pop" ;)


Hey Mark, would you consider "Beat it" to be rock? I heard that at the time, rock stations actually gave it some airplay because of Eddie VH's guitar solo.

Other than that, "Dirty Diana" is in a bit of the same direction, but mostly I would consider him R & B or pop.

PS: Remember "Beat it" played in BTTF 2 in the Cafe 80's? Anytime a BTTF-ish thing comes up, you know I gotta mention it! ;D

80smuzikhead, actually if you replay the interview again, i think you'll find he said two, not one.
Never actually heard it, it was quoted/misquoted in a local paper.
Rock, pop - same difference.
:o Ooooo! Watch out, street_walker, I think you might have "started something" here..... :D

Michael Jackson had multiple surgeries to his voice as many other "pop" artists have to keep their voice in check. I can however suggest non surgercial ideas like playing with mouse traps and vice grips for guys who need a cheaper method :)

As for Michael Jackson not being what you would call a "Pop" artist, I tend to consider him more of an R&B artist than anything.
THAT is something I can agree with ;)

*giggles* I believe Justin Tenderflake is reportedly getting surgery for his voice. The surgery I'm guessing has to do with altering the larnyx, making it either smaller or "tighter" to improve one's ability of hitting higher notes.

I think some other musicians have had the surgery but don't quote me on that.

*giggles* I believe Justin Tenderflake is reportedly getting surgery for his voice. The surgery I'm guessing has to do with altering the larnyx, making it either smaller or "tighter" to improve one's ability of hitting higher notes.

I think some other musicians have had the surgery but don't quote me on that.


I might be mistaken but I think that the surgery that Justin Timberlake is undergoing doesn't have anything to do with making his larynx smaller or tighter. I read in one of the recent issues of People magazine that his surgery has to do with removing vocal nodes, which are little calluses that can form on the larynx if the voice isn't well taken care of. An extremely risky sort of surgery if the doctors aren't careful, because one wrong move and the person's singing voice is lost, like Julie Andrews' voice.  :\'( I know that that kind of surgery can be used for pop singers, and Kelly Clarkson even underwent that to get rid of her nodes formed during her tenure on American Idol. Never heard of the kind of surgery you've mentioned though......

Surgery to remove throat nodules is quite common. Elton John and Annie Lennox both had it. I think Freddie Mercury considered it too, but didn't want to take the risk. Many popoular singers don't take the same care of their voices as classical singers do. For instance, if Andrea Bocelli is performing in an opera in the evening, he will avoid speaking for the day. A pop star doing a show the same evening will probably be doing interviews during the day. Very sad to hear about Julie Andrews. :(

I also heard the surgery thing but cant find anything to back it up.

Someone probably kicked him in the cherries when he was young

Wow this thread is outta control like Martin Laurence on a bender.

Time for the resident MJ afficianado to chime in.

The high squeak of a voice that Michael uses is all a part of his persona. That whole shy, boy next door thing he had going on in the early 80s. And he wanted to see and sound shy and sweet. Michael's voice is actually quite deeper. But if you listen to all of his brothers--with the exception of Tito--they all have naturally higher voicers.

He has not  had surgery to make hsi voice higher, nor have I ever heard of a medical procedure that could do such a thing. And Michael never injected estrogen either because if he did he's probably have grown boobs.  ::) Any way, Michael has a five octave voice which allows him to reach higher notes. (Mariah Carey has an eight octave voice and sounds like a man when she speaks.)

It's his naturally occouring voice.


And I have a question, if Michael can sing and talk in a high voice, why is it that purple Prince has a womans singing voice but when he speaks sounds like Barry White trapped in a midget's body.  ;D

I am certain some weird stuff went on with Michael's developmental delays, which I think was psychogenic disturbance of certain hormonal secretions.  Some people respond to extreme environmental stress in this way.   

I am certain some weird stuff went on with Michael's developmental delays, which I think was psychogenic disturbance of certain hormonal secretions.  Some people respond to extreme environmental stress in this way.   


You're right.  ??? I've read Michael's biography  (NOT autobiography) and some of the things Michael expierienced was just horrific!  :\'( Poor guy.

You're right.  ??? I've read Michael's biography  (NOT autobiography) and some of the things Michael expierienced was just horrific!  :\'( Poor guy.


His gifts in music and dancing saved him from commission to a mental institution.  Some of my friends were saying last summer that MJ was a totally manufactured celebrity.  I don't agree.  He wasn't Donny Osmond or something.  He was electrifying in a way you can't manufacture.  Everybody who saw him at the time of "Off The Wall" came away saying, "Man, that kid's got talent!"  And then there was "Thriller."

In retrospect, I see how his inner pain might have influenced his dancing style and the constant themes of transmogrification in his life and work expressed a profound self-loathing.  I think it's all there in the "Thriller" short. 

Wow this thread is outta control like Martin Laurence on a bender.

Time for the resident MJ afficianado to chime in.

The high squeak of a voice that Michael uses is all a part of his persona. That whole shy, boy next door thing he had going on in the early 80s. And he wanted to see and sound shy and sweet. Michael's voice is actually quite deeper. But if you listen to all of his brothers--with the exception of Tito--they all have naturally higher voicers.

He has not  had surgery to make hsi voice higher, nor have I ever heard of a medical procedure that could do such a thing. And Michael never injected estrogen either because if he did he's probably have grown boobs.  ::) Any way, Michael has a five octave voice which allows him to reach higher notes. (Mariah Carey has an eight octave voice and sounds like a man when she speaks.)

It's his naturally occouring voice.


And I have a question, if Michael can sing and talk in a high voice, why is it that purple Prince has a womans singing voice but when he speaks sounds like Barry White trapped in a midget's body.  ;D


  Yeah.  Why perform surgical procedures on the guy (dog knows he's seen enough of those) when he can clearly sing in falsetto.  Mickey Thomas from Starship sings falsetto, too...

LMAO I must point out, Someone said Michael got kicked in the cherries.


More like plums.  ::)

http://i50.tinypic.com/hu4ron.gif <---NSFW!!! (I didn't make this, it was given to me by a friend)  ;D That;s Michael Jackson, during his concert in Munich, Germany in 1996.

Mods if it's too much, please feel free to remove the image

This tour ended in 1997. Fans are STILL talking about it 13 years later. There are fanclubs dedicated to it, and cliques among other fansites. LOL.

   Yeah.  Why perform surgical procedures on the guy (dog knows he's seen enough of those) when he can clearly sing in falsetto.  Mickey Thomas from Starship sings falsetto, too...


The really horrible falsettos were Canned Heat and Supertramp!
::)

The really horrible falsettos were Canned Heat and Supertramp!
::)



:( I liked Supertramp....

:( I liked Supertramp....


To be fair, Roger Hodgson didn't sing in a falsetto so much as a counter tenor, the highest natural pitch for male voice.

In the early 1970s, I heard that they were planning to give Michael an operation to preserve his voice.  I distinctly remember discussing it with my friend as we were both disgusted by it.

He clearly did have an operation but none of his biographers seem to refer it which shows the quality of research done in the entertainment industry.  It was in the early 1970's, after the song Ben but I cant remember how long after... maybe a couple of years.

As for these people saying he never had an operation, I suspect they werent even born at the time

GC from NZ

There's one person who has a higher voice than MJ.... Alessio Garavello. Check out the last part of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rklZyk4eB5Q

The issue in his later years was not Michael Jackson's high voice.  Just Michael Jackson's high.
:-\\