What Really Makes Mariah Carey's Voice So Unique

As it turns out, Mariah Carey's enviable vocals are the result of growths on her vocal cords. As Carey explained ina 2017 interview, her cords have nodules non-cancerous calluses or lumps perDuke Health on them "my whole life." Such growths can cause one's voice to develop raspiness or cracking, as the pressure exerted by

As it turns out, Mariah Carey's enviable vocals are the result of growths on her vocal cords. As Carey explained in a 2017 interview, her cords have nodules — non-cancerous calluses or lumps per Duke Health – on them "my whole life." Such growths can cause one's voice to develop raspiness or cracking, as the pressure exerted by them affects one's vocal cords' vibrations. Luckily for Carey, "I've learned to sing around them," she said, which grants her the ability to drop from a dolphin-like whistle note into a low alto in one second. 

While a rare blessing-in-disguise from Mother Nature, Carey's voice is also one cultivated and carefully maintained over years of practice. To keep singing in her five-octave range, Carey continued, "It is all about timing, vocal rest, sleep, water... It's a different kind of thing." She further explained (via CBS News), "I've got to sleep 15 hours to sing the way I want to." She also stressed the importance of keeping "20 humidifiers around the bed" in an interview with V Magazine (per Yahoo! Movies), which creates a "steam room" effect.

In January 2021, Carey shared with the Questlove Supreme podcast how the forced rest the coronavirus pandemic inflicted on her did her cords and nodules good. "Taking off work has really helped my voice," the singer said, per Express. "When I'm under pressure... every part of my voice is screwed up." 

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