Voice Type: Light-Lyric Soprano
Range: D3-A5-E6
Katy’s voice has been misclassified and starting debates since her debut. I have seen many get very passionate about her voice type. Confusion is usually caused because she doesn’t perfectly fit into any fach. Despite this, her voice can be classified correctly.
Contralto
This misconception is just weird. People generally believe this one because Katy is listed as a contralto on Wikipedia. Well Wikipedia is not a reliable source for voice classification. For those who believe that Katy is a contralto here’s why she isn’t. A contralto will have the lowest tessitura of all female voice types. Katy’s tessitura and lower register is nowhere near that of a contralto. Katy is known for her belty songs. Her lower range is naturally very weak. A contralto will have a naturally strong lower register. In addition, a contralto (like all other fachs) will have a specific sound. A contralto will have a dark and androgynous voice. One would not mistake Katy for a man when hearing her on the radio, and therefore she cannot be a contralto. Overall, Katy really exhibits no qualities of a contralto.
Mezzo-Soprano
Most often Katy is labeled a mezzo. Katy’s chest-dominant mix leads people to believe that she has a ‘weightier’ voice than she actually does. People tend to label anyone with a ‘weightier’ voice a mezzo (eg. Lea Michele, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J (who are all sopranos, like Katy)). A mezzo would possess natural comfort down low. Katy’s tessitura is not sky high, but her complete discomfort down low and ease (at least for her technique) in the upper 5th octave means she must be a soprano.
Spinto/Dramatic
Again Katy’s technique can confuse some. As she is known for having a powerful voice people automatically assume that Katy must be a dramatic or spinto soprano/mezzo-soprano. If Katy used an even mix her voice would shed some weight and expose her true lyric output. Moreover, Katy’s voice is too warm and bright to be a dramatic (who has a cold voice) or spinto (who has a dark voice).
Full-Lyric Soprano
Katy is known for her sweet, youthful and warm voice (Birthday). The main distinction between a light and full lyric lies within how mature the voice is. A full-lyric will sound womanly (mature) and a light-lyric will sound girly (youthful). Due to this Katy cannot be a full-lyric soprano, despite the confusion caused by her chest-dominant mix.
Light-Lyric Soprano
Katy is indeed a light-lyric soprano. However, she is not your typical soprano. Her tessitura sits lower than the usual soprano. Working on her technique would allow her to have more comfort in the upper 5th octave and expose her true soprano voice.
Vocal View: While it is great Katy can actually produce some resonance, I would love to see her take lessons to work on her technique.
