Stop Letting The Internet Dictate Your Vocal Choices

If you saw the reel I posted the other day, you already know I’ve got a bone to pick.

I came across a video of a vocal coach tearing apart Gracie Abrams’ breathing during a live performance. 

He was nitpicking how many breaths she took, how audible they were, how “incorrect” it all sounded. 

And I just couldn’t stay quiet.

Look, I’m all for honest feedback when it’s actually helpful. 

But this wasn’t that.

This was someone using their platform to publicly pick apart a young woman who’s out there doing the work: writing songs, performing them, and connecting with people. 

And for what? 

To sound smart? 

Get engagement? 

To feel superior?

That kind of criticism doesn’t help anyone. 

It doesn’t make singers better. 

It just adds more noise… noise that makes people scared to even try.

And that’s what really gets to me.

Because I know there are singers reading this who are already nervous about their voices. 

Maybe you’re just starting out. 

Maybe you’ve been singing for years but still feel self-conscious. 

Maybe you’ve been thinking about taking lessons but you’re worried you’ll “do it wrong.” 

And then you see stuff like this… 

Grown adults dragging singers for breathing, for how they sound live, for not being polished enough: and it makes you wonder if it’s even worth putting yourself out there.

It’s not constructive. 

It’s not educational. 

It’s just mean. 

And it especially hurts the people who need encouragement the most.

Here’s what I want you to remember:

Singing isn’t meant to be perfect. You’re a storyteller first.

That’s the whole point. 

The goal was never to sound like a machine. 

The goal is to move people. 

To say something true. To make someone feel less alone in their own life.

A great example is when Adele performed “Someone Like You” at the BRIT Awards back in 2012. 

She was crying throughout most of it. 

Her voice frequently cracked. 

It wasn’t technically perfect. 

But that performance is still one of the most moving vocal moments in recent history, because it was human.

When we obsess over perfection. 

When we let internet critics convince us that audible breaths or imperfect phrasing make us “bad”... we lose the plot. 

We stop singing like ourselves and start performing for people who were never going to root for us anyway.

Great singers aren’t the ones who never make mistakes. 

They’re the ones who know how to tell a story with their voice, even when it cracks, even when they run out of breath, even when it’s not technically flawless. 

That’s what people actually connect with. 

Your imperfections aren’t the problem. 

They’re part of what makes your voice yours.

So if you’re out here trying to grow, trying to get better, trying to figure out what your voice even is right now: protect that. 

Protect your joy. 

Protect your curiosity. 

Protect the part of you that wants to say something when you sing. 

You don’t need to be perfect to start. 

You don’t need to sound like anyone else. 

And you definitely don’t need the approval of random vocal coaches on the internet who you’ll probably never meet in your life.

If you’re someone who’s been feeling discouraged by all the noise online, I want you to know this… 

There are people and tools out there that actually want to help you grow… not tear you down for clicks.

One of those tools is the Singing / Straw. 

It’s a simple way to build awareness, control, and healthy technique while staying connected to your own sound and your own story. 

A lot of singers use it as a way to train without all the pressure of getting everything “right”, so you can focus more on the storytelling and less on the fear of doing it wrong.

If you’re curious and want to see how it works, you can watch this quick video: 

But more than anything, I just want you to keep going. 

Keep singing. 

Keep telling your story, especially when it feels scary. 

The internet will always have opinions. 

Your voice only needs one person to believe in it right now.

You.