Alright, let's get real—this is your kickoff, but come on, it’s just the opener. Can you even imagine belting your guts out, voice totally reinvented, standing in front of a wild crowd by the end of the year? It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. I mean, look—plenty of singers (like…actual TENS OF THOUSANDS) have already overhauled their voices with my Singers Gift Warmups. Wanna be next? Give your voice some TLC for just 20 minutes a day—these tricks? You won’t find ‘em anywhere else.

People ask me CONSTANTLY (I swear my inbox is 80% this): “What are the absolute best singing tips?” or “How do I instantly make my voice sound good?” Honestly? I could blab for hours—this is my jam, total vocal geek—20-plus years of tweaking singers’ voices will do that to you. But let’s say I only had five minutes (nightmare scenario for me); what would I cram in? So I sat down and wrangled up my top five, the real MVPs.

Here’s something that blows people’s minds (even the pros!): Your voice? It’s low-key an instrument jammed inside your body. You’ve gotta figure out how to use it. It’s super physical at the core—like, muscles and bones and all that jazz. If you want your voice to sound strong and steady? There’s some stuff you need to know…and actually DO. Good news is, some of it’s honestly stupidly simple. Like, start-using-it-right-now simple.

Wild thing? Most singers have no clue about this stuff. Even coaches sometimes don’t. No joke.

Sooo, pretend you’re in a lesson with me right now. Stand in front of a mirror if you’re near one—yep, I’m actually bossing you around—and watch that jaw and head while we mess around with these tricks. Alright, here goes:

My Top 5 No-Nonsense Tricks to Instantly Make Your Singing Sound Way Better

1. The “Instant Vocal Fix”

Fastest hack ever: Watch your jaw while you say A-E-I-O-U in front of the mirror. Betcha your jaw clamps shut on “E” and “U” (maybe more—don’t feel bad). Now, stick your first two fingers between your teeth and sorta pull your jaw down, or be a weirdo and use a bottle cap or cork to hold it open. Do the vowels again. Over and over. We’re basically hacking your muscle memory, so repetition is gold here. Then try singing the vowels, one pitch, jaw hanging open (long, not cartoon-wide). Once that feels less weird, sing a line from a song and keep your jaw open in that position for every single vowel. Takes a pile of practice before it feels normal, but honestly, a lotta people hear the difference right away—suddenly you sound louder, fuller, easier. If you don’t? Chill out, it'll come. Maybe you’ve got some random neck or jaw tension? Shake it out and try again. Next gig, make it a thing—open your jaw more on those vowels. You'll thank me later.

2. “Think Down” for High Notes

Next time you’re going for a big, high note—picture an elevator. Hear me out: elevator goes up cause there’s a weight pulling DOWN on a cable. Weird, but stick with me. When you wanna hit those high notes, don’t “reach” or scream up there—think down instead. Imagine adding a bit of heaviness (resistance) to your top notes. Does it feel counterintuitive? Yup. Does it work? Also yup. Seriously, check out more on this trick if you’re curious about nailing those high notes.

3. More Power, Less Strain

Everybody wants that massive sound, right? Thing is, most singers do the “power-pose” wrong—chin comes up, they puff their chest out, and it just ends up stressing their voice. Try this instead: chin down just a tiny bit while flexing those pecs (lightly or…you know, Hulk out, your call) when craving more oomph. Stand in front of your handy mirror again—sing an “Ah” scale up and down (1-2-3-4-3-2-1), and point your chin a smidge downward. DON’T let your head bob up as you go higher. Tuck it, keep it steady. Sure, your chin will wanna creep up, but don’t let it. This way you get the power, but without trashing your voice. Might feel weird at first, but it’ll be your new normal if you keep at it.

4. How to Get Natural Vibrato In Your Voice

Alright, here’s a quick hack for getting that sweet, natural vibrato going—nothing too wild. Grab a spot in front of your mirror; slap both hands on your chest like you’re about to pledge allegiance to the vocal gods. Lift your chest a bit higher than usual (don’t go Superman mode, just a little). Deep breath in, then let it out. Whatever you do, don’t drop your chest. Now, pick a note and just hang onto it as long as your lungs cooperate—chest still up. About halfway through, give your chest a decent push (not Hulk smash, but don’t be too gentle). Let your chest push up into your hands a bit. Relax that weird neck tension we all get and let your jaw drop open as you let out a nice, lazy “ahhh.” Picture the air swirling around in your mouth, and keep your chin dipped just a little. Chest still up, always. Too much vibrato will make you sound like a goat in a church choir—nobody wants that. But if you never use vibrato, you’ll sound kinda stiff. Try finishing phrases in a straight tone, then add just a sprinkle of vibrato at the end. Mess around with it, honestly. Your voice, your rules.

5. HearFones

Here’s the thing—singing loud doesn’t magically give you a killer voice. Your best sound usually comes out somewhere in the middle, not shouting, not whispering. Basically, when your vocal cords are doing their thing right, you get a solid, clear tone, no breathy nonsense or nasal honk. If you let out too much air, you go all “Marilyn Monroe breathy”; too little air, you’re suddenly singing through your nose like you caught a cold. Unless that’s your vibe, the magic’s in the middle. That’s where HearFones® come in handy—they help you actually hear what’s coming out of your face at those perfect medium volumes. You can snag these online if you just punch “HearFones” into Google or hit up Amazon.

But for real, none of this replaces getting a legit vocal teacher—someone who knows technical stuff, not just someone cheering you on during karaoke. If you want to level up, get a pro. Don’t cheap out!