Liam Gallagher’s Voice and Finding Your Sound
I’ve been on an Oasis kick recently and am reminded of how cool the band sounds. Without digressing into a debate over which brother contributed to their success more (even Noel Gallagher admits, “I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without him, he wouldn’t have got anywhere without me.”), I want to highlight one feature of their music that gave Oasis its unique sound: Liam Gallagher’s voice. While Noel’s songwriting was certainly the musical backbone, Liam Gallagher’s voice defined their sound on the surface. His voice sears through the guitars to create a cool vibe.
Listen to “Wonderwall” while driving with the windows down and wearing sunglasses. You’ll feel how I imagine Liam Gallagher feels when he sings the song. What would otherwise be a happy acoustic pop song turns into an attitude anthem through the sheer grit in his voice. Liam achieves that grit by singing with a distinct nasal quality.
Most singers avoid singing through their nasal canal because it’s considered bad form, and it’s easy to understand why: Typically it comes across as whiny and annoying. And yet, Liam Gallagher manages to make the whining work. More than anything else, it’s what makes Oasis distinctly Oasis.
Traditional Vocal Technique
In proper vocal technique, one should sing through the the oral canal and not the nasal canal. To see if you sing through the nasal canal, practice singing while pinching your nose. If you sound like Donald Duck, then you are, at least partially, singing through your nose.
Unless you are Liam Gallagher, you might consider improving your voice by singing only through your oral canal. To do this, practice singing with your nose pinched until pinching your nose no longer alters the tone of your voice. If you can do this, then your voice is traveling through the proper oral canal, and not your nose.
Unconventional Singing
So why does Liam Gallagher still sound good, despite having bad singing technique? Because he owns it. It’s part of his whole aesthetic. Certainly, he honed other aspects of his vocal technique with time and practice, but he managed to leave the nasality in his voice, making it a distinct part of the Oasis sound. Like his signature parka, occasional tambourine, and singing stance with the torso bent slightly forward and arms held behind the back, his unconventional voice became part of his overall persona. Now, it’s hard to imagine Oasis without Liam’s nasally voice.
Own Your Sound
If you can own it, you can make almost any musical idiosyncrasy sound cool. It’s similar to when you play an out-of-key note on an instrument. If you play it enough times, eventually listeners will adapt and the note will sound in place. What might initially seem like a musical weakness can become a strength that sets you apart from other artists. Especially now that music is so accessible and widespread (thanks to the internet and streaming), anything that makes you stand out in a sea of music options is worth exploring. So be intentional about your slightly off-pitch voice, jangly guitar playing, or dragging rhythm. Any musical blemish can be artistic. If you own it with confidence, your listeners will learn to appreciate your unique, not to mention human, sound.
Liam’s Voice Gone Solo
Since the disbandment of Oasis, Liam Gallagher continues to demonstrate the novelty of his voice in his solo music. What follows may be slightly controversial, but I believe the success of Liam’s solo career is largely thanks to his familiar voice encapsulating much of the Oasis sound. While his brother Noel’s solo music has experienced similar success (if not more), Liam has managed to package much of Oasis in his voice. Change the entire band accompaniment and you’re still left with a characteristically Oasis-sound.
Interestingly, Liam’s lyrics look to a nostalgic past, too. Consider two of the lead singles from his second album: “Once” and “One Of Us” (first released in July and August of 2019 respectively). Both songs reminisce fondly of a past one can’t help but interpret as Oasis glory days. In “One Of Us,” Liam even references his favorite Oasis song “Live Forever”: “Act like you don’t remember. You said we’d live forever.” With a voice and lyrics that remind of Oasis, Liam Gallagher’s solo music manages to take listeners back to a familiar place.
Liam Gallagher’s solo music sharpens our sense for what Liam’s voice contributed to Oasis. He lacks Noel’s songwriting and guitar playing, sure, but he still has that distinct timbre in his voice.
Find Your Sound
The trick is to find your own sound. To some extent, Liam Gallagher’s voice can’t be replicated. It’s his. But you can highlight your own musical idiosyncrasies. Identify something peculiar to the way you sing or play and find a way to capitalize on it. That’s exactly what Liam Gallagher did with his nasally voice.
And I don’t mean you can’t steal from other artists; the best ones do. Just blend elements from your favorite artists into something new and interesting.
However you develop your sound, bring something fresh to the table. If you sound like your typical rock band, you’re saying something that’s already been said (This is also why the rock genre is dying; it’s hard to add to an exhausted genre). But that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile. Even being in a cover rock band can be a lot of fun. But if you want your art to outlive you, you need to dig deep, find something unique. Fortunately, Liam Gallagher isn’t the only one to do this; we all can.
