Get ready to be amazed by the most extraordinary vocal performances ever recorded! From whistle registers to powerful belting, we're showcasing incredible moments when singers reached seemingly impossible heights. Our selection features legendary artists who have pushed the boundaries of vocal ability, both in studio recordings and unforgettable live performances.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today, we're hitting the high notes, literally, as we count down our picks for the most jaw-dropping moments when singers soar to incredible vocal heights, whether in the studio or during a live performance.
00:25Number 10. If I Ain't Got You, Alicia Keys.
00:30Some people live for the fortune.
00:35Some people live...
00:36She may have chosen her name for her piano chops, but Alicia Keys' talent goes far beyond just that.
00:42The New York-born singer is a rare musical powerhouse, writing, producing, playing multiple instruments, and singing with one of the most expressive voices in the game.
00:52Some people want it all, but I don't want nothing at all.
00:58Keys puts those pipes to work on her 2004 hit, If I Ain't Got You, where she croons about valuing love and connection over material things.
01:06Throughout the chorus, Keys hits and sustains a powerful high note, which she delivers with raw emotion and remarkable control.
01:13It's a testament to her vocal technique that she can make such a technically demanding moment sound so effortless.
01:24Be warned, though, you may hurt yourself trying to hit those exact notes.
01:27When you first hear Queen's Somebody to Love, you might think there was a 100-person choir packed into the studio.
01:43In truth, it's just Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor layering their voices into a rich choral sound.
01:49The track has several peaks and valleys, building to a powerful climax where the trio harmonize on a soaring high note,
02:02which ends with Mercury stretching the final word with surgical precision.
02:06One day I'm gonna be free!
02:09As it fades, you can hear the yearning and frustration of the entire song being fully released.
02:18Few rock vocalists could blend operatic technique with the sound of gospel music the way these guys could.
02:23But it was nothing new.
02:24They had already reached similar vocal heights in the equally intricate Bohemian Rhapsody.
02:29For me! For me! For me!
02:36Number 8. Love on Top at the 28th MTV Video Music Awards, Beyoncé.
02:41Honey, honey, I can see the stars all the way from here.
02:48For nearly any singer, Love on Top would be a technically demanding challenge.
02:53On the track, Beyoncé changes keys four times, each cranking things up to a higher and more tasking level.
02:59While the studio recording is already remarkable, her 2011 VMA's performance pushed the boundaries even further.
03:05In the final stretch of the song, Beyoncé delivered each ascending modulation with flawless control,
03:11maintaining a rich, full tone even in the highest registers.
03:14Hitting and sustaining multiple high notes in such quick succession would be difficult for even the most skilled singers,
03:27but Beyoncé made it look and sound so easy.
03:30Baby, you're the one that I see.
03:33You're the only thing I see.
03:35Come on, baby, it's you.
03:37The performance was made all the more impressive by the surprise pregnancy reveal at the end.
03:42Number 7. SOS D'Ontariens en DĂ©tresse on Singer, Dimash Goddard-Bergien.
03:48I've seen SOS D'Ontariens en DĂ©tresse.
03:55When Dimash Goddard-Bergien joined the Chinese competition program Singer in 2017,
04:01he was the youngest participant in the show's history and considered the wild card.
04:05But the moment he stepped on stage in the first episode, he quickly established himself as a fierce competitor.
04:11Performing the 1978 French classic SOS D'Ontariens en DĂ©tresse,
04:25Goddard-Bergien began with a gentle lower register,
04:28then gradually ascended to astonishing high notes that left the audience in awe.
04:32These were the kind of piercing notes most singers wouldn't dare attempt,
04:36let alone deliver with such clarity.
04:37Yet for Goddard-Bergien, it all looked so unstrained.
04:40In just about 5 minutes, the Kazakh singer introduced himself to the world as a vocal phenomenon,
04:53and ultimately finished as the runner-up.
04:55Number 6. Oh Happy Day, en Programa de Jo, Georgia Brown.
05:00Although there are many big-name vocalists who are famous for hitting sky-high notes,
05:04the Guinness World Record for the highest note ever recorded actually belongs to Brazilian singer Georgia Brown.
05:10Three years before she snagged that title in 2004,
05:20Brown appeared on the Brazilian late-night talk show Programa de Jo,
05:23to promote her debut album Black Nature.
05:25There, she treated host Jo Soares and his audience to a spirited rendition of the gospel classic Oh Happy Day.
05:31Brown flexed her extensive vocal range, gliding easily from low tones to dizzying highs,
05:43and finishing with an impressive whistle register that probably shattered a few glasses in the room.
05:48All Happy Day, All Happy Day, All Happy Day, All Happy Day, All Happy Day,
05:58Even after the performance ended, she continued to showcase her skills, all while seated.
06:04Number 5. All By Myself, CĂ©line Zion.
06:07Originally written and recorded by Eric Carman in 1975,
06:11All By Myself found New Life in 1996 when it was covered by CĂ©line Zion.
06:15All By Myself, CĂ©line Zion.
06:22Her version became a massive hit around the world,
06:27and was a masterful showcase of Dion's incredible vocal range.
06:30While her performance is impressive from start to finish,
06:33the real showstopper comes towards the end when Dion hits and carries a powerful high note as the instrumentals build.
06:40Anymore!
06:49Apparently, when the song was presented to her,
06:51even Dion was unsure if she could pull off the challenging high note.
06:54But when producer David Foster suggested offering it to a more experienced singer,
06:59it lit a determination in Dion that pushed her to nail the note,
07:02reportedly in just one take.
07:05Well, he said, if you can't do it, there's other singers next to those that can't.
07:08Ooh!
07:10And that's all I needed to hit the note.
07:12Yes, I'm sure!
07:14Number 4. I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston.
07:17I would only be in your way.
07:25Dolly Parton's 1974 country song, I Will Always Love You,
07:30was a tender ballad anchored by her masterful songwriting.
07:34But when it was revamped by Whitney Houston in 1992,
07:37the singer used her extraordinary voice to turn it into a soaring pop anthem.
07:41I will always love you.
07:47Throughout the track, Houston does what she does best,
07:53pouring her soul into every note.
07:55And just when you think the song is winding down,
07:57she reignites it for an explosive finale,
08:00during which she unleashes a gravity-defying high note
08:03that still gives goosebumps all these years later.
08:05The roughly 42nd electrifying climax
08:19has become one of the most iconic moments in music history,
08:22and a key reason why Houston's version of the song
08:25is considered the gold standard.
08:26Number 3. You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman
08:38on American Idol, Kelly Clarkson.
08:41Look it out on the morning rain.
08:46I used to feel...
08:48Early on in the first season of American Idol,
08:50it was clear that Kelly Clarkson,
08:52the 20-year-old contestant from Burleson, Texas,
08:54was the one to watch.
08:56But what truly cemented her win,
08:58long before the finale,
08:59was her performance of this 1967 classic.
09:10Clarkson paid tribute to the legendary Aretha Franklin
09:13by bringing a stylistic edge to the soulful song.
09:15The moment Clarkson brought the entire room to their feet
09:18was when she soared into a high note
09:20that seemed to hang in the air forever.
09:21So long!
09:23Her pitch and control were not only perfect,
09:34but she brought it back down with an impressive growl.
09:37For a young, then unknown singer
09:38to deliver something so taxing with ease,
09:41Remarkable doesn't even begin to cover it.
09:43Number 2.
09:44Lovin' You, Minnie Riperton.
09:46During the recording of Minnie Riperton's 1974 hit single
09:57Lovin' You,
09:57the chirping of nearby songbirds
09:59was accidentally captured and left in the track.
10:02But when you hear that sound alongside Riperton's voice,
10:05it's not so easy to differentiate between the two.
10:07Riperton adds to the song's ethereal,
10:09almost lullaby-like atmosphere
10:11with her dreamy vocals
10:12that soar up to the whistle register
10:14during the song's bridge.
10:22These incredibly high notes,
10:24which would leave most singers gasping for air,
10:26flow out of Riperton so effortlessly,
10:28all while she sings with a radiant smile.
10:31Her performance on Lovin' You
10:32is a remarkable display of vocal control and range,
10:35one that will continue to inspire singers
10:38for decades to come.
10:45Before we unveil our top pick,
10:47here are a few honorable mentions.
10:50Kiss, Prince and the Revolution.
10:52A falsetto note so high,
10:53it could kiss the sky.
10:55You don't have to be a fish,
10:57you can be my girl,
10:59you don't have to be cool.
11:01This Australian vocalist set a decade-long record
11:07by hitting the D8 note live.
11:15That's C-sharp and it's off the piano.
11:18Yes!
11:19One last time, Ariana Grande.
11:21Grande flexes her powerful pipes on this track
11:24about guilt and regret.
11:25Dream On, Aerosmith.
11:35Steven Tyler puts on his trademark screams
11:37for one of rock's most explosive songs.
11:39Dream On, Dream On,
11:42Titanium, David Guetta featuring Sia.
11:50A chorus so intense,
11:51it builds up to both a soaring high note
11:53and an electric beat drop.
11:55Before we continue,
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12:19Number 1.
12:21Emotions, Mariah Carey.
12:25Deeper than I'll ever be loved.
12:30Although Minnie Riperton was one of the trailblazers
12:32of the whistle register,
12:33it was Mariah Carey who truly popularized the technique.
12:37Nowhere is it done to perfection
12:38more than on her chart-topping 1991 single,
12:41Emotions.
12:42The song has an upbeat disco sound
12:44that practically forces you to dance
12:46until the pre-chorus hits
12:47and Carey sends you into a trance
12:49with a flawless whistle.
12:50But I like the way I feel
12:52You got me feeling emotions
12:57She does it again and again and again,
13:01making it seem so effortless
13:02that you forget just how much vocal mastery
13:04such a technique demands.
13:06For those who first listened to the song
13:07and doubted it was actually
13:08Carey hitting the high registers,
13:10she certainly cleared all those doubts
13:12when she performed Emotions
13:13on MTV Unplugged in 1992.
13:23Which of these high notes
13:24do you think are powerful enough
13:25to shatter glass?
13:27Let us know in the comments below.
13:28Don't forget me
13:30I think
13:32I remember you say
13:35I think