# Could some popular singers have made it as opera singers, given the training? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2012, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304 "2012-10-30T05:38:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/81 "2012-11-02T16:42:07Z")
I know lots of opera singers who smoke. Enrico Caruso was a particularly heavy smoker. It was probably the main factor in his premature death, but it doesn’t seem to have hurt him technically (although I suppose you can never know exactly what would be different if things were different). That said, I certainly wouldn’t recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/82 "2012-11-02T16:45:47Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > I know lots of opera singers who smoke. Enrico Caruso was a particularly heavy smoker. It was probably the main factor in his premature death, but it doesn’t seem to have hurt him technically (although I suppose you can never know exactly what would be different if things were different). > > That said, I certainly wouldn’t recommend it. I’m just going by what I heard. Of course, back in Caruso’s day, people didn’t know as much about smoking and how harmful it was. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/83 "2012-11-02T16:52:51Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > Well, he’s certainly growing a nice rack on him from the looks of [this picture](http://memearchive.net/memerial.net/5155/take-me-down-to-the-bbq-city.jpg). He might fill out one of those [cone bra costumes](http://cdn2.mamapop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/6a00d8341c5d9653ef0120a805a9b8970b.jpg) yet! > > Joking aside, I throw my vote in for Mariah Carey. Wow. I did not realize that Axl got that big. He looks nothing like he used to. He’s been partying with Val Kilmer. Oh, and Sara McLaughlin. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/84 "2012-11-02T17:29:28Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I’ve heard that smoking can ruin your singing voice if you’re a classical singer > [@fachverwirrt](#): > > I know lots of opera singers who smoke. I think it varies by individual: I started taking classical voice lessons in high school, and in college I smoked a little but never seriously because it screwed up my voice. I’ve known other singers who had much the same experience with smoking, but also some who could smoke all they wanted with no effect. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/85 "2012-11-02T17:41:34Z")
Went and checked her Wikipedia bio to see if she had an operatic background before I posted. Not that the site is authoritative, but they don’t mention it, so … … how about Loreena McKennitt? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/86 "2012-11-02T18:24:24Z")
I think Joan Baez could have made it into opera - hugely powerful voice, her note accuracy is so precise it sometimes sounds too clinical - my guess is that sort of ability could lend itself to opera. I believe she has given it a fairly serious try, but probably too late on in her career to really be considered as a true opera singer - maybe if she had started much earlier with the correct training This was done using amplification, but I can’t imagine many opera singers could do any differant given that this was at a major outdoor festival https://www.youtube.com/embed/3bxf2X4zP5k?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PL89C8D739BE1F6B14 Linda Ronstadt is another possible, I believe she has also given it a go, and again perhaps having taken it up far earlier in her career she could have made a full operatic career of it. I know that Cleo Laine has sung opera but I’m not expert enough to understand her ability to comment Sarah Brightman apparently can come fairly close to a full fledged opera singer but seems not quite to have the consistency at the edges of her range, especially when some power is needed, but has been deemed to be very near to it within her own natural range - what could she have done had she been trained early on? ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/87 "2012-11-02T19:29:50Z")
Happy Rhodes. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/88 "2012-11-03T06:30:35Z")
I vote Patty B also…😉 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xNT8XkVoOKE/hqdefault.jpg "PAT BENATAR - We Live For Love - live - best performance - HQ.mpg") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNT8XkVoOKE) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/89 "2012-11-03T19:46:17Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > Aretha stood in for Pavarotti when he was too ill for an awards show and it was pretty amazing. > > I'm not sure if she ever had technical training? > > It’s not really opera style singing, but with training, I’ll bet she could’ve. Enjoying this thread. Hey **Le Ministre** and **fachverwirrt** - how would you assess the Queen’s performance here? She’s got pipes and tone for days, bur how is her vocal craft from a opera standpoint? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/90 "2012-11-03T20:05:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Jackie Chan, surprisingly, started his show biz career as a professional opera singer. Granted, this was traditional Chinese opera not European opera. I don’t think this is correct. Chan attended a performing arts school that prepared students for Chinese opera, but this involves not just singing but also dance, acrobatics, and martial arts. He might have been in school productions of Chinese operas, but if Chan ever actually performed professionally as an opera singer then his [Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Chan#Early_life) makes no mention of it. Since he was appearing in movies by the time he was 8, it seems unlikely that he was doing opera professionally before that. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/91 "2012-11-06T22:12:56Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > There’s a corollary to the OP: No opera singer should EVER sing pop. [Barcelona](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona_(song))- Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe Became the theme-song of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Spain Okay, so it’s a unique example and not necessarily a convincing one. —G! ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/92 "2012-11-06T22:38:59Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > There’s a corollary to the OP: No opera singer should EVER sing pop. Does Finnish tango count as pop? Because Matti Salminen could (and I assume still can) sing that shit like a motherfucker. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/93 "2012-11-07T00:29:31Z")
Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke had [a reasonably successful career as a classical and opera singer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Miller-Heidke#Early_Life) before getting into pop music, so that’s a gimmie. And she is a perfect counter to **panache45** ’s belief that “No opera singer should EVER sing pop.” ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/94 "2012-11-07T01:27:05Z")
> [@Beastly\_Rotter](#): > > Happy Rhodes. I swear this is not a sock of mine! Honest to god, really and truly, no kidding, seriously! I actually was going to post her, with links and everything, but I trashed it. She has a 4-octave range but her high soprano isn’t operatic at all. I’m amazed. Someone else besides me mentioned Happy. Thank you! _faints_ ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/95 "2012-11-07T01:35:14Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > I swear this is not a sock of mine! Honest to god, really and truly, no kidding, seriously! I admit, when I saw that I thought “Isn’t **Equipoise** supposed to be the one mentioning her?” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/96 "2012-11-07T15:15:35Z")
> [@Grestarian](#): > > [Barcelona](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona_(song))- Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe > Became the theme-song of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Spain > > Okay, so it’s a unique example and not necessarily a convincing one. > > —G! And it had previously been mentioned in this same thread as an example of Freddie singing an “operatic” song - so which is it? It definitely can’t be sung decently by most pop singers. Freddie’s Barcelona record has a couple other songs which are much more operatic than what one expects to hear in “Spain’s Got Talent”, although I don’t think they need as wide a range as that one. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304/97 "2012-11-07T15:27:01Z")
> [@Jman](#): > > I find it interesting on all the Kristen Chenoweth comments. > > She’s the OPPOSITE of this thread. She’s a trained opera singer who can sing in pretty much any style…not the other way around. I was going to mention a couple Dutch heavy metal singers until you made that very astute point. They were first trained in opera before they decided to do heavy metal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-some-popular-singers-have-made-it-as-opera-singers-given-the-training/639304.md?page=4)