Is Your Fave Really Agile? | Pop Female Singers' Riffs And Runs

[@aintnootherfan]

I strongly believe in how I placed singers in their respective categories, I've spent quite a lot of time trying to make the ranking make sense and be fair. Not all singers in the UNTOUCHABLE group are equally skilled, it would be unrealistic to find singers who are exactly on the same level. I personally think that above a certain level it doesn't matter that much who's better. And I think both JoJo and Brandy belong in the untouchable category I could include more examples for each group/level but the video is already pretty long, so if your favorite singer isn't here it doesn't mean they're bad, it's just that I couldnt possibly include everyone. There are many more singers who could appear in each of the categories.

[@philipcohen958]

Forgive me, but it seems that you do not have a personal liking for Mariah Carey and your bias is clearly showing. Putting her vocal agility in the same category as Tori/Jojo is a sin. It is clear that out of all these female singers, only Mariah is untouchable. Mariah's agility puts even most classical singers to shame. I saw many of your videos. You are not using the best videos for Mariah. In the Vocal Trinity video you gave lower register to Celine when it is an established fact that Mariah is the best there. Same goes for belts when you gave it to Whitney, while Mariah is equal if not better. You have made appreciation videos for Celine, Whitney, Natalie, etc but the only video you made for Mariah was on her vocal decline! It is better if you don't include Mariah in any of your videos.

[@moonlightespt3818]

@@philipcohen958 you are biased too towards Mariah so idk what are you talking about, Mariah is not the only one has untouchable agility honey Beyonce?, Jazmine?, Tori?, JoJo? Maybe mezzos like her have it more difficult cause she's a mezzo not a soprano so her cords are thicker but she's just as precise/consistent/fluid like them, Mariah has definitely unmatched agility but she's the most loved, overhyped in the vocal community so Celine who is vocally underrated deserved that video Mariah is considered the best here even in things she's not

[@Sejuani89]

@@philipcohen958 lol STFU! You only watch mariah videos of course in your eyes only mariah is good.. stupid

[@philipcohen958]

@@moonlightespt3818 What? This is an observation since many videos, not just this video. He does not like to credit Mariah where due as I have explained in detail in the previous comment. I am not telling that Beyonce, etc are not excellent in agility. But the thing is that Mariah can do anything that Beyonce does. So Beyonce is not really untouchable. The only one untouchable here is Mariah in terms of agility. He is not even using the best videos for Mariah like these: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXnQcq2ta8eGeK8 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWXCk4mmacmIn8U kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIiti35oppKVjZo May I know where is she "overhyped"? I have never seen anything other than hate videos on KZbin against Mariah, so she is the one for whom he should make videos.

[@insideful8529]

@@philipcohen958 your comment is so ironic...

[@BePostitive]

The thing with Tori is, I feel like her riffs and runs flow out of her mouth naturally without even pushing or trying.

[@oui2375]

its just sound so easy and natural

[@steveheckle8847]

Very overrated.

[@rhettmitchell]

Steve Heckle mmm but you literally can’t disagree with that statement

[@maquia_drafts]

Yea like she doesn't move her jaw much like other artists do. smooth runs af . Eg-Ariana moves her jaw soo much while doing riffs nd runs, but tori does that very less but flows smoothly .

[@moozie996]

yes she doin runs usin her muscle so that why her runs so ease for her D:

[@graysang5386]

tori never sounded extra in my ears. yup, her musicianship is really something else.

[@graysang5386]

her creativity is on a different level

[@aintnootherfan]

It really is! And she riffs so much yet I’m never tired of it

[@graysang5386]

@ohhh hhh your statement literally nonsense but i'm not surprised 😭

[@cloroxbitch2491]

Especially Mariah, Mariah literally adds riffs/run to every single verse and you can't even tell unless you slow it down or have a trained ear

[@ernestomestiza8443]

Clorox Bitch that’s y I love her like she just makes melismas sound natural and not forced.

[@gwennie520]

mariah does her melisma SOOO well that it fits super well in the song and doesnt sound like oversinging at all!!! legends only 💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻

[@kurtnecolecanete3217]

Yeahhh her rendetion of Somewhere over the rainbow is insane that showcase's her creativity 😍

[@carlosmontenegro6490]

That fact that Bey have one of the darkest and heavier voices in this video and still a top class is impressive

[@lydob2471]

Beyonce is a vocal beast

[@reneebrooks2722]

He missed an opportunity by not seeing out and including India.arie. She got the vocal agility and range like Mariah.

[@nathanieljohnson5908]

She's also a coloratura mezzo.

[@ferencssalvoski3721]

And weird, because she is a popular artist

[@takemyhand1988]

@@reneebrooks2722 She doesn't have range of Mariah

[@LawrenceIshaku]

Love Mariah's n Beyonce's agility on stage, but really can't deny Tori's ingenuity too. Seriously, one of the most underrated vocalist. Awesome compilation, really!!!...

[@LawrenceIshaku]

@Alonzo Clarkston Just pointing out their prowess on stage. Never compared Mariah n Beyonce.

[@Marc004]

Alonzo Clarkston please don’t be that one person

[@rainbowera4]

@@LawrenceIshaku beyonce is better

[@LawrenceIshaku]

@@rainbowera4 I am also part of the B hive. I just pointed out that Tori's is also impressive. Her improvised runs r to die for!!!

[@reneebrooks2722]

Check out India.arie! Her range and vocal agility rival all of these ladies!

[@philippealves6393]

Yes! I agree with the positions. Beyonce, Mariah and Tori are the best when the topic is agility.

[@Zachzn4lf]

Agreed

[@dylantchouaga6666]

Celine & Whitney have entered the chat

[@philippealves6393]

@@dylantchouaga6666 they're good, but not as agile as the others i mencioned.

[@deyoncew3311]

@@dylantchouaga6666 Whitney's voice is to heavy to be put in the untouchable category. Her voice isn't built for doing runs like Bey and MC.

[@dylantchouaga6666]

@Deyonce W & @Philippe Alves I’m not understanding Whitney’s voice was very light at the beginning of her career till 1992 when she entered the bodyguard era into which she developed a darker tone even then she was very agile although she may not have showcased as much we have seen many examples in which she was very agile particularly with her head voice

[@Ryan_K535]

My intention is not to discredit any singer however I think that Mariah is one of the greatest in melisma/agility. What makes Mariah in the untouchable category for me is: 1) insanely fast runs, even including trills 2) Creativity in her runs 3) musicality to match her riffs and runs in her songs live and studio 4) Able to execute precise agility in the whistle register (the hardest vocal register to sing let alone control). She has done 60 notes in less then 15 seconds in The One live 2002. 5) Unhumanly transitions from chest to head and whistle. Example Vanishing reversal, when she goes to do 3 notes in 1 second repedetly 5 times before transitioning to whistle without a break or crack. Or her melismas in live performances such as Forever and Vision of love in MSG 1995. 6) Last but not least her influence. Many singers like Beyonce, Ariana, Jessie J have said that Mariah’s songs especially Vision Of love had inspired them to be agile or as Beyonce says it “to fit more notes in a bar.” Overall the KING of melismas and agility. This is simple MY OPINION. If you think different please express your opinion RESPECTFULLY

[@mesapetr9985]

Such a clear descriptions...👍👍 Agree with u....

[@grandeflamesbutera3949]

Pls Mariah cannot touch Jazmine Sullivan, Brandy, Keke Wyatt (if she was put into the video), Beyoncé!!! All of their vocal agilitys are literally amazing and some of the best in the whole entire music industry

[@GarageStudio7]

*Brilliant analysis!* 🌟

[@Ryan_K535]

GrandeFlamesButera I know Keke, she has killer melismas, that is why she is in the untouchable category with the other vocalists you have mentioned. However the transitions, whistles and the musicality that Mariah shows as I described above can not be topped by anyone in my opinion. Mariah has songs built from her melismas such as Forever, Always be my baby. You can not simply sing her songs, if you are not agile. Her run from 1995 Vision of love in MSG, her melismas in The One when she sang 60 notes in whistles, the hardest register to control is enough for me to think of her as the best melisma user and agility in non operatic music. This is my opinion. I respect yours!

[@aintnootherfan]

I don’t disagree😉

[@TheLambily]

Should have added Mariah's Lead the way runs.

[@yasirismail7704]

That would have blown all the other runs and riffs out of the water!!!!

[@kimmy4408]

Thought so too!! I mean man that’s beyond godlike! Even the dolphins are envious

[@veronica33s45]

And her somewhere over the rainbow

[@scottfuentes6326]

Yeah Mariah should be on top of them all

[@adamd6648]

That will never be repeated.

[@30mav97]

Mariah riffs on a whistle register. Shookethhh

[@josef-1209]

Her Whistle Riff on the "Oh Santa" Music Video in 2010 is very agile.

[@ervis6926]

@@josef-1209 autotune

[@flyingbaloon6358]

@@josef-1209 I actually don't think it's whistle bc she goes down to the 4th octave without breaking register

[@allthingsmusic2024]

@@flyingbaloon6358 she can. The Vision of Love 2002 MTV performance, I Only Wanted performance.

[@flyingbaloon6358]

@@allthingsmusic2024 hmm let me see

[@jim2549]

I actually really prefer it when singers like Adele know their limits and add just some simple runs that they can handle than singers like Demi Lovato who have an okay agility but they try to riff like Beyoncé. They end up having pitchy, sloppy riffs that just sound forced and annoying (I'm not hating on Demi I love her as an artist it was just an example).

[@noahflare6825]

This comment sums it up pretty much for most singers.

[@ramonpadilha9987]

@Kathlyn Ofosuhene I agree. Mariah's runs are so agile and fast that sometimes I don't even notice them.

[@jim2549]

@Kathlyn Ofosuhene Totally agree Whitney's agility is very much underappreciated.

[@mandyno5328]

This is so true. Beyonce ans adele know their element and ability. Another singer trying hard doing vocal run or headvoice fallseto and pretend they can sing like Mariah

[@duane371]

THISSS !!!!! 🙌🏾

[@antwonejones914]

Glad to see somebody finally giving brandy some of the recognition she deserves . I also would’ve added jasmine Sullivan in here that girl agility is SICK!

[@loretohidalgo3533]

miss sullivan is insaneee

[@misheo9552]

EXACTLYYY shes a beast

[@carlosales12]

Mariah’s examples here aren’t even in her top 10 best. Truly legendary.

[@drystannima2321]

Why ppl disrespect Brandy so much in the comments section? She's not called the vocal bible for nothing

[@aintnootherfan]

I’m kinda shocked tbh

[@s.ogeneration2970]

I'm so surprised to see this

[@CassieJazz96]

What?!?! Really let's not disrespect THE vocal Bible like that.

[@drystannima2321]

@ohhh hhh I'm a Beyhive down. I can't go back and forth with Beyoncé haters over her vocal abilities which are undoubtedly among the best in the music industry period

[@aweful]

Most are unfamiliar with her which is a shame because she’s a beast vocally

[@josepenaranda7085]

Mariah's riffs and runs are veritable. it doesn't sounds like a show off rather a part of a song. THE QUEEN OF RIFFS AND RUNS

[@AM-dd6dx]

Am I the only one who hates the longer run that Demi does in "Stone Cold" ? The shorter version she did at Billboard Women in Music fits sooo much better.

[@onyasolomon]

Mariah, Beyoncé, Tori and Brandy's runs are insane!!!

[@소중한-h6g]

Mariah literally made this style of singing popular.

[@blah5528]

Gospel, soul and r&b singers made riffs and runs popular long before Mariah was even thought of. She has never even been the best at runs and riffs.

[@OpinionatedZoomer69]

​@@blah5528 amen🙌

[@jody6391]

@@blah5528hater spotted. no sh*t sherlock, of course they were around before Mariah, no one has ever denied that. however, Mariah popularized that style of singing for a new generation of vocalists and THATS a fact.

[@clearly_james7282]

@@blah5528They’ve been doing them before Mariah in their perspective circles yes & Mariah herself is an RnB singer but she definitely popularized it

[@arnau6020]

​@@blah5528 mmm no I'd say she really is the best at doing riffs. her musicality is insane. she's just an artist. it probably helps the fact she's a songwriter but she knows how to do extremely complex, creative and pleasing runs

[@dspencer8895]

Beyonce and Mariah add dramatics with their melisma

[@rain2095]

Brandi and Tori Kelly's skill level you have to be born with that. I really think you have to be Born... with that. Omg I can't breathe guys.

[@needyyy9774]

Mariah and Ariana always have impressed me with there outstanding range and smoothness of the whistle register! Both queens❤️

[@DaydreamCarey1234]

Mariah runs is not just only had great speed, fluid, not sloppy, free flowing, effortless, creativity, controlled melisma, runs and riffs in every register. But also the way Mariah always puts it in a specific part of the song and not just putting runs randomly. Like most of the singers today would do.

[@thedivasofsupreme6190]

Lmao this is Mariah Carey’s THRONE! She is THE QUEEN OF MELISMA for a reason I mean, she REVOLUTIONIZED the use of melismatic style in singing, she’s often called as the most agile female singer in non contemporary music either simply THE GOAT.

[@noah.creative]

amen

[@GustavoFM1000]

She inspired all those girls. Period!

[@SomewhereOnTheOutside]

@@GustavoFM1000 Yes

[@SomewhereOnTheOutside]

Love Mariah

[@chrisbarrino9630]

@@GustavoFM1000 love mariah but whitney is the goat period and nobody comes close at all.

[@jakealcomendas9937]

Tori's low note in the end of those runs had me: GIRL!!!!!! 👁👄👁

[@ravennnbabyy]

why is no one talking about Jessie J she’s freaking incredible 🥺

[@TheXzaclee16]

Haters gonna hate shes criminally underrated

[@pambinobequeno5062]

she may be incredible to you but she oversings too much, that's just a fact

[@pambinobequeno5062]

@@TheXzaclee16 nobody's hating, but she does too many unnecessary runs and it gets annoying pretty fast. and she's not underrated, she's just not well known, her last hit was bang bang in 2014 lmao

[@mjverina6920]

shes talended duh..

[@mjverina6920]

im agree

[@JohnSmith-jk8ve]

No one: Mariah's voice as she does her riffs and runs: ↘↗↘↗↘↗↘↗↘↗↘↗↘

[@faithkayy]

and she does it all in like 3 seconds😩

[@yousuck...6277]

Says who?

[@takemyhand1988]

@@yousuck...6277 every vocal coach

[@allthingsmusic2024]

Her hands too

[@meredithgraceyee1358]

That’s more like Christina’s voice tho

[@carloswagner6895]

Tori and Jojo are so damn underrated! Jazmine Sullivan is a good one as well that can be included in the video. Mariah totally inspired and popularized agile singing then we see Christina making oversinging one of her signatures. Nowadays, most artists who are vocally talented are very underrated. Vocals are not really the focus currently in pop.

[@bodleyhihou]

Yes, Jazmine is definitely one of the best in runs in my opinion

[@twmtdw7954]

I feel like Tori Kelly is the most creative while using her runs because she uses them in such a natural way, Beyonce likes to use them to make her performances even better and Mariah...well, she is Mariah, she does whatever she wants.

[@ayabulelamangcotywa686]

I totally agree with you on that one

[@kimmy4408]

Of course!! Mariah is Untouchable. Queen of Vocals!!

[@hxsana_7986]

i prefer ari, mariah, and bey but tori has undeniable talent in runs and riffs, like it flows out of her mouth ...

[@momojack8511]

JoJo and Tori. Effortlessly running queens 👑

[@CassieJazz96]

My Sagittarius vocal kweens

[@jtrillguzman9641]

@Evan Douglas kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXqbgKCOqLiIers

[@niceasf7038]

Evan Douglas FACTS.... ALL MY SAG QUEENS❤️❤️😍😍

[@niceasf7038]

CassieJazz96 LOVE MY SAG QUEENS

[@Truthhurtz618]

I actually agree with this..100 Tori, Jojo, Mariah, Brandy.beyonce. in no order .perfect

[@JMacx]

Mariah's voice is on another level. She is one of a kind indeed.

[@maryahwatkinsarchives.5505]

I would say Tori is better than Jojo. They're equally fast but Tori is way more creative and she has a better ear (perhaps due to her being able to play instruments). Tori runs are ascending, descending, belted, falsetto, and with dynamics

[@Ryan_K535]

Completely agree. I would say Jojo’s agility would be tie with Whitney.

[@Eman-vp6ju]

While JoJo definitely prefers descending riffs, she has demonstrated the ability to riff upwards and also often does riffs in head voice. I agree Tori is generally more diverse w them, but it's misleading to imply Joanna isn't creative.

[@liveinlove4945]

@@Eman-vp6ju Yes 👏

[@calixtrobryanjames478]

Amen! I admire Jojo's talent, but her timbre was never my type. She's agile, but Tori seems like borned out riffing wth.

[@camdenepperson]

I agree.

[@ArmpitOfEurope]

Leona Lewis stuns me everytime I listen to her.

[@songbird7450]

A perfect example of "invisible" agility is Mariah Carey's "When I saw you"

[@imaginevocals400]

you can have the most agile voice but if u dont have musicality to know how to use, u gonna ruin the runs (demi isnt really agile but for me her biggest problem its her musicality, it looks like she just want to put notes and don’t care to how its gonna sound) tori and mariah has so much musicality and create beautiful melodies. for me, musically (what i think its the most important thing) they are the best at agility

[@marianperez96]

Her runs are messy as her whole life

[@missyhilary8905]

I think Demmy over-sings. There is a such thing as being tasteful with a run. You can’t just put one in there just put put on in there. She’s young, though. Sometimes, less really is more. I think the best advice I got in singing is, “Always leave them wanting more. A boxer never throws his best punches in the first round.”

[@jtrillguzman9641]

@@missyhilary8905 check this out kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXqbgKCOqLiIers

[@axisboise]

Thank you! I've always told this to people when they overpraise artists who did runs and riffs when I can clearly hear it's over-singing unplanned runs.

[@dem.l1278]

I'm a demi stan but I totally agree 👍🏼 Demi's agility was waaaay better when she was younger tbh

[@jdb6026]

Tori Kelly is just from outer space with her skills. Damn.

[@CSD99p]

Mariah's riffs while doing whistle is crazy

[@chikoritaleaf]

the thing about tori kelly that gets to me and also what i think sets her apart from most of the others is her doing all these crazy riffs and runs while killing it on the guitar at the same time (though it’s not featured as much in this video). queen of multi-tasking ❤️ also if yall don’t know, she’s trained in the drums too. she really just has music flowing in her blood.

[@joemelcruz6556]

Leona's Bleeding Love riff is one of the hardest riff in pop music. The way she always nails it.

[@Sloppyjoey1]

BRANDY is the most 'untouchable' if you account for her usage of intervals. Her runs are truly improvised at every stage from the metre to the perfect math behind the note frequencies. I know 'taste' is subjective but I wish people actually fully understood music theory enough to appreciate that, she's really balancing an extremely long algebraic equation lol, and the fact that she corrects them after the fact by adding to the other side to get back to the root note is extremely impressive. 12:13 is a good example. I don't think most people realize that’s like memorizing a shuffled deck of cards, in order, and immediately being able to know that the 31st card is the Ace of Diamonds and its 11 card away from the 20th card that's the Jack of Spades. And being able to do 5-10 of those equations a second.

[@Sloppyjoey1]

@asava17 It's too complicated to explain with understanding smaller musical concepts. But to put it simply, most popular "runs" are done in a linear path, with equal distance between the notes (high to low, low to high) in a 1,2,3,4,5 or 5,4,3,2,1 fashion and sometimes 1,2,3,4,7 or 7,4,3,2,1 assuming each number is a note in order. Brandy's runs are more like 1,3,1,3,5,7,3,1,3,1,3,1 and if you measure the distance between 1,3 etc she balances a more complicated pattern than just singing the notes in order (1,2,3,4,7), and likewise she can chance the key mid run and find her way back to 1 and maintain proper harmonic intervals. Beyonce's runs are similar, some people consider it "oversinging" but regardless it's a massive display of skill.

[@CiaraITB]

Brandy’s musicianship is out of this world

[@aaronnewman7573]

this is the one.

[@tylermills4812]

@asava17 The comment about Brandy is spot on. Her ear is truly lethal. To expound, agility is more than just runs and riffs. Regarding Mariah, the reason she surpasses just about everyone in agility is because of her use of registers and the multitude of textures she uses whilst riffing/running. Other vocalists who are known for their vocal agility tend to sing lines and vocalize in full voice. Mariah tends to incorporate more elements in her singing - she is often constantly switching, flipping and transitioning between and throughout different vocal registers. When others transition, it's always between a connected head voice and chest voice. Mariah, however, flips and switches between various different registers, which is more notoriously more difficult because they involve drastic and abrupt changes in the vocal coordination being used, requiring precise pitch and control- such as flipping or switching from breathy voice, falsetto and solid chest voice, and even full belt to falsetto, and transitioning out of whispery mixed voice to solid chest voice, virtually seamlessly without any discernible breaks. As complex as her runs are, Mariah’s use of registers is undoubtedly the most complex part of her singing.

[@sippinonjinandnamjoos4859]

What I love about Tori is that she never repeats the same runs. Her runs are crazy inventive and cool!

[@theseeker2586]

Beyonce's killing me with the Arabic influences!!!! Omg!

[@hopekanaday1100]

i’m so glad someone is giving tori the credit she deserves vocally and in her musicianship!!

[@vocalvids5190]

i love both camila and demi but their runs sometimes come off like they’re oversinging, they can be great at times but placed weirdly(?) if that makes sense

[@drewm.2790]

I get you, they have great moments here and there but there's just something off

[@nathans.5911]

Runs arent her thing theyve always sounded messy to me Demi is like a new age Christina. just strain a little less and train a little more and u GOT this girl.X minus the runs but Demi has high belts

[@jtrillguzman9641]

@@darylacesantos kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXqbgKCOqLiIers

[@THEE.apples]

What y'all not gonna do is come for Brandy like more than half these ladies in the video are influenced by her.

[@hidiamahine9594]

Thank U! People need to show some respect to the VOCAL BIBLE!!!!!

[@rain2095]

I didn't realize I had been holding my breathe waiting for Tori Kelly to be acknowledged in this video.

[@Viralist_1]

Tori's riffs and runs sounded all natural. My queen.

[@heartriah]

i- how can you make a video about agility without using Mariah's 'Lead the Way' run ?? :(

[@meleseini113]

Agree

[@LosAnggraito]

IMO, being able to do fast runs should not be the standard when it comes to agility. Most agile singers naturally start out riffing fast and THEN learn how to slow it down/isolate each note to make it sound more precise. Second, all of these vocalists possess very similar raw vocal ability. What makes the untouchable group stand out is their ability to execute (flawless) runs CONSISTENTLY. That's. Literally. It. Demi, for example, can do some pretty complex runs but can't execute them live as consistently as a Tori or JoJo.

[@MarceloRadomski]

Mariah has a recording in the shower singing happy birthday that is simply impossible level.

[@Suijiro99]

Yeah and the Jimmy Fallon improv. Those were her topnotch out of prime shit.

[@Alexmax9295]

Another great video! So glad to see Brandy here because she truly deserves to be here (I just can't wait to listen to B7, it's been such a long time from Two Eleven!). I feel like other singers could be included in this video as well but at the end of the day we surely got the point. I just wanna say something about JoJo: she might not be the greatest vocalist, she might not be your fave, she might not have a voice that people generally used to like and she might not be that kind of singer that possesses a musical catalogue that can musically and vocally inspire generations of singers (from a mainstream point of view) but she is a badass when it comes to vocal ability without a doubt and if you just think about how much she works on her voice every single day and the effort that she put into every single vocal renditions that she displays through her performances...you better wash your stinking mouth before saying a single word about her. Period.

[@s.ogeneration2970]

Facts. I can't with the Brandy and JoJo disrespect...

[@Alexmax9295]

@@s.ogeneration2970 Same goes to Brandy obviously! She's another perfect example of how passionately and professionally a vocalist works on his/her voice and their vocal renditions speak for themselves.

[@CassieJazz96]

MARIAH my agile kween

[@kinnamor8098]

someone on twitter posted an older video of demi riffing messily and captioned it “me after watching one of tori kelly’s performances thinking i can riff like her” 😭😭😭😭😭

[@aintnootherfan]

I wish I could see it!

[@krissywilliams1714]

LMAOOOO

[@claydeladre7826]

I love Mariah because her melisma rides on the groove. It's usually in time and perfectly in sync with the song.

[@ondyandraandra5346]

Run anf riff mariah's natural thing, doesnt like the many others

[@055muhammadrafilolpqwer]

Because she is coloratura soprano

[@francisemmanuelfranco3618]

Mariah is the Queen! But Tori makes me cry when she's making those riffs and runs i don't know why HAHAHA

[@CassieJazz96]

Tori Kelly's agility is out of this world.

[@zacharyyap7861]

Mariah's light speed is untouchable.

[@izonexbae]

I know Ariana is very much praised for her runs in the fandom but in general she tends to get alot of criticism for it, when I honestly think it’s still pretty good and she herself can control it fairly well.

[@fartyfat6539]

i think her overall "poor" breath control makes it harder for her to execute more complex runs even tho i feel like she actually can. Ari mostly only do "safe" runs that she know she can execute perfectly.

[@Fishriah_Ari]

@@fartyfat6539 her breath support is really good now and can execute well controlled, clear runs at a generally fast speed. I suggest you check out her performance of Only 1 at the BBC special 2018

[@fartyfat6539]

@@Fishriah_Ari thats why i put quotations mark on "poor", some performances her breath control are pretty good but look at her latest grammy performance. She lost her breath at the very first song. When she get to Thank U Next she can barely sustain a belt, and actually went flat for a bit. It sucks because i know she can do a lot better. I dont like to compare but for the sake of example, look at Demi performances, she can sustain a belt twice as long as Ari (although she has her own other weaknesses). Not even Demi, just compare latest Ariana's Wizard and I performance (the one in green dress) and her old performance before she got famous (I think it was from 2009 or something). Compare the last long note of the song, and you can see that new Ari can't sustain as long as young Ari. In conclusion, i know she can do better if she actually work on it with a proper/new vocal coach.

[@Fishriah_Ari]

@@fartyfat6539 yeah I guess, and yes she did lose breath at the Grammy's but for the first song she was trying to hold back tears because it was about mac miller and she was getting emotional. And I agree that she should get a better vocal coach

[@buchulemboya]

@@fartyfat6539 baby that Grammy performance wasn't her being out of breath it was her trying to hold back tears lol

[@vanshmishra7119]

This is the thing with Mariah... In every field she's at the top class. . . Mariah in Studio has executed super unique and creative runs. For Live:-Tori hands down.. The effotlessness she has makes me put her on top of rest of the Untouchable Agility Users.... Her effotlessness & creativity is the gift puts her ahead of others. While Beyonce can do the same runs she is not as creative although she too is pretty effortless. . . Also, Not just Mariah but the whole Trinity is really good at this.. Like they are in between jojo n tori.. In terms of agility... Many times creative n effortless but sometimes Whitney overdoes a lil bit n Celine holds back a lil bit. While debutriah was sometimes a lil sloppy... The Daydreamriah had the best runs n riffs Period. So, Daydreamriah n Tori are my favorite. In this category. . . I really loved your effort and you made it beautifully Kudos!!! Check out Shreya Ghoshal... She is at the level of Mariah n Tori.. If not above coz in India control is the main focus. As opposed to the range n belting in Western music. . . N I was a fan of her first seeing the same agility got me attracted into the Western music.

[@vanshmishra7119]

I never said she ain't creative I said not as creative as Tori or Mariah. No need to be offended. I myself am a fan of Beyonce.

[@badbada3003]

@Mariah&WhitneyLamb lmao tori is more creative lol

[@factpreacher5691]

There is no way Tori being more creative than Beyonce. Hello? Beyonce riffs are unique i mean it doesn't sound like Brandy and Jasmin Sullivan repetitive Ascending decending scales (tho i think there are in Untouchable) so no!

[@badbada3003]

@@factpreacher5691 well tori is more creative for sure and never oversing bey overdoes her runs sometimes but talk about speed and precision bey kill her

[@factpreacher5691]

@@badbada3003 Tori never riff in arabic scale, Tori and Jojo runs actually sounds the same. It doesn't matter if it's overdone creativity has no limits. And yes u right speed and precision it's Beyonce.

[@strandedtraveller1038]

Mori and Ari sound very pleasant on lighter riffs and runs! ♥️ I also feel that most singers can reach the "Good Agility" standard if they have substantial training, however I definitely agree with the observation that there are far too many singers who tend to overdo riffs and runs as soon as they reach a certain level of skill, which is why musicality matters significantly in the way a singer approaches agility.

[@Chen-dt6tb]

I am actually really impressed by Leona, especially her runs in head voice. Those runs in bleeding love and run are like Mariah-level creativity and musicality. They just blend in the song like you do not even notice them being that complicated

[@renanzach]

Mariah i don't even need to talk about, bu Tori, OMG, i looooove her runsss, she really know when and where use them.

[@zjmzjh]

People like Mariah, JoJo and Jessie J have incredible technically skill, but Tori’s raw artistry and creativity with her runs puts her on top

[@DiorD737]

Don’t sleep on Beyoncé’s agility. She did 12 notes in 0.67 seconds 🤯

[@MighterM]

People in the comments are tripping Brandy maybe isn't as widely known as these others (especially now a days) but she and Tori are honestly the only ones on this list who can slide up and down the scale in any direction with completely clean breaks, controlled speed, controlled flutter and vibrato. Any notes within their singing range they can hit in any way with perfection. On top of that its often interesting choice of melody that compliment the arrangement so well and never feels unnecessary. This is not the foundation of amazing singing for me but it just a point to make and what the video is about.

[@mijalakis3]

Amazing video! Completely agree about Christina, she has an amazing vocal ability but she is also the Queen of oversinging. Mariah's runs are incredible, entire octaves in a run transitioning between registers, perfectly placed, never sound oversung and retains clarity, crispinnes, resonance and musical accordance

[@drewm.2790]

The flavor in the untouchable agility category omg.... Also I kinda think Ariana's runs are a bit underrated, there were times when she surprised me and I think Jazmine Sullivan should also be in the untouchable level and Whitney in admirable/impressive level Edit: Tori and Beyonce's runs are equally so satisfyingly well-executed and eargasmic like wow but there's just something else with Mariah's runs. They always somehow musically fit the melody of the music and in a lot of cases harp on the emotion or message of the song if that even makes sense lmao

[@jtrillguzman9641]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXqbgKCOqLiIers

[@khizarc4635]

I have never agreed with a video more than this one. Its the closest to accuracy and real life facts. Amazingly done!❤

[@exasperatedkai]

Ariana has improved so much with agility and has become even more tasteful,even tho she always has been taste full with her runs, shes never oversings, her lastest agility examples from sweetner world tour are actually shocking

[@ByronOjedamusic]

So many vocal experts here. Wow! I'm glad you included Jojo. Great video.

[@MarchFerrer]

Great job! Love this video, really. But mariah is the greatest one when it comes to milismas, riffs, runs. That's why in 1990 people called her 'the Magnacarta of Melisma'❤️

[@brianna7810]

Mariah’s videos here doesn’t even do her justice. One of my favorite runs of her is the one with Michael bolton where she is not an artist yet. It’s the runs at the end of “We’re not making love anymore” ❤️

[@imjustsuperiorrr]

HOW CAN TORI JUST MAKE UP SUCH RIFFS OUT OF NOWHERE 😭

[@imjustsuperiorrr]

@@darylacesantos ik but just coming up with such impressive riffs is heckin amazing

[@factpreacher5691]

This is really really great vid i just hope you put more Beyonce's clip, overall i think it's fair but Beyonce is the Queen of Agility tho

[@mysteriousbluehat2035]

This video is lowkey showing how underrated tori and jojo are

[@mimicarey2391]

Ok but only Mariah is the queen of melisma :)

[@ramonpadilha9987]

People are crazy for Mariah in here.🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mimicarey2391]

Ramon Padilha haha

[@atlaslife3800]

I'd say Celine.

[@mimicarey2391]

Atlas Life Celine is very agile and her runs are very well executed but her runs are annoying .she’s just showing off too much

[@atlaslife3800]

@@mimicarey2391 Personal taste shouldn't be a reason to discredit her skill as one of the queens of mellisma. I would say the same or worse for so many of Mariah's runs. Let's just agree to disagree.

[@flyingegg9261]

I was disappointed when I realized that there wasn’t the clip of Tori singing PYT

[@taytaybeynippy486]

I would've loved to see Jazmine Sullivan or Keke Wyatt in this video, and also I wish you included some of Bey's head voice riffs. But besides that, I'd say that I've always thought of Morissette as a great melisma user. While I definitely agree with Camila and Demi's positions, and I truly am not that big a fan of Ailee as a melisma user I would've placed her with Demi and Camila, in spite of the fact that I happen to think of her as a better overall vocalist then them. And last but not least while I do agree that Jennifer was sort of a seldom user of melisma when she first started she really worked on her melisma as she got older and she's gotten much better especially since she did "The color purple" on broadway. Great video tho I definitely agree with your untouchable list. I would add Aretha, and maybe Celine to them since their uncanny users of melisma as well.

[@aintnootherfan]

Jazmine and Keke would be in the untouchable group for sure, even though Keke can be very show-offy I strongly believe Ailee is a tier above Demi and Camila:)

[@taytaybeynippy486]

Aaro Tähtivuori I agree with the fact that Ailee has a better note separation, but as for her flow or sense of rhythm that’s an area in which I have an issue with. Her voice doesn’t seem to be as flexible as she perhaps expects it to be. I will say that the clips shown here are probably some of her best. But in general she usually has more misses the she does hits, in my opinion. Also, true I agree about Keke being without a doubt an over-singer at times. But regardless I really enjoyed the vid and your choices for Xtina and Jessie J.

[@aritourvocals49]

tori is my absolute favorite when it comes to runs

[@emilysophia2541]

Queen mariah and Queen Beyoncé ❤️👑✨

[@onepleiadian]

Every singer is ranked perfectly! Great work❤

[@yeohanchoi4951]

Mariah is beyond untouchable in this category. Periodt.

[@juanpablomarambio2799]

When Mariah’s melismas appeared a was like girl, you have done it again, constantly raising the bar for us all, and doing it flawlessly

[@winwincentino5523]

Mariahs agility is untouchable ✨

[@arianacareymariahgrande3582]

Mimi and ari🥺 love my girls

[@ramonpadilha9987]

Somebody that actually love both. Thank God.

[@arianacareymariahgrande3582]

Ramon Padilha there are actually many tbh the only ones that don’t like Ariana are bitter older lambs cuz they think Ariana is “copying Mariah” which as a long term stan couldn’t be any further from the truth. Ariana’s debut era had a lot of Mariah influence from clothes and music but literally by her second album she was already on the road to her own artist and nowadays after she has credited Mariah as an influence multiple times she isn’t copying Mariah at all.

[@lennoxbonnie5210]

@@arianacareymariahgrande3582 Right!!! They even seem to like eachother ✨💜✨

[@arianacareymariahgrande3582]

Alan NO they do! Mariah poster Ariana on her story a couple times

[@agusmartinez]

Ariana Carey Mariah Grande and when mariah wished ariana a happy birthday 🤍

[@Jamari6]

Surprised Celine didnt make it. I doubt it was because of the lack of agility.. Just a lengthy video overall. Good vid. 👍🏾

[@mirandakc8450]

😂😂 okay, doesn’t mean Celine wasn’t on the video and she’s not agile. Just sayin.

[@mirandakc8450]

Are you surprised Whitney didn’t make it too??

[@rnbxdestinystrinity2785]

I feel Beyonce's runs are more smooth and powerful than of Tori's and Mariah's. But, could be because of her incredible tone, I think this way.

[@chickentaco541]

Mariah is definitely the most agile vocalist ever. I think Beyoncé is an amazing singer but tone is subjective. For instance, to me, Whitney and Mariah are equal in my eyes but they have different tones and each person has their own likings and so it’s either Whitney’s tone or Mariah’s tone that someone may like more but tone doesn’t necessarily effect the agility of the riffs and runs especially when we’re talking about Mariah Carey. Beyoncé is great but Mariah is the songbird supreme. Listen to lead the way.

[@pambinobequeno5062]

more smooth where? your fave literally turned silent night into dizzy night with her messy runs, stop being delusional lmao

[@rnbxdestinystrinity2785]

@@pambinobequeno5062 Your so pressed over my opinion💀. And your fave can't sing no more💀ahahaha

[@McLovin_for_president]

@@pambinobequeno5062 why r u pressed. And that was back in like 2002 when her voice wasn't as good as now. She literally does some of the best riffs ever. Stop being such a hater and move on

[@takemyhand1988]

I think it's because she does it more operatically. In opera it's more smooth rather than the abrasive way in gospel

[@marcussand4798]

Glad you included Leona Lewis, cause her riffs are so underrated!

[@TheSheldon06]

Some of these comments are hella disrespecting JoJo. She wasn’t showcased particularly well in this video. Her agility is inhuman and SO well developed. She definitely deserves her spot. There are tons of other videos out there that showcase her riffs that solidify her spot. I will recognize she’s not as fast as Tori, but she’s not even far off from her. I also recognize her tendency to oversing recently. But most of her over singing comes from her instagram lives, where she’s not even taking it seriously and just having fun singing random songs people recommend to her on the spot.

[@MariosPOS]

Tori's runs are my favorite 😍

[@lexluthor6968]

I'm really glad you put Ariana in Admirable becos the ease she has in belting high notes overshadows her capabilities in riffs/runs

[@rhettmitchell]

Thank you for including Leona omg 😭😭 that talent of hers is impeccable. She honestly doesn’t really take advantage of her musicality like she could though. But she doesn’t really base all her singing on melisma like Tori, JoJo, or Mariah.

[@TyceDagel]

This list is great, I just cannot ever get enough of Jessie J and her vocal acrobatics. Like, she is truly insane.

[@someonenew5198]

A VERY spot on video!! Loved it!! You were more than fair in categorizing the singers! PS: I wish you had used Tori's riff that Natalie Weiss had broken down on her channel! That one's a killer! There's also her whistle riff with the pentatonix guys...So good... Great vid!! 🙂🙂

[@LifeExplanatory]

Love this so much! You are so good at ranking these legends!!! Mariah is and will always be the queen of agility and many more things!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@Matt.98]

Queen Jessie J 👑

[@Kevin-rg3yc]

i always wondered if agility equals being a great vocalist, lots of people make it seem like it is

[@Ryan_K535]

In my opinion there are legendary vocalists like Lara and Barbra Streisand who are not very much of riffs and runs singer. However, agility is definitely a + . It completes you more as a vocalist in my opinion

[@ff2ff263]

Not at all. It's great to be agile it allows one to do more, but Barbra Streisand isn't particularly agile but is vocally far more impressive than Jojo who possess a greater degree of agility

[@Ryan_K535]

FF2 FF2 I completely agree. However agility completes you more as a vocalist, but is not necessary for a great technique

[@Solo-vh9fm]

It depends what you try to achieve as a singer. If Mariah was trying to belt like Aretha Franklin, she probably would not have the same reputation as a vocalist or if Barbara Streisand was trying to attempt songs like Lead the Way she wouldn’t have the same reputation. I’ve made this point on this channel before but I admire people like Billie Eilish as a vocalist because she knows she’s not a belter so she focuses on basically whispering, but she still demonstrates a wide range, a decent technique and pretty much flawless control. This why while constitutes healthy vocal technique is objective but what weighs up more to make a great vocalist isn’t (because most singers don’t have it all, not even Mariah).

[@Ryan_K535]

Solo12313 I agree. I just simply put it as: Agility can complete you as a vocalist, but it is mot necessary to a great technique, as singers like Barbra, Lara, and Aretha represent