Anyone with sense can look at what’s playing on Broadway and see that pop music is here to stay. Catchy riffs and repetitive lyrics have proven to be just as profitable on the boards as on the radio. Yet most formal training programs have been slow to catch up to this development. Most of us are still being taught to sing in the classical style— and we should! Every singer anticipating eight shows a week should understand support and breath control, and musical theatre singers cannot sacrifice diction. But today’s Broadway singer needs to be able to move between pop and traditional Broadway as seamlessly as Jessie Mueller moving from Waitress to Carousel.
But if you’ve got a degree in hand, and you still belt Gaga with full vibrato, what’s a singer to do? Here are some tips on layering traditional musical theatre singing with pop style.
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Whine.
Take this one as far as you can go, then bringing it back. Instead of speaking the lyrics, imagine you’re whining on pitch. Ariana Grande is the master (mistress?) of this.
2. Chew/change the vowels.
Take all those classical Italian vowels and throw them out the window. Very few pop or rock singers have trained that way. Instead turn the vowel into a sound that fits your voice on whatever note you need to sing. Lean on the first (or second) half of a diphthong. Study the vowel substitutions of Alanis Morisette. No one chews a vowel like Alanis.
3. Use the mic…
…instead of resonating. Keep in mind that pop singers expect to use a microphone that is inches, if not centimeters, in front of his or her face. Likewise, the modern musical theatre singer will most likely have a microphone somewhere on your head. Many pop runs simply won’t work at top volume. So lean back, mix, and allow the mic to resonate for you.
4. Get creative with chords.
Put those music theory classes to good use! If you need to find an interesting riff, identify the other notes in the underlying chord, and play from there. You can stay on the note and run it up or down the scale, you can fall off it at the end or scoop into it at the beginning. Try a safe, simple alternative at first. As you train your ear, this will get better with practice. (Disclaimer: riffs, like pirouettes, come easier to some than others.) Check out Natalie Weiss’ excellent riff tutorials on You Tube!
5. Outreach.
If you’re terrible at coming up with pop stylings and riffs, ask your friends who are good at it to help you. If all your friends are equally terrible, look up acoustic covers on You Tube and start stealing. (Don’t feel bad. You Tube is a jungle.) Chances are, you won’t replicate another person’s cover in full, but you will find inspiration. Take baby steps. The goal is to be unique. Interpretation is still key: you must understand what the song is about. Then find the key elements and riff on those. It takes balls, patience and practice. Just like a career in the theatre! Happy auditioning!
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Scenery Chewer 
I started this blog as an artistic outlet, as a place to write down the wisdom I’ve accumulated over a lifetime of auditioning in New York City. But these days my time is divided between teaching, performing, and spending quality time with my family.