At What Age is Your Singing Voice Fully Developed?

At what age is your singing voice fully developed? The answer depends on whether you’re male or female, whether you train your voice (or not), the type of music you perform, and how often (or not) you practice technique (vocal exercises) rather than just trying to sing songs.

Interestingly, your singing voice will actually change at several predictable points during your lifetime, due to physical changes in the body and hormonal fluctuations:  adolescence, early adulthood, and later in life.

However, at any time of life the more effort you put into developing good vocal technique, the more vocal stamina and power you will develop and retain. The time you spend practicing vocal exercises (technique) will undoubtedly influence your singing ability and overall performance.

Okay, but you want to know what specific age should you expect to have your singing voice fully developed, right?

Generally, it happens during early adulthood– so, your late teens and early 20s for most contemporary singers.  Opera singers’ much larger voices mature later in life.

Of course, there’s no actual universal age that all people reach their vocal peak, (this can be dependent on when you started training your voice and how hard you work at developing vocal technique) but, for singers who start training their voice young and practice technique exercises daily, it’s early adulthood when they’re “firing on all cylinders.”

Look at Mariah Carey– she had huge hits in her early 20s and could reach notes that made people take notice… and now that she’s older, she doesn’t always go for the high notes. Her peak was in the past.

As your body ages, things change. Your body grows and matures. Meanwhile, your technical development– improving vocal skills and technique– can be improved with lessons and guidance.

Boys’ voices typically change drastically between the ages of 12 and 16, due to hormones that cause the larynx and vocal folds to grow larger. Girls’ voices typically change (much less drastically) between the ages of 10 and 14. Between the ages of 18 and 21, your voice stabilizes because the vocal folds and larynx have reached their full growth.

While there can be some changes into your 30s, most people’s voices are finished with physical changes due to hormones by the age of 21 or so.

As far as singing into your golden years: certain singers in their 60s and 70s and 80s still sound great, while others tend to “lose it,” often because of over-use of the voice or perhaps a lack of a great foundation of good vocal technique to begin with.

The great tenor Luciano Pavarotti said he still needed to work with a coach and vocalize on technique exercises daily, all throughout his career. He said “If I stop practicing, I notice the difference in two days, and the audience notices within three days”.

Regarding vocal lessons, it’s never too early to start learning to sing correctly- with good vocal technique.  But don’t try to teach yourself, using You Tube videos.  You need the right teacher and the right technique.

The best way to train your voice, reach your potential as a singer, and maintain your peak performance throughout your entire life is to work with an experienced, expert vocal coach.

To learn more about the benefits of working with Sing Like a Star, contact us today.