As music progresses and new acts emerge, it has become a bit of a rarity for major pop acts to play instruments while singing. Now, there are still several lead singers who play an instrument and sing. However, the numbers are certainly dwindling. Though, this is not a new phenomenon, as there have been many lead singers and solo singers who don’t know how to play an instrument. After all, do they really need to know how, and isn’t their voice enough?
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Singers who don’t know how to play an instrument should not be criticized or deemed as less musically talented. The voice in and of itself is an instrument, and singers are often tasked with dictating the energy of the crowd. In other words, their plate is already full. So, out of a lack of necessity, the only instrument these three singers can fluently play is their voice.
Anthony Kiedis
When it comes to infamous rock ‘n’ roll frontmen, Anthony Kiedis of The Red Hot Chili Peppers is up there with Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, and several others. He didn’t achieve this feat by knowing how to play an instrument. No, he achieved this feat by focusing on his voice, and voice alone.
While Kiedis can play a few things on a few different instruments, it is reported that he is not technically fluent on any instrument. However, that hasn’t hindered his performances or his songwriting ability. If anything, it has only amplified both those facets of his career.
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is undoubtedly one of the greatest singers of all time. Seemingly, what made her this way was the complete dedication to the vocal craft. Becoming proficient in another instrument would quite possibly have tainted her rise to vocal acclaim.
While Carey can fiddle with the piano, and not much else, she has stated that her voice is her main focus and main instrument. She divulged in her biography, Mariah Carey, “My voice is my instrument; it always has been.” Again, Carey doesn’t really need to learn another instrument, as her voice alone can carry a tune just fine.
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera is the epitome of a pop superstar, and most pop superstars don’t really need to know how to play an instrument, as their voice and persona are what catch the attention of listeners. Well, this is seemingly the logic Christina Aguilera follows, as she does not know how to play an instrument.
According to her friend, Jewel, “[Aguilera] doesn’t play an instrument herself” but “likes people that do and she appreciates that talent,” per the Hollywood Reporter. Despite this fact, Christina Aguilera is still a talented musician and one heck of a performer, and seemingly, that is her main focus as an artist.
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