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Above Coloratura, Below Baritone

Janos Gereben on April 8, 2014
Chen Juan, a singer of many voices
Chen Juan, a singer of many voices

The popular (400 million viewer) "China Got Talent" TV show has a new sensation, a female singer with a man's voice, of ambigous gender, with a voice whose range extends from baritone to way above coloratura ... along with a changing tone and even different look between traditional male and female. A report from the show:

Chen Juan, dressed in an elaborate tribal costume, got the judges immensely fascinated as she performed her tribe's song with flawless transition between a man's voice and a female's high pitched voice. The audience gave rapturous applause, and even the host was shocked as there was a huge contrast between Chen Juan's image and her voice. Chen Juan has liked singing since she was young, and was initially apprehensive about joining the contest, but decided to go for it as her friends encouraged her and said she had a unique voice. After the performance, one of the judges even asked her to speak to them in the man's voice. She got "yes" votes from all four judges.

Still, if you want to hear a voice whose range is beyond the average human hearing, this is the one!