Top 10 Soundalike Voices in Music

Ja Rule and DMX easily have two of the most distinguishable voices in rap history. Unfortunately, they're only distinguishable from everybody else. Both have very growly, raspy voices and rapping styles, and it’s understandable if casual rap listeners get them confused. If we have to point fingers, Ja Rule may have modeled his style after DMX’s, as DMX commercially peaked in the late 90s and Ja Rule in the early 2000s. Their similar style even caught the attention of Eminem, who, took notice of the uncanny resemblance between the two in the song “Bump Heads.”

With every successful pop artist, there's bound to be another who replicates their style, either inadvertently or intentionally. Such is the case with Rihanna and Zara Larsson. Rihanna had one of the most unique voices in pop music. That is, until Zara Larsson came along. Larsson released a song called “Lush Life” in June of 2015, and many people thought that it was a new Rihanna single. Imagine their surprise when they discovered that it was actually a 17-year-old from Sweden. Larsson has stated that even her mother thinks that she sounds like Rihanna, although she apparently doesn’t hear it. She must be the only one.

At this point, we’re not convinced that Chris Brown and Jason Derulo are different people. There’s no denying that they look similar, have a comparable fashion sense, create the same style of music, and they both sound exactly alike. Is there some sort of conspiracy we’re not aware of or something? Both Brown and Derulo have very similar high-pitched and mumbly singing voices, and both sing in the same emotional, swooning R&B style. Of course, not every song of theirs sounds exactly alike, but there’s no denying the similarities. Close your eyes, pick a song at random, and try guessing.

It's controversial, but like the comparison or not, there’s no denying that Mika sounds an awful lot like the patron saint of rock'n'roll mustaches, Freddie Mercury. Both have the same dramatic, grandiose, and stadium-rousing sound to their voices, and both tend to accentuate their voices in a similar theatrical manner. Mika’s “Grace Kelly” is arguably the greatest example, as the song itself sounds like it could have been a Queen tune once upon a time. Mika even states in the song that he “tried a little Freddie,” an obvious nod to their similar voices.

No one can even compare to Queen B, but Emeli Sandé comes pretty darned close. Sandé and Beyoncé, aside from having similar-sounding names, have very comparable, powerful R&B-styled voices and singing styles, which is certainly a compliment for Sandé because very few people can sing and entertain like Beyoncé. Sandé was even asked to cover Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” for “The Great Gatsby” soundtrack by none other than Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z. It’s no wonder why he chose her to cover one of his wife’s greatest songs. They sound almost exact alike.

We guarantee you that more than a few confused Vanessa Carlton and Michelle Branch. Like Chris Brown and Jason Derulo, Carlton and Branch are basically the same person – they look almost exactly alike, they make the same kind of radio-friendly pop music, and their high-pitched, somewhat nasally voices are nearly interchangeable. Their big songs, “A Thousand Miles” and “Everywhere”, respectively, are very similar in terms of tone and vocal style. And wouldn’t you know it, they were released within eight months of each other. Seriously, are they the same person?

Jessie J has a unique voice in her R&B-inflicted tunes, but when she ventures into pure pop territory, she turns into Katy Perry. It’s not like Katy Perry has the most distinct voice in the world, but when you put Jessie and Perry side-by-side, the difference borders on non-existent. For example, Jessie’s hit song “Domino” could easily pass as a Katy Perry single circa “Teenage Dream”. Both have very clear and commanding voices, and both have very similar inflections, particularly those echoey O’s. Katy Perry commanded the Hot 100 with “Teenage Dream”, and “Domino” was released amid its success. Coincidence? Almost certainly not.

Think that all emo music all sounds the same? This is probably exhibit A for you. Both Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy were very popular in the mid-2000s and both helped bring emo music to the mainstream. To further confuse casual listeners, Urie and Stump’s voices sound exactly the same. For example, Panic!’s breakout single, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”, could easily pass for a mid-2000s Fall Out Boy song. To further complicate matters, Panic! was signed to Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump’s Decaydance Records, effectively blending the two bands into one pop-emo powerhouse.

Tame Impala is a psychedelic rock band that is heavily influenced by The Beatles. So much so that founding member Kevin Parker could be a dead ringer for John Lennon. While Tame Impala haven’t reached Beatlemania levels, they have taken many cues from The Beatles’ late-'60s releases like “Sgt. Pepper’s” and “Magical Mystery Tour”. Songs like “Elephant” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” could easily be Beatles songs, based not only on the instrumentation but also Parker's extremely Lennonesque vocals. If you’ve ever sought out possible missing Beatles songs, just listen to Tame Impala.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Action Bronson & Ghostface Killah
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Charli XCX & Gwen Stefani
There’s “No Doubt” That Charli Has Taken Some Cues From Gwen

Ian Thornley & Chris Cornell
If Anyone Could Front a Soundgarden Tribute Band, It’s Thornley

While Muse has strayed away from their Radiohead-influenced sound as of late, there once was a time when they sounded EXACTLY like Thom Yorke and company. Their debut album, “Showbiz”, was criticized for sounding too much like Radiohead, as the instrumentation, dark tone, and Matt Bellamy’s vocals all sounded identical to their influence. Bellamy tended to match Yorke’s inflections almost exactly, particularly his extreme vocal range and somewhat mumbled and quiet delivery. There’s no denying that Bellamy went a little too far in the trying-to-replicate-Thom-Yorke direction, a direction that many alt rock bands were going in in the late '90s.