Many in the entertainment world are dropping the platform
Meryl Streep is a formidable acting talent, and her vocal chops are impressive to boot. The star took opera classes as a teenager with New York teacher Estelle Liebling, but told Forbes, "I thought opera was boring, and I wanted to be a cheerleader, so I quit and started smoking.”
Famous for her four-octave range, Grande began vocal training with voice-coach-to-the-stars Eric Vetro while preparing for an early role in the Broadway show '13,' and has worked with him ever since.
Streep isn't the only iconic actress to take vocal lessons. Audrey Hepburn, who sweetly crooned 'Moon River' in 1961's 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' (pictured), had to take classes to sing the numbers in the 1964 musical 'My Fair Lady.'
Queen Bey's path to greatness may well have begun at home. Vocal coach David Lee Brewer explained in his 2017 book 'Beyoncé: Raising Genius' that he lived in the Knowles family home while giving the star voice classes early on in her career.
Lady Gaga needs no lessons in exuding star quality, but she has had help with her vocals over the years. At age 13, she began voice lessons with renowned New York voice trainer Don Lawrence.
When it comes to big name vocal trainers, they don't come much bigger than Seth Riggs. The coach, famed for pioneering the Speech Level Singing method, worked with Michael Jackson throughout his career.
Katy Perry is another long-term Eric Vetro student, but told BuzzFeed News that he never compares notes on his famous clients. She said: "He’s very bubbly and positive, always extremely positive," adding, "He would never dish."
Justin Timberlake has been singing almost all his life, but had several years of voice lessons before getting his big break on 'The All-New Mickey Mouse Club' in 1993, at the age of 12.
Multi-platinum singer Josh Groban is among the younger stars to benefit from Riggs' technique, and he benefited from his contact book as well! According to Smooth Radio, Riggs introduced a then-17-year-old Groban to Grammy-winning producer David Foster and future manager Brian Avnet in 1998, setting him up for great things.
Another star who set out on the path to fame and fortune via 'The All-New Mickey Mouse Club', Mousketeer peer Britney Spears also invested in her voice from a young age. The star spent three summers training at New York's Professional Performing Arts School before being accepted onto the Disney show at the age of 11.
Sometimes actors need to nail a famous artist's singing skills almost overnight in order to nail a role. For his part as Johnny Cash in the 2005 movie 'Walk the Line,' he trained with legendary country music producer T-Bone Burnett to get as close as possible to Cash's vocal style.
Co-star Reese Witherspoon signed up for classes, too. For her role as singer June Carter, she trained with Burnett as well as vocal coach Roger Love.
Brit actor Hugh Grant had no singing experience to speak of when he took on the role of a washed-up '80s pop star in the 2007 rom-com 'Words and Music.' To nail his 1980s vocals, he had singing classes with Martin Fry, of real-life '80s pop group ABC.
Anne Hathaway nailed her vocal performance in the 2012 musical movie version of 'Les Miserables,' but had to put in the work. Vocal coach Joan Lader helped her find the perfect pitch.
Keen singer Jeff Bridges worked with vocal coach Roger Love to help him prepare for his role as country singer Bad Blake in the 2009 movie 'Crazy Heart.'
Steep was to study opera again as an adult, to prepare for her role as opera singer Florence Foster Jenkins in the 2016 movie of the same name. She had classes with top vocal coach Arthur Levy, telling Forbes that he "taught me to sing arias as well as I could.”
Not only did actor Gary Busey have to lose a considerable amount of weight to take on the starring role in 1978's 'The Buddy Holly Story,' but he had to learn how to sing like the star, too. His hard work clearly paid off–Busey recorded most of his vocals in a single take, and was Oscar-nominated for his role.
Rami Malek won rave reviews, and a Best Actor Oscar, for his role as legendary Queen singer Freddie Mercury in the 2018 biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' But nailing Mercury's distinctive style was no easy task–he needed singing and dancing lessons, and a dialect coach, to perfect his performance.
Singer Rita Ora is a natural talent, but it took some tough love to perfect her singing skills. Growing up, she trained at the famous Sylvia Young Theatre School. And according to MTV, her vocal coach swore at her until she nailed the notes.
Vetro's list of students reads like a 'who's who' of singing talent. Camila Cabello is another star who works with the coach to fine-tune her already impressive vocals.
Cabello and her ex Shawn Mendes still have something in common–their vocal coach. Eric Vetro's long-term student Mendes told the BBC that he works at it for an hour every day.
Smooth-voiced singer John Legend was already a big name when he met Vetro backstage at an Ariana Grande concert. In an interview for the 'Backstage Pass with Eric Vetro' podcast, he says he signed up for vocal classes himself to "brush up" his skills and preserve the longevity of his voice.
Lawrence was already well known for his work with stars such as Bono and Christina Aguilera (pictured). Lady Gaga told The Hollywood Reporter: "I promised him that if he took me on as a student that I would do everything he told me that I needed to in order to be a great student."
Riggs, who has also worked with Madonna, Barbra Streisand, and Ray Charles, has helped Stevie Wonder hone his already-impressive vocal chops since the early days of his career.
Renée Zellweger proved she had strong singing skills in the hit 2002 musical 'Chicago.' But the star needed extensive vocal training to master the distinctive voice of Judy Garland in 2019's 'Judy.'
British actor Tom Hiddleston had his work cut out for him nailing country singer Hank Williams' Southern twang for the 2015 movie 'I Saw the Light.' He told Vanity Fair that singing coach Rodney Cowell helped him with his yodelling skills.
Miley Cyrus comes from musical stock and has been singing from a young age. But that's not to say she doesn't have to work to keep her vocals in shape. Indeed, she's worked with celeb voice coach Renee-Grant Williams, whose other students include Keith Urban and Garth Brooks.
Sources: (Forbes) (BBC) (Backstage) (MTV) (Insider) (Notable Biographies) (Screen Rant) (The Hollywood Reporter) (Smooth Radio)
See also: Famous actors reveal their most embarrassing moments on set
Clean-cut actor Tom Cruise learned from the best when it came to perfect his role as a rocker in 2012's 'Rock of Ages.' He took classes with Ron Anderson, vocal coach to none other than Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose.
Cooper was Oscar-nominated for his role in 2018's 'A Star Is Born,' and his success was hard-earned. He reportedly spent a year working with dialect coach Tim Monich, as well as taking singing, piano, and guitar lessons.
Many stars of stage and screen seem like they were simply born to sing. Whether pulling off polished pop performances or nailing the vocals in a movie musical, talented celebs make it look almost easy. But even the most naturally-gifted stars out there can use a helping hand in keeping their vocal chops in tip-top form, and voice coaches are in high demand across the world of showbiz.
Want to know which stars have been vocal about their work with voice trainers? Click through this gallery to find out which celebs have had singing lessons.
Stars who had singing lessons with the pros
These famous figures needed a little help honing their natural talents
CELEBRITY Voice
Many stars of stage and screen seem like they were simply born to sing. Whether pulling off polished pop performances or nailing the vocals in a movie musical, talented celebs make it look almost easy. But even the most naturally-gifted stars out there can use a helping hand in keeping their vocal chops in tip-top form, and voice coaches are in high demand across the world of showbiz.
Want to know which stars have been vocal about their work with voice trainers? Click through this gallery to find out which celebs have had singing lessons.