Voice type
Famous mezzo-sopranos
Cited ranges on one keyboard — the middle female category, and the home of most modern pop belting.
Median span
2.6 oct
Conventional band
A3–A5
Share of library
21%
of the library
What a mezzo-soprano is
Mezzo-soprano is where the majority of women in popular music sit, and where the belt-driven pop of the last three decades lives. The interesting figure for a mezzo is rarely the highest note reached but the highest note held in full voice, which is why this library tracks the two separately.
Belting near the top of the range is the most commonly injured technique in popular singing, and the cited ceilings here are peaks rather than sustainable nightly territory.
What the mezzo-sopranos here show
- Widest cited span: Rachelle Ferrell at G2–D7 (4.6 octaves); narrowest is Lainey Wilson at A3–C#5.
- The group bottoms out at F2 (Chaka Khan) and tops out at D#7 (Normani) — 58 semitones from the floor of the category to its ceiling.
- Prominence spans 1930 to 2024, and the median cited span is 31 semitones against A3–A5 for the conventional mezzo-soprano band.
Voice categories are guides borrowed from choral and operatic practice, not boxes. Plenty of these singers are filed differently by different sources, and a category says more about where a voice is comfortable than about the notes it can reach.
Every mezzo-soprano on one axis
low → high
Singers Adele through Cecilia Bartoli
- AdeleC3–A#5C3–A#52.8 oct
- AdoE3–A#5E3–A#52.5 oct
- AileeF3–C6F3–C62.6 oct
- Alanis MorissetteB2–C6B2–C63.1 oct
- Alicia KeysA2–A#5A2–A#53.1 oct
- Amy GrantF3–E5F3–E51.9 oct
- Amy LeeE3–E6E3–E63.0 oct
- Andra DayE3–F#5E3–F#52.2 oct
- Ángela AguilarD#3–G5D#3–G52.3 oct
- Angélique KidjoE3–E5E3–E52.0 oct
- Ann WilsonG2–E6G2–E63.8 oct
- Aretha FranklinG2–E6G2–E63.8 oct
- AshantiF3–C6F3–C62.6 oct
- Auli'i CravalhoF3–E5F3–E51.9 oct
- Avril LavigneF3–E5F3–E51.9 oct
- Ayra StarrE3–E5E3–E52.0 oct
- Ayumi HamasakiF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- Barbra StreisandA#2–C6A#2–C63.2 oct
- BeyoncéB2–D#6B2–D#63.3 oct
- Billie EilishA2–B5A2–B53.2 oct
- Bonnie TylerD3–G5D3–G52.4 oct
- BrandyG2–E6G2–E63.8 oct
- Cécile McLorin SalvantF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- Cecilia BartoliF3–D6F3–D62.8 oct
Singers Chaka Khan through Florence Welch
- Chaka KhanF2–B5F2–B53.5 oct
- Charli XCXF3–F5F3–F52.0 oct
- Christina AguileraC3–C7C3–C74.0 oct
- CiaraA#2–A5A#2–A52.9 oct
- Coco JonesB2–C#6B2–C#63.2 oct
- Cynthia ErivoE3–C6E3–C62.7 oct
- Debbie HarryF3–E5F3–E51.9 oct
- Demi LovatoC#3–D6C#3–D63.1 oct
- Dinah WashingtonD#3–E5D#3–E52.1 oct
- Dolores O'RiordanE3–C6E3–C62.7 oct
- Dua LipaB2–G5B2–G52.7 oct
- Dusty SpringfieldC3–D#5C3–D#52.3 oct
- Édith PiafB2–D5B2–D52.3 oct
- Elis ReginaE3–A#5E3–A#52.5 oct
- Ella FitzgeraldD3–C6D3–C62.8 oct
- Ella MaiC3–G#5C3–G#52.7 oct
- Emeli SandéD3–F5D3–F52.3 oct
- Erykah BaduG2–D5G2–D52.6 oct
- Ethel MermanF3–D5F3–D51.8 oct
- Faith EvansC#3–C#6C#3–C#63.0 oct
- Faith HillC3–A#5C3–A#52.8 oct
- FantasiaC3–A#5C3–A#52.8 oct
- Faye WongE3–D5E3–D51.8 oct
- Florence WelchF3–B5F3–B52.5 oct
Singers Gladys Knight through Keyshia Cole
- Gladys KnightE3–D5E3–D51.8 oct
- Gloria EstefanE3–A#5E3–A#52.5 oct
- Gwen StefaniF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- H.E.R.C3–F#5C3–F#52.5 oct
- HalseyC3–G5C3–G52.6 oct
- Hikaru UtadaE3–A#5E3–A#52.5 oct
- Idina MenzelG2–D6G2–D63.6 oct
- Janis JoplinA2–A#5A2–A#53.1 oct
- Jazmine SullivanA2–C#6A2–C#63.3 oct
- Jenni RiveraC3–E5C3–E52.3 oct
- Jennifer HudsonA2–C6A2–C63.3 oct
- Jessie JC#3–C6C#3–C62.9 oct
- Jill ScottC3–E5C3–E52.3 oct
- JoJoA2–A#6A2–A#64.1 oct
- Joss StoneC3–G5C3–G52.6 oct
- Kacey MusgravesG3–D5G3–D51.6 oct
- Kali UchisC3–F5C3–F52.4 oct
- Karol GE3–A5E3–A52.4 oct
- Katy PerryA2–C6A2–C63.3 oct
- KehlaniD3–E5D3–E52.2 oct
- Kelly ClarksonD3–D#6D3–D#63.1 oct
- Kelly RowlandC3–D#6C3–D#63.3 oct
- KeshaD3–E6D3–E63.2 oct
- Keyshia ColeC3–A#5C3–A#52.8 oct
Singers Kim Burrell through Miley Cyrus
- Kim BurrellE3–D6E3–D62.8 oct
- Kirstin MaldonadoF3–C6F3–C62.6 oct
- Lady GagaG2–C6G2–C63.4 oct
- Lainey WilsonA3–C#5A3–C#51.3 oct
- Lana Del ReyC3–D6C3–D63.2 oct
- Laura PausiniB2–F5B2–F52.5 oct
- Lauren DaigleE3–A5E3–A52.4 oct
- Lauryn HillA#2–A5A#2–A52.9 oct
- Lea MicheleF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- LiSAF3–F5F3–F52.0 oct
- LizzoE3–A#5E3–A#52.5 oct
- Lizzy McAlpineE3–C#5E3–C#51.8 oct
- Lola YoungE3–A#5E3–A#52.5 oct
- LordeD3–A5D3–A52.6 oct
- LoreenB2–B5B2–B53.0 oct
- Loren AllredE3–F#5E3–F#52.2 oct
- Loretta LynnG3–D5G3–D51.6 oct
- Lzzy HaleG2–C6G2–C63.4 oct
- Macy GrayA2–D6A2–D63.4 oct
- MadonnaF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- MARINAA#2–C#6A#2–C#63.3 oct
- Mary J. BligeA2–C6A2–C63.3 oct
- Meghan TrainorD#3–B5D#3–B52.7 oct
- Miley CyrusG2–E6G2–E63.8 oct
Singers Miranda Lambert through Summer Walker
- Miranda LambertE3–D5E3–D51.8 oct
- Miriam MakebaE3–D5E3–D51.8 oct
- NormaniC#3–D#7C#3–D#74.2 oct
- Olivia Newton-JohnF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- Olivia RodrigoB2–A#5B2–A#52.9 oct
- Pat BenatarF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- Patti LuPoneE3–G5E3–G52.3 oct
- PinkG2–A#5G2–A#53.3 oct
- Rachelle FerrellG2–D7G2–D74.6 oct
- RAYEC#3–D6C#3–D63.1 oct
- Reba McEntireE3–F5E3–F52.1 oct
- Reneé RappE3–G#5E3–G#52.3 oct
- RihannaB2–B5B2–B53.0 oct
- RosalíaF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- Samara JoyB2–D5B2–D52.3 oct
- Sara BareillesB2–E6B2–E63.4 oct
- SelenaE3–A#5E3–A#52.5 oct
- Selena GomezC3–F5C3–F52.4 oct
- ShakiraE3–D6E3–D62.8 oct
- Shania TwainE3–E5E3–E52.0 oct
- SiaC3–C6C3–C63.0 oct
- Simone SimonsG3–C#6G3–C#62.5 oct
- Sinéad O'ConnorF3–A5F3–A52.3 oct
- Summer WalkerD3–E5D3–E52.2 oct
Singers Sutton Foster through Yolanda Adams
- Sutton FosterF3–A5F3–A52.3 oct
- SZAE3–C6E3–C62.7 oct
- TamiaD#3–D6D#3–D62.9 oct
- Tammy WynetteG3–E5G3–E51.8 oct
- Tatiana ShmaylukA2–G5A2–G52.8 oct
- Taylor SwiftA2–A#5A2–A#53.1 oct
- Tori AmosE3–C6E3–C62.7 oct
- Trisha YearwoodD3–A5D3–A52.6 oct
- TylaD3–D5D3–D52.0 oct
- Victoria MonétB2–A5B2–A52.8 oct
- Whitney HoustonA2–C6A2–C63.3 oct
- YebbaD3–G5D3–G52.4 oct
- Yolanda AdamsE3–C6E3–C62.7 oct
How high — and how low — mezzo-sopranos sing
How high can a mezzo-soprano sing?
The conventional mezzo-soprano band tops out around A5, but recorded mezzo-sopranos are cited well past it: the highest note among the 133 mezzo-sopranos indexed here is D#7, cited for Normani.
How low can a mezzo-soprano sing?
Conventionally the mezzo-soprano band bottoms out around A3. The lowest cited note among the mezzo-sopranos here is F2, cited for Chaka Khan.
Other voice types