Famous sopranos
Cited ranges on one keyboard — the highest female category, with the most headroom above the staff.
What a soprano is
Sopranos carry the lightest fold mass and the most usable range above middle C, which is what makes coloratura and whistle register possible at all. In this library the soprano group holds most of the extreme top figures, and nearly all of the whistle-register entries.
A soprano's cited top note is usually the least representative number about them — it is a one-off recorded moment, not where the voice actually works.
What the sopranos here show
- Widest cited span: Mariah Carey at F2–G7 (5.2 octaves); narrowest is Emmylou Harris at G3–D5.
- Both extremes belong to the same singer: Mariah Carey holds the category’s floor at F2 and its ceiling at G7, 62 semitones apart.
- Prominence spans 1947 to 2021, and the median cited span is 33 semitones against C4–C6 for the conventional 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 soprano on one axis
Singers Aaliyah through Doja Cat
- AaliyahC#3–A5C#3–A52.7 oct
- Alison KraussG3–D5G3–D51.6 oct
- Anna NetrebkoG3–D6G3–D62.6 oct
- Ari LennoxA#2–E6A#2–E63.5 oct
- Ariana GrandeD3–E7D3–E74.2 oct
- Audra McDonaldF3–C6F3–C62.6 oct
- AuroraD#3–E6D#3–E63.1 oct
- Ava MaxE3–C#6E3–C#62.8 oct
- Bebe RexhaD3–B5D3–B52.8 oct
- Bernadette PetersG3–A5G3–A52.2 oct
- Birgit NilssonC#3–D6C#3–D63.1 oct
- BjörkE3–C6E3–C62.7 oct
- BoAD3–C#6D3–C#62.9 oct
- Britney SpearsB2–F#5B2–F#52.6 oct
- Camila CabelloD3–G5D3–G52.4 oct
- Caroline PolachekG#2–F6G#2–F63.8 oct
- Carrie UnderwoodF3–C6F3–C62.6 oct
- CeCe WinansF3–C6F3–C62.6 oct
- Celine DionA#2–C6A#2–C63.2 oct
- Chappell RoanE3–A#5E3–A#52.5 oct
- Cyndi LauperF3–C6F3–C62.6 oct
- Diana DamrauA#3–G#6A#3–G#62.8 oct
- Diana RossD#3–C6D#3–C62.8 oct
- Doja CatC3–B5C3–B52.9 oct
Singers Dolly Parton through Karen Clark Sheard
- Dolly PartonF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- Elize RydE3–F#6E3–F#63.2 oct
- Ellie GouldingD3–A5D3–A52.6 oct
- Emmylou HarrisG3–D5G3–D51.6 oct
- FaouziaC#3–G6C#3–G63.5 oct
- FKA twigsE3–F6E3–F63.1 oct
- Floor JansenE3–E6E3–E63.0 oct
- G.E.M.D3–F6D3–F63.3 oct
- Gracie AbramsF3–E5F3–E51.9 oct
- GrimesD3–G6D3–G63.4 oct
- Halle BaileyC3–C6C3–C63.0 oct
- Hayley WilliamsF3–D6F3–D62.8 oct
- IUD3–C6D3–C62.8 oct
- Jackie EvanchoG#3–A5G#3–A52.1 oct
- Janelle MonáeC#3–D#6C#3–D#63.2 oct
- Janet JacksonC3–D6C3–D63.2 oct
- Jessye NormanE3–C6E3–C62.7 oct
- JewelE3–E6E3–E63.0 oct
- Jhené AikoB2–E6B2–E63.4 oct
- Joan BaezF3–B5F3–B52.5 oct
- Joan SutherlandG3–F6G3–F62.8 oct
- Joni MitchellE3–C6E3–C62.7 oct
- Julie AndrewsG3–C6G3–C62.4 oct
- Karen Clark SheardF3–D#6F3–D#62.8 oct
Singers Kate Bush through Rachel Zegler
- Kate BushC3–C6C3–C63.0 oct
- Kim PetrasD3–A#6D3–A#63.7 oct
- Kristin ChenowethG3–F6G3–F62.8 oct
- Lara FabianD#3–D6D#3–D62.9 oct
- Lata MangeshkarG3–A#5G3–A#52.3 oct
- Lea SalongaF3–D6F3–D62.8 oct
- LeAnn RimesF3–F5F3–F52.0 oct
- Leona LewisC3–F#6C3–F#63.5 oct
- Leontyne PriceG3–C6G3–C62.4 oct
- Linda RonstadtE3–A#5E3–A#52.5 oct
- Madison BeerC3–C6C3–C63.0 oct
- Maria CallasF#3–D#6F#3–D#62.8 oct
- Mariah CareyF2–G7F2–G75.2 oct
- Martina McBrideF3–F5F3–F52.0 oct
- Melanie MartinezF3–D5F3–D51.8 oct
- Minnie RipertonD3–F#7D3–F#74.3 oct
- MisiaF3–F6F3–F63.0 oct
- MitskiE3–F#5E3–F#52.2 oct
- Montserrat CaballéG3–C6G3–C62.4 oct
- Natalia LafourcadeF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- Nicole ScherzingerD3–G#6D3–G#63.5 oct
- Patti LaBelleA#2–E6A#2–E63.5 oct
- Phoebe BridgersC#3–E5C#3–E52.3 oct
- Rachel ZeglerC#3–E6C#3–E63.3 oct
Singers Ravyn Lenae through Yma Sumac
- Ravyn LenaeC#3–C#6C#3–C#63.0 oct
- Regina SpektorF3–C6F3–C62.6 oct
- Renée FlemingG3–C6G3–C62.4 oct
- RoséF3–C6F3–C62.6 oct
- Sabrina CarpenterE3–C6E3–C62.7 oct
- Sandi PattyF3–C6F3–C62.6 oct
- Sarah BrightmanG3–E6G3–E62.8 oct
- Sarah McLachlanF3–B5F3–B52.5 oct
- Sharon den AdelG3–D6G3–D62.6 oct
- Sierra BoggessG3–E6G3–E62.8 oct
- SohyangE3–C7E3–C73.7 oct
- SolangeD3–E6D3–E63.2 oct
- SolarG#3–A5G#3–A52.1 oct
- Sumi JoA3–F6A3–F62.7 oct
- TaeyeonE3–C6E3–C62.7 oct
- Tamela MannF3–C#6F3–C#62.7 oct
- Tarja TurunenF3–E6F3–E62.9 oct
- Tate McRaeE3–F5E3–F52.1 oct
- Teresa TengD#3–B5D#3–B52.7 oct
- ThalíaF3–A#5F3–A#52.4 oct
- TinasheB2–E6B2–E63.4 oct
- Tori KellyB2–E6B2–E63.4 oct
- WendyC#3–D#7C#3–D#74.2 oct
- Yma SumacB2–C#7B2–C#74.2 oct
Singers Zara Larsson through Zara Larsson
How high — and how low — sopranos sing
How high can a soprano sing?
The conventional soprano band tops out around C6, but recorded sopranos are cited well past it: the highest note among the 97 sopranos indexed here is G7, cited for Mariah Carey.
How low can a soprano sing?
Conventionally the soprano band bottoms out around C4. The lowest cited note among the sopranos here is F2, cited for Mariah Carey.