Photo: Kathy Hutchins / Denis Makarenko / Shutterstock
Something fishy may be going on behind the scenes...
By Nicole Pomarico — Written on Aug 26, 2022
What fans suspect is Britney Spears' "real voice" is heard loud and clear in her first release since being freed from the conservatorship that has controlled her life for the past 13 years.
The new track, titled "Hold Me Closer," is a collaboration with Elton John and incorporates three of Sir Elton's classic hits — Tiny Dancer, The One and Don't Go Breaking My Heart — over a club-music beat.
As Spears' voice is heard and she shares her signature "baby" ad lib, the singer reveals a deeper voice than what she is perhaps best known for.
But, for fans of the star, this is a sign that the pop star may finally be free to reveal the voice they believe she's been hiding all along.
Is Britney Spears's real voice being kept hidden?
Fans speculate that the singer secretly has a deep register, influenced by her Southern roots, but was forced to sing in a "baby voice" for most of her career.
The theory, which has circulated for years, was only further popularized when Spears bravely addressed a court during a hearing on the status of her controversial conservatorship.
Her strong, articulate voice and Southern drawl stunned fans and she delivered a heart-wrenching testimony.
Some believe Spears is forced to sing in a baby voice.
One Instagram post detailing the theory claims Spears may have been forced to sing in a voice that sounds nothing like her "real" voice throughout her whole career since it's the one that's sold millions of albums.
They also claim her voice is damaged because of it.
"They had her voice retrained to sing in the baby voice we all know today because they believed it to be more iconic and would create a brand and career for her instead of her real voice," says the post. "It's unhealthy, and it's been destroying her voice over the years, thus why she is known for lip-syncing."
Fans also suspect Spears's real voice was supposed to appear on her mysterious "Original Doll" album in 2006.
The singer has eluded to the album in the past but her label denies its existence.
Spears was allegedly forced to change her voice during her rivalry with Christina Aguilera.
Fans suspect Spears's team manufactured a unique sound for her as a way to differentiate her from her "Mickey Mouse Club" co-star Christina Aguilera who is also known for her impressive, deep voice.
The pair were often pitched against each other as rivals during the early years of their careers so, as the theory goes, Spears's unique, child-like voice became a means to market her as her own product.
The voice also played into the media's dichotomous representation of Spears, portraying her as virginal and child-like yet hyper-sexualizing her every move.
Old videos show Spears's original, deep singing voice.
In this video, there are several examples of Spears singing in a deep voice that's much different from the one she uses today. It's easy to see that something's definitely different here.
Obviously, voices can change as people get older, and it's been many years since these videos were taken but it's hard to deny that the difference between this voice and the voice we hear on Spears' albums is pretty big.
Spears has used her "real voice" in performances before.
Rumors about Spears's voice have been around for years.
Back in 2017, she posted a video of herself singing "Can't Help Falling In Love With You" on Instagram that had fans wondering if it had been edited or if the pitch had been changed to disguise her real voice.
Earlier that same year, Spears performed "Something To Talk About" on stage at her Las Vegas residency.
She can be heard using a voice that sounds much closer to the deeper voice also heard in the videos of her singing when she was younger.
Could this be Spears taking an opportunity to share what she really sounds like? She hasn't commented on the voice debate, so it's hard to say for sure.
Spears' speaking voice has changed also.
Changing a singing voice is one thing, but Spears' cryptic online videos also feature her speaking in a voice that is somewhat child-like.
This is a stark contrast to the voice we heard in old interviews or in her recent court appearance. While it's difficult to say exactly why or if the change is deliberate, Spears' voice change could be taking cues from another 2000s pop culture icon.
Paris Hilton, who many will associate with her "airhead" voice, has spoken out about creating a character around herself as a defense mechanism to stop the world from judging the real her.
"This entire time, I have been playing a character, so the world has never really truly known who I am," she said recently, explaining why she doesn't use her real, deep voice.
Spears had a similar take when she told the court, "I've lied and told the whole world I'm OK and I'm happy. It's a lie."
"Fake it 'til you make it, but now I'm telling you the truth, OK?" she added. Could Spears be using a fake voice in order to deflect from years of pain and trauma exacerbated by her conservatorship?
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.