Most of us do it.
We pick our lane and we stick to it.
But some people are chameleons. They wear numerous hats.
With singers, this means they sing in different styles and genres.
But few do it well. The number of singers who mastered multiple genres is tiny.
I’ve compiled a list of those who do it best. These are singers who have found incredible success across a number of different genres.
Singers Who Mastered Multiple Genres
As mentioned, there are very few singers who have been successful in many different genres. Many try out other styles, but they simply can’t find the same success as they achieved in their original style.
Bob Dylan
I had to put Bob Dylan on the top of my list of musical chameleons purely because he’s worn every hat imaginable throughout his 50+ years of singing, performing, and making music.
If The Freewheelin’ was the first album you heard, you may have been under the impression that Dylan is a folk singer, and a good one at that. Debatably his most popular song from this era is Blowin’ in the Wind.
Older generations who picked up The Times, They Are A-Changin first might recognize Dylan as a country blues vocalist. Once again, this is a perfectly plausible assumption because songs like North Country Blues show us this side of his musical career and influences.
Just a bit later, he co-founded the shining “Traveling Wilburys” (and was occasionally called “Lucky Wilbury” because of this). The supergroup’s flagship Wilbury Twist allows us to hear Dylan in a rock & roll setting.
And then we have a unique mash-up of rock, folk, and world music in his 22nd album Infidels. Just play Neighborhood Bully to friends and count how many people recognize Bob in this record.
What makes Bob Dylan one of the best musical chameleons of all time is the fact that no matter how many times his singing, playing, and writing styles changed, he always found success.
Freddie Mercury
I’d rather describe the late, great Freddie as the master of his own, unique style than a musical chameleon. But it’s an undisputed fact that he was skilled in numerous fields of singing.
The most popular instance of him displaying a broad palette of vocal colors is Bohemian Rhapsody, where he blends gentle ballad-esque singing with rock and a tinge of jazz.
Let’s take a quick trip to Somebody To Love. Beyond the gentle lines, we can hear Freddie stringing a range of delicate progressions that were extremely rare in the ever-growing family of rock music.
And then we have the full force of Freddie’s hard rock in tunes like Don’t Stop Me Now. Even decades later, only a handful of singers boast such grit, confidence, and refinement in their voices.
What makes Freddie a suitable candidate for one of the best musical chameleons is that he never hid how diverse his singing can be. It’s us, the fans, who had to dissect the beautiful layers of his voice, even years after his unfortunate passing.
David Bowie
David Bowie did not change styles as much as Bob Dylan, nor did he pursue a career in mainstream genres like Freddie. But he is worthy of sitting beside these legends for a good reason. He reshaped the landscape of contemporary “alt” rock and indie scenes, before becoming their undisputed master.
One of the most diverse chunks of music he ever wrote is Space Oddity. From start to finish, it’s difficult to pinpoint in which style David is singing, but we can all agree that it sounds magnificent.
His idiosyncratic style takes an even deeper dive into the unknown in tunes like China Girl and Lazarus, which were released decades apart.
To this day, it’s difficult to accurately formulate which sub-genres of rock and pop David Bowie dabbled in, making him one of the most proficient singer chameleons.
Serj Tankian
When people think of “metal” and “opera” as singing terms, their minds usually drift to Nightwish. While Tarja, Floor, and all other singers from this band are extremely versatile and flexible professionals, I’d like to introduce you to another musical chameleon that takes the term up a notch.
Enter, Serj Tanikan, one of the co-founders of System of a Down. He is a masterful record producer, and a professionally trained opera vocalist. Let’s visit Bring Your Own Bombs (BYOB), in which Serj seamlessly meshes his opera-style singing with plates of heavy metal.
He demonstrates amazing flexibility in most System songs, but there are a few where his more aggressive style takes dominance, such as in Sugar. And then let’s visit Bounce, which I believe perfectly shows Serj’s skills for spoken word style of singing.
SOAD, unfortunately, went on hiatus in 2006, but Serj continued performing as a solo artist. He went back to his opera-inspired roots, as is best demonstrated in Empty Walls, which was famously performed over a decade ago as part of Serj’s Elect the Dead Symphony live album.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga gave pop music a brand-new layer of quirkiness with Bad Romance. It’s safe to assume that almost everyone knows this song, based on the fact that it’s got close to 2 billion views on YouTube alone, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg that is Gaga’s singing flexibility.
Let’s take a quick look at Shallow, a gorgeous ballad she sang with Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born. No flamboyant dresses, no makeup, flashy dancers, or effects – this hauntingly beautiful performance stands in stark contrast to everything Stefani displays when singing as Lady Gaga.
She famously performed John Lennon’s Imagine at the opening of the European Games in 2015. Once again, she displayed her gentler side in front of millions of people. But more than that, she hit notes so high that they crossed the continental borders and got a warm reception at home.
Lady Gaga is a musical chameleon true to form, having the vocal range of an opera singer, the performance of a high-class actor, and unique idiosyncrasies that will never be replicated.
Tom Jones
Long-time fans of the legendary Tom Jones know that he’s among the most versatile singers out there. Younger generations may know him from his R&R era with hits like She’s a Lady or Ebb Tide. We then see him in a more country-oriented atmosphere in classics like Green Green Grass of Home.
Throughout his early career, he made a huge name for himself as a soul-focused singer. Just listen to (It Looks Like) I’ll Never Fall In Love Again and have some tissues handy.
Jones even had the honor of singing his most legendary hit with the great Pavarotti in 2001. The opera version of Delilah, complete with a string ensemble, is further proof that Tom Jones’ scope of singing knows no bounds.
Artists Who Sing In Multiple Genres: Final Thoughts
I know there are many other singers who sing in multiple genres, but this is a list of singers who mastered multiple genres. Of course, there are probably a few more of those out there. Maybe you can help me.
If you know of any other singers who should have a spot on this list, please feel free to let me know in a comment below. I will be happy to add any good suggestions in a future update.
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