You won’t, I promise!
I’ve heard this quite a few times over the years. I remember a few cases, back in the time when I was doing singing competitions, of singers who sounded really strange, like they were singing opera arias with a jazz or pop voice, or even with an untrained voice sometimes. And when I would ask what their technique was called, they would say it was their own, personal way, because they didn’t want to sound like a standard opera singer.
Needless to say, they would never make it into the second round.
And later, sometimes, when I would correct a new singer and show them the exact position I wanted for their lips, or the exact place where I wanted their voice to resonate, or the exact vowel sound they needed to aim for, at a certain height, they would initially resist that.
A few people have expressed this concern to me, that if they did it exactly like that, they would then sound exactly like everyone else who did it the same way.
Well, yes and no…
Yes, because you are choosing to do something that belongs to a long and strong tradition here, so if you want to be part of that, you will have to learn to “speak that language”.
And no, because once you master the whole set of vocal and musical skills that go into classical singing, you will be in a position to find your very personal way of expressing yourself.
You have to understand the rules of the game perfectly, before you can find your freedom within them.
And the moment you find your own expression, your way of singing that old stuff will be totally new, and unique to you.