2026 Theses Doctoral

Tuning In: Vocal Identity in a Digitized World

Tiramani, Matthew Anthony

For many young singers, the voice is both the instrument they rely on and the part of themselves they cannot fully control. The concept of “finding a voice” sits at the center of vocal music, describing both the technical process of developing vocal ability and the personal search for self-expression and identity. Previous research shows that singing can foster adolescents’ sense of self, community, and resilience (Glew et al., 2020; Parker, 2010), while vocal technologies allow singers to experiment with and reshape their sound (Åse, 2014; Hughes & Knowles, 2024). Yet how these tools influence young singers’ developing sense of self remains underexplored.

This study examines how adolescent singers engage vocal recording, processing, and AI tools to negotiate identity, vocal legitimacy, and artistic intent. Five adolescents participated in group and individual sessions exploring a range of singing technologies, from simple equalizers to larger manipulations like pitch shifting and AI voice cloning Data included conversational transcripts, reflective notes, and participant-produced recordings. Participants treated these tools not as shortcuts or corrective devices but as extensions of musicianship and identity, aligning technological choices with genre, message, and mood.

Analysis suggests that singers used these technologies to refine not only their sound but also their understanding of their voices and selves. Participants valued intentional edits while resisting “perfection by default,” and they raised nuanced concerns about consent, ownership, and the preservation of human character in mediated sound. The findings suggest that technologically mediated singing becomes a site of ethical and aesthetic negotiation within adolescent musicking.