Vanilla Ninja is an Estonian pop-rock group with a sound that feels like a summer hit wrapped in a dramatic, larger-than-life production. Their Eurovision entry “Too Epic To Be True” is a great case study for singers who want to understand how vocal technique shapes a performance, from chest voice power to falsetto blending and everything in between.
Whether you are a rock singer, a pop vocalist, or somewhere in between, there is something in this performance worth studying closely.
Chest Voice and the Glottal Onset in “Too Epic To Be True”
One of the most immediately noticeable features of “Too Epic To Be True” is how the lead vocalist uses her chest voice in the opening lines. The phrase “Too epic to be true” is delivered almost like speech set to pitch, which is a very deliberate technique rooted in the glottal onset. The glottal onset involves closing the vocal folds before the note begins, which builds subglottic pressure and gives the chest voice that punchy, present quality. When Vanilla Ninja sings the hook, the thicker vocal folds produce a bold, grounded sound that anchors the whole performance.
Register Transitions: Falsetto and the Blip in the Sound
As “Too Epic To Be True” moves into its verses and quieter melodic sections, the singers shift into a breather, thinner vocal quality. Falsetto, by nature, involves only the very tips of the vocal folds touching, which produces a lighter tone with less volume and less color.
When falsetto is used lower in the female chest voice register, the vocal folds want to close more fully and can cause a small instability or blip in the sound. This is not a flaw unique to Vanilla Ninja. It is something that happens to many singers and is one of the clearest signs that a register transition is taking place.
Key signs of falsetto you can listen for in the performance:
- A noticeable drop in volume compared to chest voice phrases
- A fluffier, airier quality sometimes described as “woofy”
- A slight wobble or instability on lower falsetto notes
- A change in tonal color, particularly on held or sustained notes
Twang and the Illusion of Vocal Fold Closure
One technique used throughout “Too Epic To Be True” is twang, which involves a tightening of the space above the larynx. Twang creates the illusion that the vocal folds are closing more fully, which can add brightness and carrying power to the sound without actually transitioning out of falsetto.
It is particularly useful higher in the range, where falsetto sits more comfortably. While twang can disguise the breathy quality of falsetto to an extent, it does not replace the full resonance and stability that come from true vocal fold closure.
The Rock Vocal Quality and Thyroid Tilt
Vanilla Ninja brings a distinctly rock edge to “Too Epic To Be True,” particularly in the bridge and more intense moments of the song. Rock vocals often rely on thicker vocal folds with very little thyroid tilt, which is the forward movement of the thyroid cartilage that helps the voice travel higher in range with a sung, warm quality. Without much thyroid tilt, the voice can sound more like speech amplified on pitch, which gives rock singing its gritty, effortful character.
What to notice in a rock vocal style like this:
- A thicker, heavier tone compared to classical or pop singing
- A sensation of constriction or tension that is intentional and stylistic
- Less warmth in the upper range
- Pitch accuracy can become harder to maintain without thyroid tilt supporting the higher notes
Cross-Training and Vocal Stamina
One of the most important takeaways from watching “Too Epic To Be True” live is the question of stamina. At the beginning of the performance, the sound sits well and feels controlled. By the end, there are signs of fatigue, including some pitch instability and increased constriction, that were not present at the start. This is a pattern that many singers experience, and it often comes down to how the voice is trained.
Cross-training the voice means practising across different styles of singing, not just the one genre you perform in. Think of it this way: the chest voice works like a bicep, short and bunched with thicker muscle engagement. The head voice works more like a tricep, longer and leaner as the range goes higher.
If a singer stays predominantly in one vocal quality, those muscles stop gliding past each other smoothly. Introducing classical elements, musical theatre phrasing, or even a more legato pop style into regular practice builds the full range of vocal muscles and makes transitions cleaner and more sustainable over a full performance.
A Note on Live Audio Engineering
It is worth pointing out that some of the instability heard in the Vanilla Ninja national final performance has to do with the audio mix rather than the singers themselves. Poor in-ear monitoring can affect pitch accuracy significantly, as singers rely on hearing themselves clearly to stay in tune.
When the mix is not working well in a live setting, even experienced performers can struggle to find their footing. This is why it is important not to judge a live performance entirely at face value, especially when the production side of things is not supporting the vocalists properly.
What “Too Epic To Be True” Can Teach You
Vanilla Ninja’s “Too Epic To Be True” is a genuinely fun vocal study because it contains so many different techniques within a single pop-rock track. From glottal onsets in the chest voice, to falsetto in the verses, to twang in the upper range, to the raw rock quality of the bridge, the song covers a wide range of vocal territory. Understanding how each of these techniques works, and how to move between them smoothly, is exactly the kind of training that helps singers grow.
If you want to learn more about how you can learn to implement these singing techniques into your own voice, let’s sit down for a chat and discuss if the vocal academy is the right fit for you. You can join us here.