How to Not Sing Nasally and Sing With More Freedom

Lara Ziff
Vocal coach, Vocalist
02/02/26 | Last modified: 02/02/26

If you’ve ever listened back to a recording of yourself and thought, “Why do I sound like I have a cold?”, you’re not alone. Nasal singing is one of the most common issues singers develop at the early stages and it can be frustrating because it often feels hard to control.

The good news? Learning how to not sing nasally is completely possible and it doesn’t mean changing your voice or forcing a new sound. It’s about freeing your voice so it resonates properly and sounds more balanced, clear, and natural.

In this article, you’ll explore what nasal singing actually is, why it happens, and the practical steps you can take to fix it. We’ll cover breathing, posture, resonance, mouth shape, training, and health factors – all in a way that’s easy to understand and apply!

What Is Nasal Singing?

Nasal singing happens when too much of your sound escapes through your nose instead of resonating in your mouth and throat. The result is a tone that can sound thin, pinched, buzzy, or “stuck”.

A small amount of nasal resonance is normal and healthy – especially for certain consonants like M, N, and NG. But when that nasal quality takes over your singing, it usually means something isn’t quite aligned in your technique. So if you’re asking, “Is nasal singing bad?” – the answer is: it depends.

Occasional nasal resonance isn’t harmful. Chronic nasal singing however, often points to tension, poor airflow, or inefficient resonance. Over time, that can limit your range, tire your voice out faster, and stop you from accessing a fuller sound.

Common Causes of Nasal Singing:

Here are some of the most common reasons singers sound nasal:

• Shallow or high breathing
  
• A raised or tense soft palate
  
• Poor posture that restricts airflow
  
• Tight jaw or tongue
  
• Overthinking placement (“singing into the nose”)
  
• Habit picked up from speech patterns
  
• Congestion or allergies

The key thing to know is this: nasal singing is usually a technique issue, not a flaw in your voice.

Proper Breathing Techniques

Breathing is often where nasal singing begins – and ends. If you’re breathing shallowly into your chest, your voice has nowhere to go but up and forward, which often creates that nasally tone. 

Therefore, learning how to make your voice less nasally starts with grounding your breath into your diaphragm.

What Healthy Singing Breath Feels Like:

When you inhale:

• Your ribs expand outward (image it’s like a balloon inflating)
  
• Your belly softens slightly
  
• Your shoulders stay relaxed and still

This type of breathing gives your voice support from your diaphragm, so that you don’t have to force sound through your nose and throat.

Try This:

Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest. Inhale slowly. If the top hand moves more than the bottom one, you’re likely breathing too high.

Practice slow, silent breaths through the mouth, then release the air on a gentle “sss” sound. This trains steady airflow, which immediately helps reduce nasal tension.

Posture and Alignment

You’d be surprised how often posture is the hidden cause behind nasal singing.

When you slump, lock your knees, or push your head forward, you compress your airway. That makes it harder for sound to resonate freely, so it escapes through the nose instead.

Check Your Alignment:

Stand or sit with:

• Your feet grounded
  
• Knees soft
  
• Chest comfortably lifted
  
• Neck long
  
• Head balanced (not jutting forward)

You shouldn’t feel stiff or military – just open and balanced. Good posture creates space. Space is essential when learning how to not sing nasally, because resonance needs room to move. If things feel tight and compressed, that’s exactly how the sound will come out.

Vocal Warm-ups and Placement Exercises

Warming up properly can make an immediate difference to nasal tone. The goal of warm-ups isn’t to “push” sound out of your nose – it’s to learn how to redirect resonance into your mouth and throat.

Humming (But the Right Way)

Humming gets a bad reputation because it can feel nasally. But done correctly, it’s brilliant for balance.

Try this:

• Hum on any comfortable pitch/note
  
• Keep your lips gently closed, teeth apart
  
• Feel vibration in your lips and face, not pressure in your nose
  

If your nose feels buzzy or blocked, back off the volume.

Lip Trills

Lip trills (that relaxed “brrr” sound) are fantastic for reducing nasal tension because they regulate airflow naturally.

Do gentle slides up and down your range. Notice how your throat stays relaxed and your breath steady. This is a powerful tool for anyone learning how to make their voice less nasally. You can use a helpful lip trills exercise here. 

Proper Mouth Position

Your mouth shape has a huge influence on whether your voice sounds nasally. If your jaw is tight or your mouth barely opens, sound gets trapped and redirected into the nose.

Simple Mouth Awareness

When you sing:

• Let your jaw drop naturally
  
• Keep space between your back teeth
  
• Avoid pulling lips wide unless stylistically needed
  

Try singing a phrase while gently placing a finger between your teeth. You’ll likely notice an instant change in tone. Vowels also matter. Narrow vowels like “ee” and “ih” often encourage nasality. Balancing them with a bit more space can completely shift your sound. A helpful exercise to explore some different vowels and sounds is this articulation warm up here.

Seeking Vocal Training

Sometimes nasal singing sticks around because it’s become an automatic habit. You might have learned to sing that way unconsciously – or even been told to “place the sound forward” without enough context.

This is where structured vocal training really makes a huge difference.

A good coach won’t just tell you not to sing nasally. They’ll help you:

• Build awareness of resonance
  
• Strengthen breath support
  
• Release jaw and tongue tension
  
• Coordinate registers smoothly
  

Learning how to not sing nasally is often about retraining patterns, not fixing something that is “wrong”. If you’re practicing alone, record yourself often. What you feel and what you hear aren’t always the same – especially with nasal tone.

Health Concerns

Sometimes nasal singing isn’t technical at all. It can be sourced by a condition that affects your ear, nose and throat system. 

If you’re dealing with:

• Chronic congestion
  
• Allergies
  
• Sinus infections
  
• Acid reflux
  
• Post-nasal drip
  

…your voice may naturally just sound more nasally than usual.

This is where the question “Is nasal singing bad?” becomes more nuanced. If it’s temporary and health-related, it’s not harmful. Obviously, if this is the case then there are many different treatments and solutions out there to help manage the symptoms also. The one thing you do want to avoid however is forcing yourself to sing where it feels uncomfortable, without addressing the symptoms. Always ensure to seek medical advice if this occurs.

Key Vocal Health Tips

• Stay hydrated – particularly warm drinks can help loosen your vocal chords.
  
• Manage allergies where possible
  
• Avoid singing through heavy congestion/coughs
  
• Warm up gently on low volume days
  
• Rest your voice when needed
  

If nasal tone persists even when you’re healthy, that’s when technique should be addressed more deeply. It is also important to remember that this level of control doesn’t happen overnight. The first step to improving any technique with singing is having self awareness. 

Bottom Line

Nasal singing is incredibly common – and completely fixable. Learning how to control this isn’t about changing who you are as a singer either. It’s about letting your voice resonate the way it’s meant to, using the right technique.

By focusing on:

• Breath support
  
• A strong posture
  
• Relevant exercises
  
• Mouth position
  
• Consistent vocal training
  
• Overall vocal health
  

You will start to notice your sound becoming clearer, warmer, and more balanced. If you’re still wondering if nasal singing is bad, then remember this: it’s only a problem if it limits your voice or causes strain. When you free your sound, everything else becomes easier.

Your voice already has what it needs. Sometimes it just needs a little space to come through.