Linguists: Madonna’s voice sounds younger than it “should”

As women go through menopause, their voices tend to become deeper. This is partly because the vocal folds may swell and the surrounding muscles lose elasticity, resulting in a lower pitch. Age-related physiological changes can also affect the pronunciation of certain vowels.

In a new study, researchers from Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen analysed changes in Madonna’s voice using acoustic measurements of pitch and vowel pronunciation. The analysis is based on interviews spanning four decades, from her breakthrough in the 1980s to 2021.

“Our study shows that Madonna’s voice appears younger than her age. Her pitch does not follow the patterns we would normally expect from a woman in her sixties, and the way she pronounces a number of vowels does not match the speech patterns typically associated with either her generation or the places where she has lived,” says linguist Anna Bothe Jespersen from the University of Copenhagen.

“In other words, her voice is difficult to place both in terms of age and geography. We argue that this is a deliberate strategy, with the voice supporting an image of a youthful, attractive and globally oriented performer who is not constrained by chronological age,” she adds.

A visual and linguistic chameleon

According to the researchers, the development of Madonna’s voice is consistent with the carefully crafted visual identity she has maintained throughout her career. Each album release and concert tour has been accompanied by a new image, and the findings suggest that she may have managed her voice just as deliberately.

“When it comes to pitch, one particularly striking feature is how much her pitch varies over time. Women’s voices generally become lower after menopause, and we do observe a drop around 2013, when Madonna was 55 years old, which roughly corresponds with the timing of menopause,” says Anna Bothe Jespersen.

However, the researchers found that her voice became higher again in the years immediately following 2013. This could indicate a conscious effort to alter her voice. It is also possible that hormone therapy played a role, helping to counteract declining oestrogen levels during menopause. But neither explanation fully accounts for the overall pattern.

“Throughout the 40-year period we studied, it was remarkably difficult to estimate her age based on her voice alone. We observed multiple rises and falls in pitch. In fact, some of the lowest pitch values occurred during the 1980s, when she was young, while her voice has generally become higher since the late 1990s,” says Anna Bothe Jespersen.

The researchers therefore conclude that Madonna has likely worked actively to modify aspects of her voice and maintain a youthful vocal image as she has grown older.

Difficult-to-place but attractive vowels

Just as Madonna’s overall pitch proved difficult to categorise, so did her pronunciation of several vowels.

“Madonna’s vowels do not follow the pronunciation changes typical of either her own generation or the regions where she has lived, such as Michigan, where she grew up, or New York, where she spent much of her youth. In fact, it is almost impossible to identify a geographical origin from her pronunciation,” says Anna Bothe Jespersen.

The researchers examined Madonna’s pronunciation of vowels in words such as trap, dress, kit, lot, and thought. They found not only that her pronunciation is difficult to locate geographically, but also that her vowel space has expanded over time. She produces several vowel sounds further forward in the mouth and with greater distinction between vowel categories.

“Linguistic research suggests that this type of clear, fronted vowel pronunciation is associated with youthfulness, attractiveness and sex appeal. These are qualities that Madonna has likely sought to project not only visually, but also through her speech,” Anna Bothe Jespersen explains.

Ageing is also something we do

According to the researchers, the study reflects a broader cultural shift in how age and ageing are understood. Increasingly, ageing is seen not merely as a biological process, but as something individuals can actively shape.

“People can use appearance, language and voice to influence how others perceive them throughout their lives. Madonna is a particularly interesting case because she has consistently challenged expectations of how women should behave and present themselves as they grow older,” says Anna Bothe Jespersen.

The study, The Age Chameleon: Social and Biological Effects on Madonna’s Ageing Voice, has been published in the NJES Nordic Journal of English Studies.