6 Steps to Crafting Perfect Pop Background Vocals in the Studio

Beautiful harmonies and background vocals don’t happen by chance—they happen as a result of careful architecture. Crafting perfect backing vocals in the studio is an art.

Well-designed background vocals and harmonies are thoughtfully, intentionally planned out and orchestrated. Every ooh, ahh, and background part is selected, layered, and stacked up to create everything from spare stripped-down vocals to lush, exquisite harmonies.

Great backing vocals are essential if you want to turn a promising track into an excellent one. A well-executed lead vocal is the star attraction on most big records, but it’s usually supported by beautiful backing vocals.

Never thrown into the mix at the last minute, great background vocals contribute quite a bit to the effectiveness of a track by creating important dynamics, peaks and valleys, adding emotion, sustaining interest, and delivering that vital punch to choruses and hooks. It makes sense to give plenty of attention to your BVs.

You can do this too—all you need is a process for doing so. That’s it. Even if you’ve struggled to come up with backing vocals in the studio, “hear” harmony, or blend your voice with the lead vocal. You too can build a gorgeous background vocal that supports and lifts up the song.

Here are my top 6 Steps to Crafting Perfect Pop Backing Vocals in the Studio:

1. Develop Your Ear

Did you know that not every singer can sing or hear harmonies? If you’re a natural, you may take this skill for granted, but it’s actually quite common for lead vocalists to have a little trouble with harmony singing. If it doesn’t come easy to you, don’t worry – you can develop your skills. It just takes a certain kind of practice.

Pick 3 of your favorite songs with backing vocals. Study the parts:

• What kinds of harmonies are they singing?
• Are they above or below the lead line – or both?
• Are the harmonies stacked (multiple voices)?
• Are there call-and-answer backing vocals? Do you hear female and male voices?
• What textures are the backing vocals using?
• Soft, dynamic, breathy?

Notice the parts as they move through the song.

• Do they get fuller as they go?
• Or stay sparse?
• Pick a harmony part and practice singing along to it.

2. Independent Ear

Popular music singers may teach themselves to harmonize by ear, which requires a mixture of ear training and natural ability. A harmony is independent of the melody as it is often doing something different from the lead melody. Getting good at singing harmonies is learning your part as if it is the lead melody part. In other words, your harmony becomes the lead melody, while you blend with the lead. We refer to it as developing an “independent ear”.

3. Design

As the title implies, there really is an art to designing harmonies. No two songs are alike and each song requires proper love and attention to bring your BGV’s to life. Understanding harmony structures across genres will give you a great idea of how to approach your project. For example, the Beach Boys made their signature sound with multiple layered harmonies. Billie Eilish opts for subtle, whispered harmonies to add texture. Country duets evoke emotion with only 2 parts. Soul harmonies fill the heart with a warm wall of sound. There are so many combinations to choose from and it’s helpful to know where to start by choosing the type of background vocal you are looking for.

if you’re really wanting to gain the knowledge + know-how you need to confidently build and sing phenomenal background vocals and harmonies….come watch as we develop them LIVE right there on the spot. Join us for our one-time-only Vocal Workshop: The Art of Background Vocals and Singing Harmonies.

4. Layer

Once you’ve got a grip on your genre and chosen your approach, it’s time to figure out how to layer your vocal parts. Not only do you decide how many layers you want to have, but knowing WHERE to place your layers is key.

It’s all about playing with tension, release, and building peaks and valleys to the biggest moment. Or sometimes practicing restraint is required. Trying your hand at it is the quickest path to figuring out what works. When layering backgrounds, take the time to be sure they are on pitch. Multiple voices starts to get wobbly if the layers underneath are not solid.

Or if it just isn’t your thing, you can hire a background vocalist, vocal arranger or musical director from our Team to help (see #6 below).

5. Execute

Now it’s time to get in the studio or prepare for your live performance!

Are you a solo artist singing all the parts yourself? Or maybe you were hired to sing on someone’s record or perform background vocals on a late-night show for a major artist. Each situation requires nuance and knowledge of how to blend your vocal without overpowering your fellow BGV singers or the lead vocalist.

The most important part of execution is that your background vocal supports the lead. Background vocals should never overpower or overshadow the lead unless it’s a particular “stand out” vocal like the end of “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones where the vocalist is featured.

Learning how to blend your voice to “pad” the lead vocal means singing with a softer more open texture and dropping harsh consonants.

This takes time and practice to learn, but once you’ve experienced the joy of locking in the perfect harmonies with yourself or others, you’ll know there is no other feeling like it in the world.

6. Hire an Expert Background Vocal Arranger

My label services company (https://ccvm.co) hosts several vocal arrangers who help get great vocals in the studio including those that specialize in designing and layering background vocal parts on records. If you’re looking for help, you can set up a consult to find out more. Just shoot us an email and our Team will be happy to assist.

Want to watch our background vocal experts build background vocals and layer harmonies LIVE?

Check out my upcoming Live Vocal Workshop Event with 2 of my Background Vocal Arrangers from my label services team! Whether you’re singing live, in the studio, on tour, or want to get better at BGV’s—this workshop has got you covered. Can’t wait to see you there. ❤️