Today, we’re taking a closer look at the fabulous world of Jinkx Monsoon’s voice! You might know them as the nonbinary queen who can do it all—from powerhouse singing to killer celebrity impressions—but we’re focusing on their unique speaking voice. What gives it that signature je ne sais quoi? Let’s break it down and explore how Jinkx creates their iconic sound.

Hi, I’m Renée, a gender-affirming voice teacher, and today we’ll be using my custom "Mixing Board" tool to analyze how Jinkx crafts their iconic voice.

The Vocal Power of Jinkx Monsoon

Jinkx Monsoon is undeniably a versatile performer. You’ve likely heard them belting out tunes like:

• “When you’re good to mama” from Chicago
• “Somewhere that’s green” from Little Shop of Horrors
• Their hilarious Ursula impression

But for this voice case study, I’m focusing solely on Jinkx’s speaking voice. I chose a recent clip where Jinkx discusses ghosts and astrology to get a real sense of how they navigate pitch, resonance, and vocal expression in casual conversation.

Scroll to the bottom of this blog post to see the analysis in a video or keep reading!

Analyzing Jinkx’s Pitch

The first thing I did was upload the clip into Transcribe and analyzed the range of notes they use when speaking. I found that Jinkx speaks mostly between Eb3 and Ab3, occasionally hitting higher notes when asking questions or making exclamations. This places their pitch slightly above what we might consider the middle of the pitch spectrum.

Why is this interesting? In American English, voices perceived as masculine often hover between A2 and A3, while feminine-presenting voices tend to range between F3 and F4. Jinkx speaks right in the overlap of these ranges, allowing them to sound both androgynous and expressive, depending on the moment.

Jinkx’s Resonance

Next, I turned my attention to resonance, focusing on how Jinkx pronounces the word “ghosts” in the clip. I compared how different pronunciations of the word feel in my mouth—like saying “ghosts” with a more open or closed "o" sound. Jinkx’s version feels more closed, which gives their voice a slightly brighter resonance. On the Mixing Board, I placed their resonance on the brighter end of the scale.

Vocal Weight: The Heaviness Factor

Jinkx’s voice has a certain weight to it. You can hear a buzziness, a twang, and a brassiness in their speech. That twang really comes through on lines like “but you can’t believe in astrology?” This gives their voice a heavier, more robust quality, and on the Mixing Board, I placed their vocal weight on the higher side.

Vocal Contour and Expression

Vocal contour refers to how wide or narrow someone’s pitch range is in speech. Jinkx is generally an expressive speaker, so I would expect their contour to be wide. However, in the chosen clip, they’re more subdued, so I placed their contour in the middle range on the Mixing Board.

One fascinating aspect of their speech is how they stretch syllables for emphasis. Take the words “ghosts” and “astrology”—Jinkx elongates these syllables to stress their importance, which adds drama to their speech.

Volume: Moderate but Commanding

Finally, Jinkx’s volume is relatively moderate in this clip. They’re not shouting, but their voice carries a presence that commands attention. On the Mixing Board, I placed their volume in the middle, reflecting this balance of projection without being overpowering.

The Mixing Board Summary

After analyzing the clip, here’s what Jinkx’s vocal profile looks like on my Mixing Board:

• Pitch: Slightly above the middle range
• Resonance: Bright and forward
• Vocal Weight: Heavier and twangy
• Vocal Contour: Moderately wide for this clip
• Volume: Moderate

But here’s a caveat: simply copying these vocal qualities won’t give you Jinkx Monsoon’s exact voice. For example, when I tried to imitate Jinkx at their original pitch, it didn’t quite suit my voice. When I raised the pitch slightly, it felt much more natural for me, yet still captured that Jinkx-y vibe.

Find Your Jinkx

If you want to experiment with your own voice and try out the Mixing Board, it’s available for free in my Freebies Library.

Thank you for reading this voice case study! If you’re hungry for more, check out my previous analyses of Paris Hilton (yes, she commented!) and Elizabeth Holmes (still waiting on that comment, Elizabeth). Let me know who you’d like to see next!