Creativity Quote by Lesley Garrett

“I do a lot of vocal hygiene” is the kind of phrase that sounds comically clinical until you remember who’s saying it: Lesley Garrett, a soprano whose instrument is her body. The intent is practical - a pro telling you that longevity isn’t luck or “natural talent,” it’s maintenance. But the subtext is sharper: this is a quiet rebuke to the romantic myth of the singer who just opens their mouth and magic happens. Garrett pulls the curtain back on the work, and she does it with a deliberately unglamorous term.

“Vocal hygiene” borrows the language of dentistry and infection control, which is exactly why it lands. Hygiene is what you do when no one’s watching, when it’s boring, repetitive, and non-negotiable. Framing vocal care this way reframes artistry as discipline: hydration, sleep, warm-ups, technique, avoiding strain, managing stress, sometimes even managing conversations and social life. It hints at the professional paranoia every serious vocalist carries - that one careless week, one bad cold, one over-talked party can cost you auditions, contracts, reputation.

Context matters, too. Garrett has spent decades moving between opera’s high-culture expectations and a more public-facing, crossover visibility. In that space, singers are constantly asked to be both “naturally gifted” and endlessly available. “I do a lot of vocal hygiene” draws a boundary: the voice isn’t a vibe, it’s a job site. The line’s power is its demystification, said plainly enough to feel like advice, firm enough to sound like survival.