QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre has revealed he follows almost none of the conventional vocal-care routines other singers swear by, saying he has never taken a vocal lesson and doesn't warm up before shows.
Answering a fan question on his Facebook page about whether he uses "secret concoctions" to keep his voice in shape, La Torre said results have varied regardless of preparation. "I've had days where I did everything you're supposed to do by the book and didn't sing that well, and then there are other times where I've had a Coca-Cola, I've eaten a piece of pizza pretty much right before I went on stage, and had some of the best performances of my life," he said. He does credit hydration as the most reliable habit, though he's skeptical that tea does anything physiologically for the vocal cords beyond feeling soothing.
"I don't do any vocal warm-ups, really. I never really have, and so I've never taken vocal lessons or anything like that," La Torre continued, adding that he's never been strict about rules other singers follow closely. He noted he's in good company on that front, saying he's been told both Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford also skipped formal warm-ups. La Torre, now 52, said quitting cigarettes three and a half years ago and never drinking alcohol have likely helped preserve his voice, along with staying largely silent between performances on tour and consistently exercising his full range while singing, which he compared to a weightlifter maintaining strength: stop using it, and it goes.
The comments follow a 2024 interview with Canada's The Metal Voice in which La Torre discussed QUEENSRŸCHE's approach to guitar tuning, noting the band still plays its catalog in standard tuning rather than dropping to accommodate vocal strain, a common workaround among aging rock and metal singers.
La Torre's remarks offer a candid counterpoint to the meticulous vocal regimens often associated with professional singers, suggesting that decades of stage experience, clean living and a willingness to simply keep singing through a full range may matter more than any specific pre-show ritual.