If your throat hurts after singing, you are doing something wrong with your voice. Stop! 

If your throat hurts right now, then rest your voice for a while – and by a while, I mean, rest it for at least one day. For one whole day, don't sing at all, and try not to talk so much. If your throat still hurts after one day's rest, then rest it again for another day. Some people even take up to three weeks for their voices to recover. Expecting your throat and voice to recover after just half an hour isn't being very realistic. Sorry. 🙁 If you sprained your ankle or broke your leg, would you expect yourself to be able to heal and walk without pain after just half an hour? No. You would need to rest it for a few days, or longer, for how long it takes for it to heal. It's kind of the the same with your throat. Also, olive oil may help lubricate your throat, but you need to make sure that you're drinking enough water throughout your day too (8 glasses a day, more or less, at room temperature). Actually, I've never even tried lubricating my throat with olive oil. Water!

You are young, and your voice is still developing. Your vocal cords are very delicate tissues at this point. So please, please, please…. Be careful when you are singing, or you may end up damaging your voice. And I don't want to scare you, but voice damage can sometimes be permanent. You need to be gentle with your voice, especially at this age. I know, Kelly Clarkson songs are fun to sing along to. But Kelly Clarkson has a mature and naturally big voice, and if that's not what your voice is, and you are forcing yourself to sing that way with improper technique, you'll just hurt yourself. Even Kelly Clarkson herself has had voice problems because of the way she sings!

So don't push your voice so much. If it hurts, then stop. And don't sing too much in one day! Sure, your voice needs practice and exercise to improve. But it also needs rest!

A good voice teacher can show you proper technique, so that you will sound better and be able to sing without hurting your voice/throat. But I don't know where you are from, so I don't know how you could get in touch with a good voice teacher. Maybe you could browse the phone book, or visit any nearby schools/colleges, or churches nearby that have choirs. Some music stores (where they sell guitars and other instruments) double as music studios/music schools…. Some may be offering voice lessons (we have a lot of these in the country I live in. I don't know if it's the same in your country). BUT, if you are really worried that you may have injured your throat from singing improperly, you may want to consult an ENT (Ears, Nose, Throat) doctor first. If s/he thinks your throat has a problem, s/he may refer you to a voice therapist and/or perhaps, a good voice teacher. ENTs are the specialists that singers and non-singers run to when they have throat problems.

I just started taking voice lessons myself. Before, I had a very weak and soft voice, and my range was very limited. Every time I tried to sing loud and high, my throat would hurt, and I would be hoarse the next day. But after just four lessons, my voice sounds a lot better. It's loud and powerful, I can hit notes I wasn't able to hit before in full voice, and most importantly, IT DOESN'T HURT! The people around me were shocked by the difference. I was shocked too. But I'm only at my fourth lesson, so I still have so much to learn. I still have some "bad habits" that I need to get rid of. Like, when I get to the high notes, I often end up with jaw and neck tension…. Veins popping out of my neck…. And that is BAD, BAD, BAD! My teacher says I'm supposed to relax my neck and jaw, and push from the diaphragm instead of straining with my throat.. But this is difficult to explain through writing. You really need to be with a teacher who can show you, and correct you when you're doing it wrong.

As for finding your own voice… Again, a teacher and proper technique will help you. It's hard to imitate another singer when you're singing with proper technique. Or if you mean you want to find your own style… Then…. Try making the song your own, by changing the melody in some places. Or maybe you could even write your own songs!

Good luck! 🙂

Weak singing voice can be caused in several different ways. Most singers that have a light or weak voice usually sing from their throat. It will help you to put your hand on your throat while singing and then put it on your belly, try making the sound come from your belly, feel the vibration from both, compare the two different sounds, you might find that singing from your belly produces a much fuller and stronger sound. I found a great singing lesson video called "Singing Voice Perfection"..It has helped me discover how to get the best tone out of my voice while improving my pitch so it sounds full and pure 🙂

1. Know thy voice.

Spend quality alone time with your voice. Take your voice out on dates, so to speak, and really get to know it. You might even try recording your singing voice to hear it more objectively. Find out the answers to these questions:

Is my singing voice big or small? Thin or full?
What kind of vibrato do I have? Fast, slow, medium, heavy, thin, non-existent? Am I able to sing both with and without vibrato? When I sing without vibrato, does it feel different in my body than when I do sing with vibrato?

What is my full vocal range? What range am I most comfortable singing in?
Where is my passaggio (the pitch(es) where the voice changes registers)?
How long can I sing without taking a breath? (i.e. How well do I support my breath?) What do I notice in my body and what do I notice about my tone when I start to run out of breath?

How does it feel in my body when I am singing well and when I am not singing well?
What kinds of food and drink affect my voice negatively/positively?
How long does it take for my voice to "warm up"?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions—everybody's voice is different. The more informed you are about your own voice, the better you will be able to care for it and improve it.

2. Take care of yourself.

Your body is your instrument and you only get one. So, stay hydrated. Get enough sleep. Don't smoke.

3. Support your breath.

You've probably heard this before by every choral director and voice teacher you've ever had—and there's a reason for that. Proper breath support is imperative if you want your tone to sound the best it can. Unfortunately, it seems like every pedagogue has a different way of explaining breath support, which leads to a lot of confusion. This is an area where a personal voice teacher will come in handy for you. He or she will work one-on-one with you to help you learn or improve your breath support so that your tone is always supported. [Read: "Choral Cliché: Support the Tone."]

4. Keep your jaw loose.

A tense jaw will cause your tone to sound constricted and may even cause you to sing out of tune. So, reduce your jaw movement to only what is necessary and don't chew on your vowels. For example, if you are singing a major scale on "ah," there is little need to move your jaw while ascending from pitch to pitch. Keep your jaw as stationary and as loose as possible, and think of making the shape of the vowel inside your mouth rather than with the muscles in your lips.

5. Read ahead of the beat.

When reading music, always have your eye at least one or two beats ahead—that way you can anticipate what's coming next and you'll be less likely to be caught off guard when you encounter a curveball interval jump. This can be especially helpful when doing a cold sightread through a new piece of music.

6. Listen louder than you sing.

Aural multi-tasking—the ability to listen to yourself while simultaneously listening to other singers and musicians in your ensemble—is a challenge that every choral singer faces. Please: Do not plug up one earlobe to be able to hear yourself better. Why? If you have to do that to hear yourself, then you aren't training yourself to listen holistically.

If you're having trouble hearing yourself in the group, one trick is to angle your music book or folder in front of you (but without completely burying yourself behind it, of course) so that some of your sound bounces back to you as you sing. Use acoustics to your advantage.

7. Get over your mental blocks.

We all have at least one. Maybe you had a Simon Cowell-esque choral director in high school who told you had a dreadful voice and ever since you've had low self-esteem. This is another area that a personal voice teacher can help you with. A good voice teacher will help you to sound the best that you can using the voice that you've got. Because remember: No matter the raw materials you've been given, your singing voice can always be improved upon. So, be proud of your unique voice.