Have you ever stopped yourself from singing in front of someone? Or maybe you've watched a jaw-dropping live performance and quietly thought, "Welp, I could never." This episode is for you, and the science has some things to say about that.

Evelina and Danny go deep on the human voice - where our relationship to singing comes from, why it's genuinely one of the most cognitively complex things a human can do (harder than the violin, it turns out), and what's actually happening when your favourite artist sounds impossibly perfect live. Personal karaoke shame, a Lion King origin story, and a six-year-old performing at Biggera Waters Shopping Centre all make an appearance. So does a really inconvenient truth about auto-tune.

In this episode:

• Danny's journey from imitating his idols in his bedroom to swinging seven ensemble roles in the original Australian production of The Lion King
• Evelina's first singing discovery (courtesy of Mrs. Oxford, year four, and a lot of singing to herself in the corner)
• Why the "perfect" voices on live talent shows may not be what they seem and the YouTube channel pulling back the curtain
• Rolling Stone's top 10 greatest singers of all time, a pop quiz, and one very controversial omission (no Celine???)
• The age at which you stop discovering new music, and it's probably not when you think
• Whether singing is something you're born with or something you can learn
• Why singing together in a crowd might be the most human thing you can do right now

Sneaky science alert: A 2022 twin study breaks down the genetics vs environment debate on vocal ability, a 2017 study on congenital amusia explains the rare few who genuinely cannot pitch match, and research on oxytocin, lifespan, and live performance sneak in between Danny's Wiggles era and a very passionate defence of the vocal trinity.

PS: Our mics were doing weird things this episode, we're working on it!