© 2026 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Our daily newsletter, delivered first thing weekdays, keeps you connected to your community with news, culture, national NPR headlines, and more.

'Scream Queen' Melissa Cross

Vocal coach Melissa Cross is known as the "Scream Queen" for her work teaching metal, punk and hardcore performers how to use their voice without ruining their vocal chords. She teaches them how to growl, bark, bellow and scream. Cross is classically trained and has her own instructional DVD titled The Zen of Screaming: Vocal Instruction for a New Breed.

This interview was originally broadcast on Dec. 8, 2005.

Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

Tags
Thanks to you, WUSF is here — delivering fact-based news and stories that reflect our community.⁠ Your support powers everything we do.