When our bodies finish physical puberty (which is somewhere around 18 for most people), have we also reached vocal maturity? For most people, that answer is no. The average person finishes vocal maturity around the age of 25 (24-26). And, if you have a medical condition, it will delay it past your physical maturity even further.
What does this mean for singers? The first is that this explains why some singers who became famous as young teenagers sound different after about a decade. The second is that some people will become better opera singers after they have reached vocal maturity.
That is correct. Opera singers usually sound "vocally mature", at least more so than pop singers. They are also generally a little older when they are considered to be "in their prime" or "at their best".
This is part of why. The other reason is training; opera singers are very trained and the older a singer is, the (usually) more years they will have had to train.
Is vocal maturity always easy to deal with? No, not at all. I went from ending a school year in college as a first soprano, and came back in the fall as a second alto. Is vocal maturity always good for the sound of the singer? Also, no. Rarely, but it could happen, the singer will sound worse and will need to train harder to get back to where they were before.
