Can Tom Cruise Sing?

June 2024 · 4 minute read

As an actor, Tom Cruise excels at his craft most times. He has performed some impossible stunts in movies to the delight of his fans. It seems like he is a man of diverse skills but can Tom Cruise sing? He just might be able to do anything you can think of. Thus, it is not far-fetched to wonder if the movie star can also sing.

Yes, Tom Cruise can sing. He may not be able to hit high notes like Maria Carey, or belt low notes like Leonard Cohen, but he can definitely make sweet sounds with his voice. Isn’t that what singing is all about? Find out more about Tom Cruise singing in this article. 

In the hit broadway musical film, Rock of Ages, Tom Cruise thrilled his fans by playing the fictional character, Stacee Jaxx. The role required him to sing and not just perform and lip-sync on stage. He actually pulled off the part vocally and performance-wise. After watching the movie, many fans concluded that there could never have been a better choice for Stacee Jaxx than Tom. He sang some vocally challenging songs like Don’t Stop Believin and classics like Paradise City and Wanted Dead or Alive. It was definitely not an easy task and took some work.

Before the movie, the closest Tom had come to featuring in a musical was in high school. He played Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, and according to Tom, he wished he had Ron Anderson back then. Tom was not sure about his singing initially and was not willing to take up the role except he knew for sure that he could sing. He consulted Adam Anders, who listened to him sing privately and cleared him to take the role. According to Anders, Tom was not a professional singer but had a good voice. In his words, “He had this voice that blew me away. It was the most powerful voice I had ever heard. So loud. He could do anything and go as high as we wanted. It was like a kid discovering he had a new toy. I left there super-pumped knowing that not only could we make him pass as a singer in the movie, but we would blow people away with what he could do.”

As a perfectionist, Tom knew he needed professional assistance to nail the role perfectly. Thus, he listened to Anders. Also, according to the film director, Adam Shankman, he studied his vocals for the movie. Anders also stated that Tom worked really hard on his vocals, and by the end of the film, he was phenomenal. He didn’t sound like Jon Bovi or Sia, but he definitely brought his own flavour, and according to Anders, he made the performance remarkable. 

What People Think of Tom’s Singing

First of all, Tom believes he can sing. He said so himself in a Wired Interview. 

However, other people have opinions about his singing. Playing the rockstar in Rock of Ages sparked a lot of comments by fans and critics. While some people believe Tom Cruise got the part right, others found fault with his performance. 

According to Mary Ouellette at Loudwire, his vocals are too Broadway and lacks the imperfections and reckless abandon of Deff Lampard. he doesn’t really impress her with the rock song as she says he sounds “more like he’s singing a show tune than a rock anthem.”

Katey Rich of Cinema Blendis of the opinion that he pulled it off and sounds fine.  

Although Tom had all the assistance he needed to do this, it could only be possible if he could sing. According to Anders, “You have to have the voice to begin with otherwise there’s nothing I can do.” 

Well, Tom’s performance in the movie was great. His singing was good as we did not have to close our ears. It was just as melodious as it could be.

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