Embodied Singing: Dual Role of Interoception in Vocal Expertise and Musical Competence

Abstract

Musical expertise is often associated with heightened perceptual sensitivity to external sensory stimuli, yet its relationship with internal bodily awareness (interoception) remains elusive. This study examined whether interoceptive ability relates differentially to varying levels of singing expertise and explored if interoception could predispose individuals to musical skills. Professional singers, amateur singers, and non-singers completed a heartbeat discrimination task (interoceptive accuracy; IAcc), self-reported interoceptive sensibility assessment, and comprehensive musical competence measures. Results demonstrated a significant positive association between singing expertise and IAcc, which notably emerged only in professional singers, who significantly outperformed both amateur singers and non-singers. Regression analyses indicated a moderate predictive role of accumulated singing practice for IAcc among trained singers, though emotional awareness partially mediated the relationship between expertise and IAcc. Critically, higher IAcc in non-singers significantly correlated with superior singing accuracy, suggesting enhanced interoception may facilitate singing competence independently of formal vocal training. Altogether, these findings highlight a dual role of interoception, linking it to expert-level singing--partially mediated by emotional awareness-- and independently to musical competence in non-singers. These results reconcile prior inconsistencies by highlighting the embodied nature of singing and the distinct role of musical expertise, while underscoring inherent musically relevant mechanisms beyond practice alone.