There are a lot of influences on the sound that is finally produced when singing. In the real world its almost certainly not just one thing that impacts your voice adversely its a combination of many. The things I’ve found that need to be controlled to produce good singing are listed below not in any particular order of importance
Posture
Hydration
Neck and shoulder tension
Practice (Use of the voice)
Humidity
Temperature
Eating/drinking
Illness/Allergies
The Venue
Posture
There are multiple things to consider about posture. From things as simple as whether to sit or stand, to more complex issues such as the tilt of the head. When sitting and singing which I rarely do, for me its important to sit up with a straight back and not have any of my back touching the chair back. Accordingly I find a stool preferable to a seat. In a seat there is a tendency to slouch forward arching the back and it reduces the ability to breathe deeply and provide the consistency and volume of air through the throat to produce a good vocal sound. Leaning against the back of the chair is just as bad; the lungs cannot inflate properly and provide the air you need to sing at your best.
How your head is tilted also affects the sound your voice produces. Tilting the head to one side inhibits the smooth flow of air and therefore the quality of the singing as does twisting the neck while singing (ie looking right or left without turning the body). For singing generally you want the head to be in a neutral position that allows the throat and upper respiratory tract to open as wide as possible without tension. Occasionally it can help to move the head slightly forward to hit very low notes and backwards to hit high notes. Singing from music is problematic because the natural tendency is to keep your head looking down to look at the music book, even if you don’t really need to read the music. The problem is two-fold, first the neck’s position is not as open as it could be and secondly you are directing the sound into the book rather than out to the audience. If I do choral work and must have a book to be consistent with rest of the group, I try always to learn the music so I can look up all the time. You can see the conductor if there is one, your neck can be in the optimal position and you are projecting the sound directly at the audience. Last but not least its probably a psychological effect but if you are looking at and engaging with the audience there enjoyment seems to be greater. You may not actually be singing better but they the audience view it as being a better performance
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