Following Mariah Carey’s seemingly unfavorable performance at the New Year’s Eve Rockin’ Special, a conversation over the use of prerecorded vocals has sparked all over the Internet.
The singer disappointed fans by not following along her latest hit and only addressing the audience while simultaneously citing “technical issues.” She kept dancing on-stage until the end of the song and later took to Twitter to comically express her opinion on the issue.
Carey’s manager, Stella Bulochnikov, expressed her outrage at the show’s behind-the-scenes crew, Dick Clark Productions, saying that she had warned management about a repeated malfunction with Carey’s in-ear monitors, which they did not address adequately.
The reason big music starts keep lip syncing major performances
Shit happens ? Have a happy and healthy new year everybody!? Here's to making more headlines in 2017 ? pic.twitter.com/0Td8se57jr
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) January 1, 2017
Major celebrities have always received criticism for using prerecorded versions of their songs. However, performing live, especially during televised events, can be complicated.
Many audio producers agree that in a highly produced big-budget performance, setting up for each artist can pose a risk of unexpected delays and technical difficulties that make lip-syncing the best option available.
Most artists have different needs, and many of their acts cannot be complete with just a wireless microphone. Whenever an artist is singing over a backing track, their mic is still on in case something like the fatal error mentioned above happens.
Big music celebrities rely mostly on their style and stage presence nowadays, which is what aids most in selling music, merchandise, and filling up concert venues.
Is lip syncing really that bad?
Most people would agree that lip syncing can be an insult to fans in their opinion. In fact, most of the responses to YouTube videos and online threads following Carey’s performance have called her a ‘fake,’ among other things.
Lip syncing has been around in the music business for decades now, and it has helped many artists with physically demanding on-stage performances, like Beyoncé.
Pop fans, however, keep pushing away all explanations, many of them stating that any showgoer should get their money’s worth by hearing the artist’s real voice.
In the end, however, what they hear on an album (for example) might not be what they want to hear. Music fans sometimes fail to notice the level of studio production that goes into making their favorite singers likable, just like Photoshop helps models on fashion magazines.
Media outlets are quick to draw into lip-syncing ‘fails’ for more readership, but that tactic is a longstanding tool of the pop music business. If fans want to get away from it entirely, they might need to start looking for a different type of music.
Source: Rolling Stone
