"Lyp Synching: A Necessary Evil?"

Some swear against it. Some swear by it and there isn’t a Music Award Show that goes by without viewers bringing it up.

Lipsynching.

‘The technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals.’

Ever a hot topic on the lips of many a music enthusiast, we here at That Grape Juice HQ want to know….

Is Lip Synching a necessary evil?…

Read more below…


To many performers, lip syncing serves as a crutch which takes one less worry from the stress of a live stage show.

Often used by performers who deliver high powered dance numbers, the art of singing to pre-recorded vocals has been embraced by artists of all genres but none more so than in Pop music.

Regarded by many as being a lazy way out for less vocally gifted performers, many of the world’s greatest acts have built their entire careers around the tool.

Take Janet Jackson, the undeniably talented and gifted power house entertainer who stills wows crowds today with her intense dance numbers and seemingly faultless performance style.



To the untrained ear, many of Ms. Jackson’s performances throughout her career feature flawlessly delivered live vocals.

However, many of her own fans would recognise that like many entertainers, these vocals were not sung live at all.

Instead, they were re-recorded versions of her songs specifically designed for her sell out stage shows.

So carefully produced to give the impression that the singing was live, room was even made throughout many of the songs for her to both laugh and even deliver the classic ‘How You Guys Doing?’ line, all to give her fans the impression they were witnessing a completely live showing.

Of course, not all performers have gone to the depths that Janet, Madonna and the like went to to appease their fans need for all round showmanship.

In the past Britney Spears has come under fire for her poorly delivered habitual lip syncing, which saw her simply mime the album version of her songs on stage, making no attempt to pull the wool over her supporters eyes- or ears to be precise.

Facing so much criticism for it, that she has now adopted the ‘pre-recorded live vocal’ style for her some dates on her ‘Femme Fatale’ which like Madonna and Janet before her sees her sing along to reworked versions of her music, which her fans seem to have taken well to.

Ever curious to know what’s on your mind, we want to know.

Do you think Lip syncing is a necessary evil?

For with Michael Jackson himself occasionally substituting his live voice for a recorded variation of it, many critics remain up in the air when it comes to this ever present musical issue.

http://thatgrapejuice.net/2011/08/lip-syncing-evil/

Truth be told, singers should sing....that should be number one. If it means scaling back on the dance moves so that you won't run out of breath, then do that. I think using a bunch of intricate and complicated choreography is often an excuse to leave the mic off.