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Lip Sync

Though lip-synching, also called miming, can be used to make it appear as though actors

have musical ability (e.g., The Partridge Family) or to misattribute vocals (e.g. Milli Vanilli),

it is more often used by recording artists to create a particular effect, to enable them to

perform live dance numbers, or to cover for illness or other deficiencies during live

performance. Sometimes lip-synching performances are forced by television for short guest

appearances, as it requires less time for rehearsals and hugely simplifies the process of sound

mixing. Some artists, however, lip-synch as they are not as confident singing live and lip-

synching can eliminate the possibility of hitting any bad notes. The practice of lip synching

during live performances is frowned on by many who view it as a crutch only used by lesser

talents.

Because the film track and music track are recorded separately during the creation of a music

video, artists usually lip-sync to their songs and often imitate playing musical instruments as

well. Artists also sometimes move their lips at a faster speed from the track, to create videos

with a slow-motion effect in the final clip, which is widely considered to be complex to

achieve. Similarly, some artists have been known to lip-sync backwards for music videos

such that, when reversed, the singer is seen to sing forwards while time appears to move

backwards for his or her surroundings.

Artists often lip-sync certain portions during strenuous dance numbers in both live and

recorded performances, due to lung capacity being needed for physical activity (both at once

would require incredibly trained lungs).[citation needed]

They may also lip-sync in situations in

which their back-up bands and sound systems cannot be accommodated, such as the Macy's

Thanksgiving Day Parade which features popular singers lip-synching while

riding floats,[citation needed]

or to disguise their lacking of singing ability, particularly in live or

non-studio environments. Some singers habitually lip-sync during live performance, both

concert and televised. Some artists switch between live singing and lip-synching during the

performance of a single song.

[edit]Examples

Michael Jackson's performance on the television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today,

Forever (1983) changed the scope of live stage show. Ian Inglis, author ofPerformance and

Popular Music: History, Place and Time (2006) notes the fact that "Jackson lip-synced 'Billie

Jean' is, in itself, not extraordinary, but the fact that it did not change the impact of the

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performance is extraordinary; whether the performance was live or lip-synced made no

difference to the audience."[2]

In 1989, a New York Times article claimed that "Bananarama's

recent concert at the Palladium", the "first song had a big beat, layered vocal harmonies and a

dance move for every line of lyrics", but "the drum kit was untouched until five songs into

the set, or that the backup vocals (and, it seemed, some of the lead vocals as well-a hybrid

lead performance) were on tape along with the beat". The article also claims that "British

band Depeche Mode, ...add vocals and a few keyboard lines to taped backup onstage"

although this practice is common place in the genre of electric music.[3]

Chris Nelson of The New York Times reported that by the 1990s, "[a]rtists

like Madonna and Janet Jackson set new standards for showmanship, with concerts that

included not only elaborate costumes and precision-timed pyrotechnics but also highly

athletic dancing. These effects came at the expense of live singing."[4]

Edna Gundersen

of USA Today reported: "The most obvious example is Madonna's [Blond Ambition World

Tour], a visually preoccupied and heavily choreographed spectacle. Madonna lip-syncs the

duet Now I'm Following You, while a Dick Tracy character mouths Warren Beatty's recorded

vocals. On other songs, background singers plump up her voice, strained by the exertion of

non-stop dancing."[5] Similarly, in reviewing Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation World Tour,

Michael MacCambridge of the Austin American-Statesman commented "[i]t seemed unlikely

that anyoneeven a prized member of the First Family of Soul Musiccould dance like she

did for 90 minutes and still provide the sort of powerful vocals that the '90s super concerts are

expected to achieve."[6]

The music video for Electrasy's 1998 single "Morning Afterglow" featured lead singer

Alisdair McKinnell lip-syncing the entire song backwards. This allowed the video to create

the effect of an apartment being tidied by 'un-knocking over' bookcases, while the music

plays forwards.

In 2004, US pop singer Ashlee Simpson appeared on the live comedy TV show Saturday

Night Live, and during her performance, "she was revealed to apparently be lip-synching".

According to "her manager-father[,]...his daughter needed the help because acid reflux

disease had made her voice hoarse." Her manager stated that "Just like any artist in America,

she has a backing track that she pushes so you dont have to hear her croak through a song on

national television." During the incident, vocal parts from a previously performed song began

to sound while the singer was "holding her microphone at her waist"; she made "some

exaggerated hopping dance moves, then walked off the stage".[1]

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In 1995, French Canadian singer Celine Dion Falling Into You Tour and other Tours are most

lipped and partially lip sync by a pre-recorded track. she use the pre-recorded track

last Taking Chances Tour and a new pre-recorded track for 2011 Las Vegas Show

called CELINE

During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, CTV news reported that a "nine-year-old Chinese girl's

stunning performance at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony has been marred by

revelations she was lip-synching". The article states that "Lin Miaoke was lip-synching

Friday to a version of "Ode to the Motherland" sung by seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, who was

deemed not pretty enough to perform as China's representative".[7]

During the 2009 Super Bowl, "Jennifer Hudson's flawless performance of the national

anthem" was "lip-synched ...to a previously recorded track, and apparently so did Faith

Hill who performed before her". The singers lip-synched "...at the request of Rickey Minor,the pregame show producer", who argued that "There's too many variables to go live.

[8]On

the 2009 finals of The X Factor, Cheryl Colepartly mimed one of her new songs.

Teenage viral video star Keenan Cahill lip-syncs popular songs on his YouTube channel. His

popularity has increased as he included guests such as rapper 50 Cent in November 2010

and David Guettain January 2011, sending him to be one of the most popular videos on

YouTube in January 2011.[9][10][11]

Why do some celebrities lip sync sometimes?

Because some people have no talent at all. They can take someone who is really badat singing and mix it up with computers to make it sound nice. So some of these pop

stars are famous for just being a pretty face really. If they had to get up and sing they

wouldn't be able to do it. It is a kick in the head to real artists who work their butts off

trying to make it.

Because I don't know if you've ever tried it, but singing well live and doing extreme,intricate, fast paced dancing at the same time is very hard. Note how I said, intricate

dancing...not walking...not doing 3 tiny steps over and over again. I mean full blown

dancing. It's very tiring and tough on the voice. While it is very hard to do both at the

same time, it is possible. Michael Jackson didn't start lipping shows really until the

Dangerous tour in 1992 (due to illness like a poster above mentioned and I think only

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half of the show was lip synced at that). Before that, he was doing the hard dances

AND singing live at the same time. It takes a lot of dedication and proper technique

(breathing, etc.) for you to do it and sound decent too though. And that's really the

only time when I give entertainers a pass for lipping, when they are doing hard

routines on stage. However, if you're just walking the stage back and forth and not

really doing anything else, there's no reason for you to be lipping other than sheer

laziness i would guess.

Also, I think its a common misconception that when an artist lip syncs on stage that

they lack vocal ability entirely and that's not always the case. If an artist were to dance

AND sing live on stage and sound like crap due to being out of breath, people would

STILL complain. So, the artist feels the need to lip sync while giving a great dance

performance because that way people can get a great show AND great vocals (even if

they aren't live) too.But people still tend scream bloody murder as if the artist kicked

their puppy or something. In cases like this, it would seem that these artist are kind of

damned if they do, damned if they don't unfortunately.

Sometimes" (as you so delicately put it) singers are sick, and that affects their voice.Maybe they just sing awful live, or their voices differ too much from the track to real

life. A lot of concerts also have complicated dance routines, and it's too difficult for

them to sing and dance at the same time.

why do people complain about singers lip-syncing?

Anyways i always hear about people complaining about it and even some saying theydont like that singer anymore after finding out they did do it ( like at a concert), I

mean why get upset? I would be more upset to hear them not singing very good than

to hear the song I actually like and the one I hear ( on the radio) , especially if they are

dancing around on stage and stuff, it would probably sound pretty crappy even if they

can in fact sing wonderfully.

Because it's like going to a concert to listen to a CD you already have at home, whatsthe point?