A2 MEDIA STUDIES - GRACE SUITER
Lip Syncing -3rd July 2015
Lip Syncing is widely used by singers to give the illusion that they are singing during a concert or performance, when they are actually miming to a backing track. It is the process of synchronising the soundtrack with the silent movement of lips. This is most commonly used when artists are performing a dance sequence during their performance, where they are likely to lose breath or when they have undergone vocal surgery. Some artists which are poor vocal singers also often lip sync to avoid disappointing their fans. Lip Syncing is viewed very negatively by the public and is commonly criticized by press critics. Is it fair for a fan to go and see their favourite artist perfom live when they are actually lip syncing? Are customers paying to see their favourite artist up close or are they paying to see them perform the song live?
There are a variety of artists who lip sync and there are a variety of reasons at to why they lip sync. For instance, Beyonce was found lip syncing whilst performing her hit song 'Countdown.' Whilst singing Beyonce was getting the crowd to sing the numbers and she would then sing the accompanying lyrics. However she made a mistake by keeping the mic in the air to long, which then revealed the backing track. This dissappointed her fans because Beyonce is well known for being genuine and showing off her talent. Lip Syncing is sometimes expected of weaker vocalled artists, however Beyonce doesn't fit this category. Another moment which stands out as a lip syncing failure is when Ashlee Simpson performed her new song on Saturday Night Live and the wrong backing track was played which made her look like a fool. To make the matter worse, she started to jigg and then at the end of the show she blamed her band for playing the wrong song eventhough they tried to save the performance. Ashlee Simpson on the other hand would be classed as a performer who may be more vocally challenged than Beyonce.