Should lip-synching be allowed?
Some people think it’s sneaky if musicians don’t sing live.
In 2013, Beyoncé was criticised for lip-synching the national anthem at a ceremony for Barack Obama, who was US president at the time. She argued that she only did it because she hadn’t had time to practise and wanted to make sure it was perfect.
Later this year, Taylor Swift is coming to the UK for her Eras Tour and many fans have spent hundreds of pounds on tickets. Imagine if Taylor Swift decided to play her songs out of a speaker and pretend that she was singing along. Some people might say they are there to see her on stage and it doesn’t matter as long as the songs sound good. However, others would say that she was misleading the crowd, and the whole point of a concert is to hear the songs sung live. What do you think? Should lip-synching be allowed?
Yes – it helps artists save their voices
Performing live can be exhausting for musicians, especially when they’re on tour and have shows night after night. Lip-synching instead of singing means they can protect their voices from being damaged. If an artist has a sore throat, or they’re not feeling confident about performing live in front of a large audience, lip-synching just ensures that they sound the best they can. When fans listen to the songs at home, that’s the most important thing anyway. Some musicians put on shows that involve energetic dance moves and it can be almost impossible to do this and sing well at the same time. Lip-synching just allows them to put on an amazing performance for their fans.
No – it’s not fair for music fans
Music fans pay lots of money to see their favourite songs performed live, not to hear a recorded version of the song played on some speakers – they can do that at home! There’s not much point in going to a concert if the music isn’t going to sound any different to how it sounds at home. Besides, it’s not very honest to pretend to be singing. It’s very misleading, especially for fans who might not have noticed that a musician is lip-synching. If a singer isn’t able to perform their own songs live, then perhaps they shouldn’t be a singer in the first place. They certainly shouldn’t be charging money for people to come and see them in concert. Only those with the talent to sing live should perform on a stage.