Lip Syncing
Thursday 10th September
Lip Syncing ( short for lip synchromisation) is the process of matching the mouth movements of an artist to the spoken or sung vocals that are being played. During this process, the artist is not actually singing, but instead miming the sounds being played.
Many artists use lip syncing to create the illusion of the 'perfect performance'. During live concerts, many singers try to give the best performance possible, by dancing enthusiastically and trying to involve the audience as much as possible. These elements of their performance take a lot of energy, often making the artist out of breath and unable to sing as well as they would like. In order to give an all-round performance, the performer uses lip syncing. This makes their singing sound as perfect as the audience expects, and allows them to move around the stage and dance as much as possible, whilst still sounding effortlessly perfect.
Lip syncing is also used during filming of music videos. This makes sure that the mouth of the artist matches the music being played. This creates a more realistic feeling for the audience, and makes the music video look better made and more professional. This shows more money has been spent on the production of the artist's music and shows the passion the artist has for the music they have made.
Despite being the easy route for the artist, as it potentially 'saves' their performance, using lip syncing during a performance angers many fans. This is because it seems like the audience isn't getting what they paid for - they paid to see their idol perform the songs they love, not to listen to a recording. Therefore, the artist should train themselves by upping their fitness in order to be able to sing and dance and stay sounding as good as possible.
Below is a video to show how well lip syncing can go and how much a crowd can enjoy it if done well. The lip syncing in this video was however done for the purpose of entertainment, so perhaps shows people only enjoy the lip syncing if it's funny and not serious. On the right of that video are some examples of how badly lip syncing can go, which shows why people would be angry that they paid to watch it.
Despite the negative connotations surrounding lip syncing, it is often seen as the best option for a singer in order to give a good performance. Whilst lip syncing, an artist can put more effort into the show and make it more of a visual spectacular for fans. Lip syncing does however tarnish an artist, such as Britney Spears, as people assume they aren't up to the job and can't sing. This makes it less likely that people will spend money on their concerts or merchandise, lowering the popularity and success of the act, therefore causing them to make less money.