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Singers Doing lip movements only with a CD played from behind while performing in a stage.

Topic started by Kutty (@ 212.26.19.156) on Sun Sep 24 06:07:07 EDT 2000.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I was surprised or rather shocked to see a news coverage by Surya TV in a programme called
"Aniyara" about a musical stage programme held in Trivandrum in connection with Onam festival.The programme was participated by well known singers from film industry. It was found out that during the program, singers only did lip movements and actually CDs were being played from behind.There was an orchestra team on the stage, bu they were
also doing an acing as if instruments were used.
They say that dance performers were there on the stage,when the song is going on so that it ensures that attention of audience is not identifying such tricks.

I request comments of TFM participants on such acts done by singers and the programme organizers.
It would have been done by only few, but it brings bad name for everybody in the industry. Why are these famous singers who are appreciated and loved by their fans so much indulge in such activities which are really unprofessional?

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Responses:

• From: fan (@ 216.160.72.149) on: Sun Sep 24 09:26:23 EDT 2000
  
  Arr is doing it for the past few years. He calls it 100% perfection or 0% fault tolerance or what ever.
  
  At times the singers themselves do not know about this. The sound engineer (yes! the famous person who often mixes for arr) mixes them skillfully,if questioned he points to the high command.
  
  Best example is "thee thee" song sung by caroline, lip synced by Subha in the dubai show,
  this was shown recently in sony tv.
  (also it looks like subha is droppped for the US shows!)
  
  I wish arr does something live in the forth coming shows in the US. People have started to identify!...arr should know each of his fans have a pair of ears, hope he gives importance to them cheating those ears is not good for his growth.
  
  
• From: UV (@ 4.54.21.79) on: Sun Sep 24 10:35:14 EDT 2000
  
  ARR is supposed to give a concert in New Jersey this sunday,anyone from there can update us on how the concert went,i mean whether its the same old lip synch or live performance
  
  
• From: hari (@ 129.116.226.162) on: Sun Sep 24 23:14:03 EDT 2000
  
  Hi,
  
  A friend of mine talked to me from New York. He was describing the concert that ARR gave there a couple of days back. I had previously told him to look out for "goodhals", as there were rumours that the Dubai show was atleast partially "fixed". But this time around, apparently, there was nothing like that. He was sure because there were a lot of goofs in the programme, with lot of improvised singing from SPB, (as usual) , Sukhwinder struggling at the higher octaves of Chaiyya Chaiyya, etc... So apparently it was "live"!! Its difficult to make out if the instrumentalists were live, I guess...
  
  hari
  
  
• From: svce (@ 202.9.182.82) on: Sun Sep 24 23:47:59 EDT 2000
  
  this had also been done by a group called
  'u2' when they toured india
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 63.89.188.115) on: Tue Sep 26 14:34:04 EDT 2000
  
  svce,
  
  Almost every pop band does this in the 90s. With Western music the show is almost as important as the music, so fans don't mind. Even in Western music, heavy metal bands like "Metallica" put on a hell of a show without compromising the live music.
  
  In Indian concerts the enjoyment is in hearing how a song was conceived and how the singers render it on stage. Especially, singers like SPB will give different intonations that throw new light on existing tunes. All of that joy is lost in the effort of creating a stadium show with lights, screens, lip synching and looped music. The life is drained out of what is supposed to be a LIVE show. It's a shameful, misguided trend in music.
  
  
• From: rajaG (@ 208.24.179.211) on: Tue Sep 26 15:09:48 EDT 2000
  
  Udhaya: Plus anyday I would watch Brittany Spears with her implants though she is lip-synching than Udit Narayan lip-synching or karaoke or for that matter even live:-)
  
  
• From: UV (@ 134.113.200.35) on: Tue Sep 26 15:24:30 EDT 2000
  
  Guys there is also another interesting article where it exposed the new MD Mr.Srikanth son of the famous copy cat Deva.
  Apparently during their 'Live Performance' for the movie casette release suddenly the troup stopped playing for no apparent reason,then they will begin and then stop like this and finally the 'cat' got out of the bag as the CD they were playing had some problems ,now how about that for your debut... some musicians all these fellas..
  Hey I am not talking about ARR or anybody i am just saying in general.
  And moreover when most of music patches are applied by cut and paste method one cannot expect to reproduce all the sounds unless otherwise play the CD or brining the Computer with you and use the feedback...
  Gone are days of IR/GangaiAmaran or AV Ramanan days now everything is ready made instant so dont even think of quality here
  
  
• From: MT (@ 134.113.200.35) on: Tue Sep 26 15:26:44 EDT 2000
  
  ARR Rules so he can do whatever he wants and get away fools will come and watch..
  When people are ready to pay to have a darshan of their beloved master who we to question such concerts..
  
  
• From: SL (@ 208.49.174.84) on: Tue Sep 26 16:23:59 EDT 2000
  
  This whole trend was started by our Doordarshan wallahs back home. Even in the early 80s / late 70s I have seen stalwarts like Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhonsle lip-synching in the TV shows. Check out the then famous programme titled 'Yeh Hai Asha' which was telecast all over India in '76.
  
  
• From: chandy (@ 131.230.25.38) on: Tue Sep 26 18:27:29 EDT 2000
  
  I agree with you, SL. I remember watching numerous DD programs with Anuradha Podwal, Preeti Saagar etc where lip-synch was what was done in the TV shows.
  
  I was wondering why karaoke-live-shows seem to be so prevalent today?
  
  One reason could be the nature of the songs themselves - the reproducability of exact music can be very difficult that people like ARR prefer to play tracks rather than play the music live.
  
  Another reason (this was mentioned by someone before) could be that the MDs dont want to take any chances - the cost of making a mistake is very high. But what puzzles me is that.... even if the music is not live, why is that the voices are also sometimes not live?? (Eg : Subha lip-synching caroline's voice for thee-thee song in ARR's Dubai's concert - It was blatant that shubha was lip-synching).
  
  Why is that even singers have to mimic an act on stage? isnt that deplorable??
  
  chandy
  
  
• From: SL (@ 208.49.174.99) on: Tue Sep 26 20:03:00 EDT 2000
  
  With respect to live programs on stage, it is only thro' ARR have the southies realised that such a fraud can be committed. This practice is actually north's 'nazraana' to the south. I have watched on video a live program in London conducted by Kalyanji-Anandji , Sudhesh Bhonsle and co. Sudhesh 'sang' 'Zindagi ka safar...' exactly like Kishore Kumar (we know now how!!!) and BGM/interludes were all impeccable. The gullible public being reminded of Kishore, went into raptures (probably much to Sudesh's embarassment). So, the likes of Daler Mehendi and Kalyanji-Anandji had already set the precedent.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.22.221) on: Tue Sep 26 22:21:59 EDT 2000
  
  SL and others,
  Iam just wondering whether wont it be just plain embarassing for the singers to do this? I mean how come singers of the calibre of SPB etc. acept this? Is money and perhaps loyalty to the MD the only reason? I feel its really awkward to just go and act on stage. and when AV Ramanan and Gangai Amaran have done live shows in the past what's wrong in attempting to do it live now?
  
  I dont think the general audience can have sucha discerning ear that they will be able to pick those small mistakes made by the artistes during a song. especially if a note here or there goes out of scale, nobody would even realise it in the noise that prevails there.
  
  I agree that playing it from the CD is safe enough but I just dont find the biting need to do something like this.
  
  
• From: Comments (@ 152.163.205.29) on: Tue Sep 26 23:39:16 EDT 2000
  
  It is ok if ARR is not able to reproduce his music on stage. In that case he should play modified versions or they should let the public know that they are doing karoake.
  
  I think the problem is when they try to con the listening public. The organizers are out to make a quick buck and they tell ARR to do whatever he can. The paying-public should object, protest to the organizers and walk out right away.
  
  
  
• From: SL (@ 63.253.7.218) on: Wed Sep 27 01:44:35 EDT 2000
  
  Vijay, I have never seen SPB lip-synch in a live stage program..no not even in the Dubai,Malaysia programs.
  
  
• From: Vijay (@ 156.153.255.250) on: Wed Sep 27 08:41:16 EDT 2000
  
  I've seen Harini doing that in one program held in Malaysia/Singapore. Shankar Mahadevan does a lot of lip sync esp. for his breathless song.
  
  
• From: thiruppaachchi aruvaa (@ 208.24.179.211) on: Wed Sep 27 11:44:34 EDT 2000
  
  inga SPB aiyum lip-synch aiyum orEy sentence la yaarO type adichchirukkaanga. keesiduvEn jaakkiradhai:-)
  
  
• From: Veronica (@ ) on: Sat Jul 10 15:29:56 EDT 2004
  
  Is Hillary Duff a lip singer
  
  
• From: Corina (@ 68.127.127.30) on: Sat Jul 10 15:33:48 EDT 2004
  
  raven is a lip singer
  
  
• From: Corina (@ 68.127.127.30) on: Sat Jul 10 15:33:57 EDT 2004
  
  raven is a lip singer
  
  
• From: Corina (@ 68.127.127.30) on: Sat Jul 10 15:34:02 EDT 2004
  
  raven is a lip singer
  
  
• From: curses (@ 203.101.34.217) on: Sat Jul 10 23:41:37 EDT 2004
  
  I thought every one sings from their lip!
  No wait, i do know a few who sing w/ their noses! :)
  
  
• From: Trowp (@ 64.187.17.191) on: Tue Jul 13 00:54:46 EDT 2004
  
  What do you guys think of the local bands that perform with sequencers? They sing alright. But, that's it. The music is fake most of the time. In reality, in most bands, all that matters is the key board and his/her sequencer. The rest of the band just fills the stage cos there is space.
  
  However, there are bands like Srruthi from Toronto who are dead against the idea of sequencing. Such bands are worth watching cos they enjoy what they do and it shows in their performance.
  I mean, if you are going to reproduce the recording exactly.. why bother performing.. might as well play the CDs..right? A bands own redition of a popular song with a touch of their own is what people want as entertainment.
  
  
• From: jagan (@ 61.11.73.84) on: Tue Jul 13 01:54:16 EDT 2004
  
  Dear Guys,
  
  This technique is popularly coded as "-1" amongst the various light music troupes in Chennai
  
  
• From: Raghu (@ 193.129.245.198) on: Tue Jul 13 10:41:42 EDT 2004
  
  Curses,
  
  >>No wait, i do know a few who sing w/ their noses! :)<<
  
  shall we list all these type of singers :)), oops, my list would be quite big :(
  
  

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