Lip synching

What is Lip Syncing and why is it important?

Lip syncing is a technique that allows an artist to mime along to a backing track, making it appear that they are actually singing and performing live.

It can be used to for several reasons

• To make it appear that an artist has musical ability
• To attribute a vocal performance to an artist when in reality it was recorded by someone else
• To create a particular effect
• To enable an artist to perform a song while also performing a rigorous dance routine
• If used on television, it can significantly shorten the time needed for rehearsals by an artist and makes the process of sound mixing very much easier
• If an artist is not very confident when performing live, it can be used in order that the performance should be as good as possible and any wrong notes avoided
• Where performances are difficult due to weather , technical issues or illness

Lip syncing is often used during a music video as the film track and the music track are recorded separately. Often the artist can mime playing an instrument in the video as well. The lip syncing is usually edited in between representations of the lyrics of the song, and it ties the whole video together.

There have been several instances in the news in recent years where there has been a controversy about lip syncing. One of the most famous was when Beyoncé was accused of lip syncing to the “Star Spangled Banner” during what should have been a live performance at the inauguration. Britney Spears has been accused of lip syncing during her shows in Las Vegas where she does hugely demanding dance routines during the show.