Auto-tuning has changed modern music. It seems like every song you hear on the radio features auto tuning. Music legends such as Celine Dion, Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston and Diana Ross were all known for their natural vocal ability. Most of them were and still are able to hold a note without any music effects for a couple of minutes at least.
Today, singers like Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj and even the queen of the little monsters, Lady Gaga all need some vocal modifications to enhance their natural voices. Auto-tuning can make anyone sound better. For instance, Kim Kardashian, who is notoriously famous for being famous, published her first single ‘Turn it Up’ last year, a musical disaster. Critics blasted her for trying to be something that she was not, and for producing a song that had no musical ability. Rebecca Black who was a viral sensation for her hit single, ‘Friday,’ was bullied and even threatened about how stupid and pointless her song was. It seems like auto-tuning helps any celebrity be a singer because of how it can completely change their voice.
Many critics have expressed that today’s music is focused on more modernized entertainment which includes screaming, yelling and talking. My passion on music still holds the same, if you can hold a note without any sound effects, you can pretty much sing. Music does change as society changes. That’s why singers like Madonna, the queen of pop, have drastically changed the way pop music because her over the top dance moves, her crazy stage decorations and her costumes that distract from her horrible voice. Rapper Jay-Z even said that too many artists are abusing auto-tune. It makes everyone sound the same and does not distinguish singers from the other hundreds that are using it. I would be highly upset if I found out one of my favorite singers was using auto-tune. Singers and celebrities should take more responsibility of their talent and be praised for their natural abilities.
In the past couple of years, auto-tune has become the rise of opposing trends. In the setting where mediocre singing has never been good enough to make it to the pros, it automatically changes and all of a sudden everyone sounds good. Singers who may feel under the weather, off pitch, off beat or just have no musical ability can sing so much better with just the touch of a button. Auto-tuning has become the next big thing. After all, there’s an app for that. Smule has created a T-Pain app that has its own personal auto-tune enhancement for any iPhone customers. Now ordinary people can record a hit single on their phone.
Music is not the same as it used to be. Music gurus like myself enjoy music that is natural, voices that are not advanced by technology, but are pure and clean. As society continues to become modernized it seems like more and more singers will be popular for their entertainment value rather than vocal ability. At least we still have singers like Adele, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Hudson that are praised for their big voices. It’s people like them that deserve to be famous. I can only hope that people understand the difference between entertainment and real singers. Hopefully, as the years go by the culture will change and more singers/bands will rise like the past music legends.
