Beyoncé Lip Sync Of The Star-Spangled Banner A Big Deal?
According to an unnamed source from the U.S. Marine Corp Band, singer Beyonce was not actually singing the “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Jan. 21, 2013.
Beyonce reportedly pre-recorded a version of the famous song in a studio before the presidential inauguration to have readily available, just in case she needed it.
According to ABC News, Captain Kendra N. Motz, Media Officer of the U.S. Marine Band, said the Presidential Inaugural Committee requested they accompany Beyonce in her performance, but “there was no opportunity for Ms. Knowles-Carter to rehearse with the Marine Band before the Inauguration so it was determined that a live performance by the band was ill-advised for such a high-profile event.”
“Each piece of music scheduled for performance in the Inauguration is pre-recorded for use in case of freezing temperatures, equipment failure, or extenuating circumstances,” Motz said in a statement. “Regarding Ms. Knowles-Carter’s vocal performance, no one in the Marine Band is in a position to assess whether it was live or pre-recorded.”
Earlier in the day, a rep for the even admited to ABC News the singer did Lip-synch the song.
“We all know Beyonce can sing,” Master Sgt. of the U.S. Marine Band Kristin duBois told ABC News today. “We all know the Marine Corps Band can play. We do not know why she decided to go with the pre-recorded music at the last minute.”
Earlier, Beyoncé posted a photo to her Instagram account of herself holding the sheet music to “The Star Spangled Banner” in a recording studio.
Kelly Clarkson, who sang “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”, sang with pride on the big day. Beyonce has not released a response to the news, but she has used pre-recorded tracks in the past for big events though. Many of her fans are defending her saying that it was a very cold day and that she had not been feeling well for days before the ceremony.
Many are also saying that it was a track of her voice so they do not consider it to be lip-syncing. The track sounded great and Beyonce did a great job lip-syncing because viewers could not even tell that she was not singing live until the source released the information.
The Washington Post says no one should be surprised:
But really, the only real surprise here is that anyone is surprised. Pre-recording for important outdoor performances is routine in the music business. Whitney Houston’s 1991 rendition of the anthem at the Super Bowl— one of the greatest ever by a pop singer — was lip synched. At President Obama’s 2009 inauguration, the frigid temperatures and wind prompted cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Itzhak Perlman to use a taped version of “Air and Simple Gifts” over the loudspeakers.
A representative for Beyonce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On The Web:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/beyonce-lip-sync-star-spangled-banner-inauguration/story?id=18285823
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/beyonce-lip-synch-controversy-evolves-did-she-sing-live-the-stories-change/2013/01/22/aed8e68a-64dc-11e2-85f5-a8a9228e55e7_blog.html
