Should the pre-recorded backing vocals remain?

[empo21]

The newest addition to performances in 2020-2021 was allowing backing vocals in the instrumental during the live shows. Originally introduced as a safety caution from Covid-19 in 2020 and then 2021, the same rule remained for 2022's edition as well.

Should backing vocals remain? The last thread about the topic was 'Will it remain', but I think the answer is already 'Yes', which is why I wondered what other people think about the topic.

I was inspired by this jury rehearsal from 2022, in which Norway wins the fake voting and their 'instrumental' is played, which contains a big portion of the main vocalists' voices.

Since the video above has been removed. Audience recording of the rehearsal footage:

 

[Bobjan FR]

Oh, the recorded voices take a lot of place on the soundtrack, they could even not sing on the chorus.

I was against when they announced it, but i recognize it makes the songs sound better, and let participate some songs with pitched voices that would be impossible to perform. But yeah, where's the limit....

 

[SarahM]

I think there needs to be a limit on the use of backing track vocals - I'm not sure if this can even be measured/enforced That clip from Norway's jury rehearsal is ridiculous!

 

[HarryUK]

Not gonna lie but I love pre-recorded vocals. Lets the artist put on a show rather than worry about maintaining a phenomenal vocal.
Eurovision has changed - it's not just about vocal like it was in the past, it's the whole package.

 

[Navn Navnes]

No, this is a singing competition

 

[Jay25]

No, this is a singing competition

No, this is a song competition

 

[Zeus]

Not gonna lie but I love pre-recorded vocals. Lets the artist put on a show rather than worry about maintaining a phenomenal vocal.
Eurovision has changed - it's not just about vocal like it was in the past, it's the whole package.

Lol, if you ask me it was more like this:

Beginning: Eurovision is just about some charming, lovely songs
After that: Eurovision is one big cultural shitshow with joke entries, big acts and crazy stuff

And now it's more something of everything. A charming, foreign song (Voila), the cultural shitshow with joke entries or crazy stuff (Moldova this year), poppy dancing gaystuff (Fuego, Slomo), some more creative input with different genres (Zitti e Buoni, Shum) and yes, also some slower songs/ballads with good vocals.

And right now it isn't all about good vocals. Look at this years results with Moldova, Serbia, Norway, Spain etc. If it was all about vocals, Australia should have won or become 2nd in my eyes.

 

[Navn Navnes]

No, this is a song competition

Maybe, but live vocals adds to the songs

 

[musicfan]

Only 6 people on stage limits the live backing, particularly for a dance track where you have people dancing. In Subwoolfer's case they were all wearing masks of some kind of well, which would likely affect the vocal. It would be great to be all live, but maybe with budget costs that's difficult in a contest as big as Eurovision. So my heart says I want it all live, my head says maybe it's hard now. Better Love in 2019 would probably have done better had they had prerecorded backing vocals, but it was obviously before the rules were changed. I think most want to hear epic sounds and vocal effects. But the live option should always be there as well for songs where it is easier to implement, maybe they even end up benefiting from the live sound in the voting.

One interesting point is that the lead singer(s) cannot apparently back themselves in the live performance. So S10 in her original recording backed herself but at Eurovision that had to be replaced with someone else rerecording the backing vocals.

 

[12Pointsgoto.....]

I don't think that there should be pre-recorded backing vocals in the contest. The singing is still a very important part of the contest, despite it being a SONG competition. It takes away from artists who actually put the effort into their singing. While in some cases it added to the performance, (Dadi's Choir), but in some cases it just pushes through songs that definitely would not have qualified without the pre-recorded backing vocals. The contest may have changed over the times but it is still important to keep some of the integrity that we used to have without pre-recorded backing vocals. Countries can still have all their flashy lights and live backing vocals, but there shouldn't be a need for pre- recorded backing vocals. We already lost the live orchestra.

 

[Bobjan FR]

The newest addition to performances in 2020-2021 was allowing backing vocals in the instrumental during the live shows. Originally introduced as a safety caution from Covid-19 in 2020 and then 2021, the same rule remained for 2022's edition as well.

Should backing vocals remain? The last thread about the topic was 'Will it remain', but I think the answer is already 'Yes', which is why I wondered what other people think about the topic.

I was inspired by this jury rehearsal from 2022, in which Norway wins the fake voting and their 'instrumental' is played, which contains a big portion of the main vocalists' voices.

Hi, i realise the video is not available anymore.... does anyone know if i can find the same video, or the instrumental of the subwoolfers (with the support vocal !) somewhere ?

 

[empo21]

Hi, i realise the video is not available anymore.... does anyone know if i can find the same video, or the instrumental of the subwoolfers (with the support vocal !) somewhere ?

Looks like the footage was flagged. I think full rehearsals are out someone on other websites.

I found this, though, recorded from the audience:

 

[Bobjan FR]

Looks like the footage was flagged. I think full rehearsals are out someone on other websites.

I found this, though, recorded from the audience:

Oooh yes thank you !

... Strange, it sounds like it's just the original record they broadcast. But i remember, it was a (half)instrumental version ...

 

[A-lister]

I'm conflicted here. The idealist in me says that it should be 100% live vocals, but I'm not that conservative not to acknowledge that in some, especially modern styled, music, allowing backing vocals is a fair compromise to make it possible for more elaborated stage shows (with choreography, dancers etc.) and/-or vocal/choir effects that will be hard to do fully live or with fewer people. What I would have wanted EBU to do instead is to increase the limit for maximum people allowed on stage, but this is something they haven't done yet (I honestly dunno why, there isn't any good argument against it really).

If EBU can really reassure that no cheating with backing vocals are done and that all main vocals remain live (and not allow incidents like Moldova 2021, where even some of the main vocals were pre-recorded), then I am in principle quite neutral on the topic tbh and can see pros with keeping the current compromise. But if EBU will continue to let such incidents slip through, then it should be back to 100% live vocals.

 

[12Pointsgoto.....]

U could just say that the melody was a backing harmony but in the end just use it as the main melody

 

[Chalphon]

No, they should be banned into oblivion.

 

[jatojo]

Ban it, and give the best artists the best chance to win. I don't care about "modern style music" in this context. They can choose and arrange the instruments as they want, but stay true to the concept: a SONG contest at which the best SONGS and SINGERS are chosen.

 

[Brandt]

Should?
No.

Will?
Yes.

 

[hijirio]

I'm against banning backvocals strictly, it really limits creativity of musicians especially in modern music era where relevant artists make use of computer-distorted vocals.

However, the delegation should present a valid justification that they are indispensable for the song's identity, which is not the case at the moment, the singers are using backvocals only as a supporting element to cover up their poor vocals.

 

[Franzilein]

Norway 2017 is a great example how modern music can be done with live backing vocals. Alex' distorted vocals were done on stage by Jowst. He used voice samples and I think these should be allowed in further competitions.