Country Singer Praises The Value Of Untouched Live Performances
Country singer Ella Langley has recently become a star thanks to her debut album, Still Hungover, and that has come after honing her craft for the past seven years.
For her, that dedication to her art is a thing of principle, and she recently spoke on a line she’ll “never” cross: using autotune during live performances.
Autotune is a digital audio processor that can correct off-key singing as it occurs, and Ella has instead expressed her commitment to preserving the live music experience.
“Everything is so perfect that you see now,” Ella said on the Bobby Bones Show. “Every picture has been edited. Every song has autotune — not only on vocals, but most of the instruments.”
Speaking on artists who are using autotune, she said, “That’s something I’m never going to do.”
Watch the full interview, here:
Speaking On The Live Music Experience
During this digital moment, where performances are uploaded by fans to social media instantly, the allure of using autotune is ever-present.
However, Ella says it runs counter to her artistic vision.
“People are getting less and less familiar with what a live vocal sounds like,” she said.
Recalling a time she was performing last year, she said a more established artist — whose name she withheld — approached her about using autotune, and said, “‘Great show, but one day when you start running [autotune] and things on your show,’ and I was like, ‘I’m not going to do that.’”
She then said this anonymous artist replied, “‘Yes you will. Everyone does that. You’re gonna do that.’”
Ella stood her ground and said, “‘No, I’m not.’”
Continuing, Ella spoke on the unpredictable nature of performing live, saying, “I think it’s just something to being honest out there, like, sometimes I’m gonna forget some lyrics, sometimes my voice is pitchier than others, I’m out of breath, but that’s just a live show.”
She added, “That’s coming to a show where I’m running around on stage performing a song, you know? Or standing still, or I’m emotional, or there’s wind, or who knows? That’s kind of what’s fun about seeing an artist live is you get the imperfections.”
Concluding her thoughts on the value of live performances, she said, “You get to see them as who they are as an artist, not just ‘here’s perfect.’”
Watch Ella Langley perform “Don’t Mind If I Do” with Riley Green on the Today Show from last week, here:
Related: Hear Ella Langley’s Intimate Acoustic Cover Of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”