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(NEXSTAR) – Bad Bunny’s halftime show at Super Bowl LX drew the attention of millions, with viewers curious about potential political messages or surprise appearances. However, a significant number were keenly focused on determining whether the Puerto Rican sensation was lip syncing.
Should Bad Bunny have opted for lip syncing, he would join a long list of performers who choose this route to ensure a seamless presentation, particularly under the intense pressure and dynamic nature of such a grand stage.
Detecting lip syncing can sometimes be straightforward, especially if there’s an obvious mismatch between the singer’s lip movements and the lyrics. However, it can also be more discreet and less apparent to the average viewer.
How can you tell if someone is lip syncing?
One clue can be found in how the performer handles the microphone. If they move it closer or further away from their mouth, yet the volume of their voice remains unchanged, it’s likely they’re singing along to a pre-recorded track. With live vocals, the sound usually fluctuates with the distance of the microphone.
The singer’s vocal cords offer another hint. According to Slate, if a performer appears to be hitting a powerful note with noticeable vibrato, closely observing their neck for signs of strain can be telling. Genuine vocal exertion should show some physical evidence of the vocal cords in action.
You can also look for mismatches between the choreography and the sound. If someone is running around the stage and dancing intensely, but they’re not even the slightest bit out of breath, you can probably bet it’s a lip sync.
Let’s look at the last time Bad Bunny was on stage at the Super Bowl, for example, when he was a special guest during Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s halftime show. Some people watching noted that Shakira’s voice was surprisingly steady during her opening songs, despite her incredibly aerobic dance moves. Plus, when she moved the microphone around while dancing, the volume of her singing remained steady.
Bad Bunny’s portion of the performance of “I Like It,” on the other hand, sounded a little less perfect, with small variations from the pre-recorded version of the song you’ve heard before.
If you’re trying to spot lip syncing, listen for those tiny imperfections, like slurred syllables or notes cutting off before they’re supposed to. If the song sounds exactly like the version you’ve streamed a million times, it probably is the exact same track.
Lip syncing doesn’t mean a bad performance, experts say. Sometimes it’s the right move to ensure a flawless show.
“There’s too many variables to go live. I would never recommend any artist go live because the slightest glitch would devastate the performance,” Rickey Minor, who has produced multiple Super Bowl performances, once told the Associated Press.
Katy Perry admitted some of her vocal tracks were recorded for her 2015 performance, telling Reuters ahead of the show, “I think a lot of it will be live.”
The Red Hot Chili Peppers said they did the opposite in 2014: singing live, but using pre-recorded instrumentals. Their guitars weren’t even plugged in on stage, CNN reported.
Beyoncé didn’t lip-sync during her memorable Super Bowl performance in 2013, but she did admit to lip-syncing just a few weeks prior during another high-profile televised event: The singer said she decided to rely on a vocal track while performing the national anthem on President Obama’s Inauguration Day.
Whitney Houston also lip synced at the Super Bowl, but not during the halftime show. Her 1991 rendition of the National Anthem (often cited as one of the best ever) was pre-recorded.