Top 10 Times Singers Were Caught Lip Syncing

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#10: 50 Cent
“7th BET Awards” (2007)

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While rehearsals can go off without a hitch, there’s no telling what will happen during the actual show. At the 2007 BET Awards, 50 Cent was performing “Amusement Park” when he suddenly switched to crowd work, skipping the whole first verse. Viewers were perplexed, and wondered if he had forgotten his lyrics or been lip syncing to a broken audio track. He owned up to it and explained that he had been thrown off after nearly falling over at the beginning of the piece. Afterwards, his mind went blank, which caused him to run into the audience. His honest retelling of what happened made his fans much more understanding– and he’s since proved how dynamic of an entertainer he is.

After being offered the opportunity to perform at a football pre-game, Goulding planned to sing her hit “Love Me Like You Do.” However, when it began, she appeared to not be completely ready – and the lyrics started without her. She seemed genuinely confused, and stood there for a few moments, which was just enough time for everyone to notice. While she was able to recover, it didn’t prevent the accusations from rolling in. Her team explained that she’d been planning to sing over the pre-recorded vocals. This is a common practice for many live events, but the curtain hadn’t been pulled back before this moment, which revealed an open secret about the industry.

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#8: Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Super Bowl XLVIII” (2014)

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Performing at the Super Bowl is a big deal. When Bruno Mars invited the Red Hot Chili Peppers to play with him, they jumped at the chance. However, there was one glaring issue. Their instruments weren’t plugged in, meaning if they were truly playing, they wouldn’t have been heard. This led to speculation over the legitimacy of the entire set. Their bassist, Flea, corrected the record. He explained that while their instrumentals were pre-recorded, their vocals were live. He also mentioned that these parameters were set by the NFL. It makes sense – for the biggest event of the year, it’s better to be safe than sorry. While understandable, it would’ve been nice to see them showcase their actual talent.

When you’re known for putting on an entertaining show, being caught lip syncing can be an embarrassment like no other. Katy Perry, who’s known for her dynamic concerts, was set to perform “Roar” at the 2014 NRJ Awards. When she started to sing, fans quickly noticed that the verse didn’t match up with her lips at all. Eventually, someone came up on stage and told her to restart, saying that there were issues with the sound. After doing so, her actual voice was much more noticeable. The awards show ended up issuing an apology shortly after, and Perry’s supporters swiftly forgave her. While she was able to move past it, we can’t even imagine how brutal that must have been in the moment.

If there’s one event you don’t want to take attention away from, it’s this one. During Barack Obama’s second inauguration, famed vocalist Beyoncé was slated to open with the national anthem. While she sounded amazing, people were shocked when members of the Marine band came forward to reveal she hadn’t been singing live. While most would have denied it, she owned up to it. She explained that she hadn’t been able to properly rehearse and didn’t want to take the chance of doing a poor job. She then proved just how well she could perform it by singing it off the cuff at a press conference. Being able to take a negative experience and spinning it like that is the sign of a true icon.

Britney Spears has been accused of lip syncing on more than one occasion, with some claiming it’s necessary due to the intense choreography she executed at each concert. However, during her Vegas residency, there was an incident that no one could ignore. While singing “Perfume,” the voice people heard was Sia’s, rather than her own. It was later revealed that the “Chandelier” singer had not only helped write the track, but recorded a demo of it as well. This recording is what played during Spears’ show. Like the professional she is, Spears quickly recovered and pushed through it. While it’s an undeniably awkward moment, her commitment to finishing the number is admirable.

It’s tough proving some of those rumors right. In the mid 2000s, Lindsay Lohan wanted to branch out into music and released her first single, “Rumors.” She was eventually invited to perform it on “Good Morning America.” However, viewers couldn’t help but notice that even when the star turned away from the mic, her lyrics could still be heard clearly. This led to accusations of her not singing live. Lohan vehemently denied them, saying that there was just a jam track to help keep her oriented. While those are used, the fact that she leaned on hers so heavily didn’t impress– which ended her pop career before it had even started.

When you’re known for your otherworldly voice, being caught lip syncing can seem like a genuine betrayal. When the Queen of Christmas was slated to perform at 2016’s “Rockin’ New Year’s Eve,” fans were ecstatic. However, once the performance actually started, their hopes were quickly dashed. Everything seemed to go off the rails, with the backing vocals immediately malfunctioning. While Mariah tried correcting herself, she was so thrown off by the mistake that she stopped entirely and let the crowd take over while she commented on the issues. It was tough to watch such an established professional become so frustrated mid-performance. While she seemed to be in good spirits about it afterwards, the night was an unfortunate low point.

When starting out as a musician, it’s important to nail every event. So when burgeoning star Ashlee Simpson was asked to appear on “Saturday Night Live”, expectations were high. While the first song went off without a hitch, things quickly fell apart when it was time for the second performance. Upon beginning, the same vocal from the earlier song started to play, revealing that she hadn’t actually sung it. Instead of playing it off or pushing through it, she did a silly dance to distract from it, adding to her humiliation. Not only did it mar her SNL appearance, it threw her career off trajectory. While embarrassing, she’s been able to learn and grow from the experience, and has found success in other endeavors.

In the late 1980s, Milli Vanilli took the world by storm. However, any respect they had earned was quickly lost after one fateful Club MTV concert appearance. During “Girl You Know It’s True,” the pre-recorded track skipped, playing the same line repeatedly. Their reaction only made things worse, with one member even running offstage. This was the loose string that unraveled their entire operation. While this particular incident didn’t initially make huge waves among the audience, it did kickstart the public’s mounting questions about their authenticity. Sure enough, it would soon be revealed through that the duo had never sung any of their music and were just the faces of the group. The deception going so deep was unforgivable. Their careers were over, and unlike other artists, they were never able to recover.

Have any of your favorite singers been caught lip syncing? Let us know in the comments below.