Lizzo is one of the hottest acts in the music business, showing off her effervescent stage presence while singing, dancing, rapping, and even playing the flute. However, even Lizzo herself will admit she’s not the world’s best singer, which leads many to wonder whether or not Lizzo uses Auto-Tune.
Lizzo does use Auto-Tune. Like most acts in popular music, Auto-Tune is used at various points in the recording process, but unlike many of her contemporaries, Lizzo is likely using AutoTune in the way it was originally intended and not in the way many other performers do.
Read more below about AutoTune and its various uses, how AutoTune is incorporated into Lizzo’s music and what Lizzo thinks about her own singing skills.
Auto-Tune or Vocal Trickery?
Auto-Tune software was introduced to the music business in 1997, instantly becoming a pivotal tool for record producers at major and indie labels alike. Its original function was to cover or correct pitch variations during a singer’s performance, but over the years it has expanded into creating unique and distorted sounds, and producing a distinctive style for the performer.
Over the past two decades, most major musical acts have used Auto-Tune in one capacity or another. The software hit the mainstream airwaves in a noticeable way with legendary icon Cher’s return to music with 1998’s “Believe,” with Pitchfork describing the audio software, writing, “Right from the start, it always felt like a gimmick, something forever on the brink of falling from public favor.”
Auto-Tune defied the odds though, and is often employed by artists like T-Pain, who create an otherworldly sound that one would not be able to achieve without the software. Others, however, still use it for its original purpose.
Not every singer has perfect pitch and even those who do can have a bad day. Stress, sickness, fatigue and a wide variety of other factors can mess with someone’s ability to sing.
Masking those vocal imperfections while recording is the reason Auto-Tune was created, and it’s the main reason it is used on Lizzo’s records. Lizzo was not always a professional singer; originally she was a classically trained flautist who wanted to pursue working in a symphony.
Singing as a Secondary Skill
During an interview with Radio Milwaukee, Lizzo admitted that her singing skill does not come as naturally to her as it does to some of her contemporaries, saying, “I didn’t really think that I could sing very well. I think it took a lot of practice and a lot of work to get to the vocal level I am at now. But I always strive to be a better singer. It took a lot of throwing myself out there, seeing what comes back to me, and refining it.”
Lizzo knows she’s talented, but she also knows she isn’t perfect and that is ok. She embraces her flaws in every aspect of her life and is willing to work on them, especially when it comes to her music. She also isn’t afraid to experiment with Auto-Tune while sharing off the cuff melodies she creates on social media.
You can see a professional vocal coach analyze Lizzo’s singing technique in the YouTube video below.
Pros and Cons
The truth of the matter, however, is that Auto-Tune might make a good singer better, it’s not going to make a bad singer good. Everyone from music industry execs, music artists, reviewers, and fans all have subjective opinions about the use of Auto-Tune, but the truth is there are both pros and cons to the software.
Lizzo summed up her feelings about her talent perfectly during an interview with Billboard, saying, “I can do anything, you know? You want a polished, choreographed performance? I can give you that. You want a wild rock’n’roll show? I can give you that. You want to feel like you’re in church? I can give you that.” It’s clear that Lizzo is giving audiences exactly what they want, with or without Auto-Tune.