□Ding Zhenqiu (Fudan University)
Recently, "Singer 2024" returned with a full live broadcast. The singers' real singing performance on the competition stage with all open microphones and no modifications aroused widespread heated discussion. While netizens applauded the live broadcast of Zhen Sing, they were also worried about the difficult performance of domestic entertainment singers. Behind popular Internet memes such as "50-year-old lady guarding the country" are hidden complaints from netizens about lip-syncing and editing in domestic entertainment, as well as regrets and warnings about the current situation of talented singers who are not working in the industry.
In the face of criticism from netizens, some people attribute the difficulty in performance of some domestic entertainment singers to racial differences in voice conditions, and emphasize that some netizens' love for "big European and American voices" is unfair. But in fact, this view can only be established when other variables are controlled - that is, when top singers of different races perform the same piece of music at their best and there are still significant overall differences. More importantly, even if the comparison factor of foreign singers is removed, the performance of domestic entertainment singers itself is difficult to convince the audience.
Therefore, exaggerating the racial differences in voice conditions not only undermines self-confidence, but also provides excuses for singers who are too lazy to improve their voices. We need to look directly at the current situation of poor performance of domestic entertainment singers and carefully analyze the reasons, so that we can uncover the key points and promote the progress of the domestic entertainment music market.
Putting aside the poor performance caused by the pressure of live broadcasting, one of the main reasons for the poor performance of domestic entertainment singers is that their basic skills are not solid enough. Natural voice conditions, such as range, timbre, and timbre quality, are critical, but not difficult to make up for. Without the high notes of Han Hong and Tan Jing, Tsai Qin and Xu Xiaofeng can still sing mezzo-sopranos; many timbres are not as ethereal as Faye Wong, and the timbre quality is not as stable as Na Ying , singers who don’t know whistles and dolphin sounds can also perform well. Through acquired hard work, singers can completely develop stable breath, precise pitch, scientific vocal position (throat cavity, pharyngeal cavity, oral cavity, nasal cavity, chest cavity, head cavity resonance), smooth voice conversion (true and false sounds, vocalization Basic skills such as position, volume, etc.) and clear articulation can still reach a certain standard even if they cannot be freely retracted and retracted.
On this basis, if the singer has a high singing quotient, that is, the ability to understand and interpret songs; good aesthetics, that is, a unique understanding of the style of music works; or strong stage expressiveness, that is, on stage The ability to relax and perform is a further plus. For example, Mok Wenwei and Hacken Lee, whose voices are not top-notch, rely on their superb singing skills to make every song fascinating and perform their own unique taste; for example, Coco Lee and Deng Ziqi, who have high singing skills, combine with their wonderful stage performance , even more immersive.
However, it is worth noting that bonus points, like superior voice conditions, must be based on solid and excellent basic skills in order to excel. The domestic entertainment singers on the "Singer 2024" stage actually do not lack bonus points. They are all mature singers who have a place in the domestic music market. However, some of them are out of tune, with dry and stiff voices. The tight singing style directly exposed the problem of weak basic skills, which made the audience who were far away in front of their mobile phones and computers couldn't help but sweat for them. No matter how many bonus points they had, they had no time to appreciate it.
It stands to reason that these domestic entertainment singers who have become famous in the music industry should be far superior to the public in terms of professional knowledge and skills. How can there be problems with basic skills? First, these singers are not all famous for their singing skills, but for their individual creation and performance styles. Therefore, it is normal for their singing skills to be inferior to others and have slight flaws. The second is lack of practice. "One minute on stage, ten years of hard work off stage." But now, in order to maintain commercial value, many domestic entertainment singers are pursuing diversified development, non-stop joining the crew, appearing in variety shows, and taking on commercial performances. The practice of singing skills requires daily practice, like sailing against the current. If you don’t make progress, you will fall back. Lack of practice will naturally lead to failure. Abandoned. More importantly, the popularity of pitch modification technology and the endless pursuit of fans provide the best excuse for the laziness of some domestic entertainment singers. They may not be exposed to the voice of criticism at all when they go on stage to applaud and come off stage to fix their music, and they may not realize that their basic skills have declined like water.The full live broadcast format and high-standard competitive level of
"Singer 2024" has torn off the fig leaf that some domestic entertainment singers have poor basic skills. This is both a test and an opportunity for competing singers. Instead of looking for excuses or sinking because of it, it is better to face the problem, let go of the fetters, use this as a boundary, and concentrate on training. In time, we will reshape the Chinese music scene to a new peak, allowing listeners and music fans to come out of the nostalgia of the golden age and enjoy the present!
