Unpopular opinion: At the Grammy's 97, a pre-recorded track kicks in in the middle of the ABM note

[justinecoria]

Don't hate me. It's a genuine question.

Celine's ABM performance at the Grammy's has always sounded weird to me. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But there's something off about the big note. She tries to hit the note, and it's amazing, but the volume goes down because, well, it's a difficult note. And then something happens.

The notes stops and she hits it again in a fraction of a second, much more powerful, with a different tone, in a different vowel. To me it's always sounded great. And I guess the consensus is that she reached her limit in the note, and started it again.

But I believe this does not make much sense. The second part of the note is much better, more controlled, more powerful. She opens the vowel differently. To me, she just does not have time to switch. It is almost instantaneous and you cannot hear the strain her voice had a tenth of a second before.

There is also the camera, which is close during the first part of the note, then just goes away as it is often when singers lipsync. I can even see her move her head, make her playback moves at the end of the note from far away...

 

So what do you think? Was it the birth of future ABM performances where she will decide to pre-track the whole note instead? Or was it just Celine's super-capability to correct a note?

 

PS: I don't mean to make a war as I know some people are touchy when it comes to playback. But I would still like to know. It does not make the performance less impressive...

[CELINELUVER3163]

Hi! I've listened to it quite a few times, and I think she's singing live. When you approach a note like that as a singer, and you don't hit it quite right, you use the different techniques you learn to sustain it. She rearticulates the note with a glottal stop and a more open vowel. The magic of vocal technique! I'm a singer myself, and when I find a note difficult to reach and/or sustain, I've often gone back to this performance and used this technique. A burst of power. The Broadway singer Patti LuPone does it so often many people parody her for it.

 

Although, the Grammys could very well have used vocals from a dress rehearsal or something, but from what I hear she is singing live, stops the air for a second to rearticulate the note on a more sustainable vowel, thus producing a louder, more powerful note. Let me know what you think!

[jpatdeleon09]

Don't hate me. It's a genuine question.

Celine's ABM performance at the Grammy's has always sounded weird to me. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But there's something off about the big note. She tries to hit the note, and it's amazing, but the volume goes down because, well, it's a difficult note. And then something happens.

The notes stops and she hits it again in a fraction of a second, much more powerful, with a different tone, in a different vowel. To me it's always sounded great. And I guess the consensus is that she reached her limit in the note, and started it again.

But I believe this does not make much sense. The second part of the note is much better, more controlled, more powerful. She opens the vowel differently. To me, she just does not have time to switch. It is almost instantaneous and you cannot hear the strain her voice had a tenth of a second before.

There is also the camera, which is close during the first part of the note, then just goes away as it is often when singers lipsync. I can even see her move her head, make her playback moves at the end of the note from far away...

 

So what do you think? Was it the birth of future ABM performances where she will decide to pre-track the whole note instead? Or was it just Celine's super-capability to correct a note?

 

PS: I don't mean to make a war as I know some people are touchy when it comes to playback. But I would still like to know. It does not make the performance less impressive...

 

She always does that especially in 90’s. You can also hear her do it in the last note of The Power Of The Dream as well.

 

It’s like she’s slicing it in half without pausing. And I think the first big note where it sounded like raspy note. I think she’s doing it on purpose like she wanted to sound like what she did in the studio version until she stopped doing that and go for a cleaner note like

she did in Millennium concert.

 

About being touchy about the playbacks. It’s the mariah fans who are sensitive to that topic lol

Edited June 26, 2021 at 03:12 PM by jpatdeleon09

[LVCeline]

I've always thought her voice wasn't going to be able to sustain the note so she stopped it halfway through and resumed after breathing and really pushed it to make sure it was the same pitch. It doesn't look or sound at all like playback to me (we all know her playback mannerisms); that'd be a strange thing to start a lip sync halfway through a note!

[Céline RO]

It’s live, she’s just that skilled, an absolute master of her craft. The biggest misconception which really annoys me about this note is that she takes a breath in the middle of the note. She doesn’t. She simply cuts the air (and consequently the sound) for a split second and then it resumes but it’s still from the same initial breath, she just does it to allow herself to correct the note. Edited June 26, 2021 at 09:41 PM by Céline RO

[Xpresso]

It's live. Seriously, if she were to use playback, she wouldn't go for that big not sliced into two. She would have chosen the smooth and sustained note just like the recorded version.

[PuraVida]

It's live, everything about the sound of the performance as a whole sounded live.

 

I do like the idea of hitting the note the way they arranged it (you can tell they planned it because of how the music around her was going), but the execution wasn't her best. Although the second half of the note was so strong. I wish she had just hit that note her normal way, but then again I'm glad we have her doing something different for the historical record.

[Tyler1991]

This was also like a day or two after the brunei concert.

[Xpresso]

This was also like a day or two after the brunei concert.

And what does that mean in the context of the big note?

[Chantemoi]

And what does that mean in the context of the big note?

 

That she was jet lagged and her vocal chords were especially stressed after delivering a 100% live concert for the first time in several years.

[MTJ]

I think it's live, and I enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts. I don't know if I had ever seen this performance before - very moving. The ending was great, especially. I am sure Celine was mad at herself for not hitting the note perfectly, as she was surely trying to impress David Foster. She really pulled it off well.

[PuraVida]

This was also like a day or two after the brunei concert.

 

I never knew that! Good to know. Does anyone recall if she walked the red carpet and gave interviews as well before the performance? That wouldn't have helped her voice either.

[tal-sh2]

From all the millions of performances she did with a lipped note, this one is LIVE.

[jpatdeleon09]

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From all the millions of performances she did with a lipped note, this one is LIVE.

 

I don’t believe she already performed a million.

 

Let’s count all her performances since 80’s

 

After that count only the lipped songs. Let’s get busy lol

Edited June 28, 2021 at 09:49 AM by jpatdeleon09

[I Drove All Night!]

Slightly off topic... but I love Rene's reaction at the end of this performance. He's just beaming and you can see him looking around to see everyone's reaction.

[flutefreak]

Slightly off topic... but I love Rene's reaction at the end of this performance. He's just beaming and you can see him looking around to see everyone's reaction.

 

Always loved Rene's reaction too!

[nuts2you]

Is there Video of this, taking place

[couldawouldashoulda]

Yep - on YouTube

[PuraVida]

Always loved Rene's reaction too!

 

Rene was so supportive! Proud husband.

 

I wish we could see how other stars reacted, but the clip cuts off. Maybe the full 97 Grammys it out there uploaded somewhere.

[PuraVida]

For reference:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihVoHCDV8ik

[Xpresso]

Rene was so supportive! Proud husband.

 

Proud husband AND manager. Not sure which comes first.

[streep101]

I always thought it was because she was a tiny bit sharp. When the the band comes in at the second half of the note, it sounds like she goes slightly lower to be in tune.