Does Dua Lipa Use Autotune?

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Dua Lipa is arguably one of the biggest pop music stars. She has given the nation its new breakup anthem and already won 3 Grammys. But her music is pretty polished, leading many to wonder, does Dua Lipa use autotune?

Here is what I found out:

Dua Lipa does use autotune on some of her recordings, but she never uses autotune in her live concerts. Some of her tracks, such as Levitating, Don’t Start Now, and New Rules, contain such small amounts of autotune to the degree that it goes unnoticed.

Other than these few songs, you will not find any traces of autotune being used in her singles or studio albums.

I know you would agree that the music industry isn’t untouched by the inventions of technology. There are always going to be instances where artists experiment with it to improve their sound.

Autotune was used by artists like Cher through the 90s and 2000s. In the 21st century, singers like Kanye West, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Halsey, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa, and many more use it.

It is the talent that determines your success. And so when someone like Dua Lipa uses autotune in some tracks, here is what fans believe.

“It’s a choice for Dua Lipa to use super heavy autotune when she uses it on some tracks, but she can sound great without it, and she has performed without it. So when autotune is there, it’s because of choice”.

In addition, industry experts reveal that achieving the desired sound in the final song is often a group decision, not an individual one taken at writing/productive sessions.

Let us find out some more insights into the presence of autotune in the industry.

Who uses autotune the most?

The musical artists that use the most autotune are:

But almost everyone who makes pop music uses autotune to varying degrees.

As far as entertainment is concerned, singers and production houses seem to use the software in songs to rectify errors. This eliminates the need for artists to give multiple retakes.

Moreover, the fans’ insatiable appetite for better music has tremendously increased the use of autotune to produce most of the music.

Here are other some names I am sure you must be familiar with when it comes to extensive use of autotune:

Another popular name that comes to my mind in the use of autotune is Halsey.

Check out my recent article to know how Halsey began using autotune after extensive criticism of her natural voice in a concert. I think the fear of criticism and losing reputation drives and compels some artists to use autotune.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Can Dua Lipa sing?

Dua Lipa can sing really well and has an impressive vocal range. She experiments with her vocal range, and one of her trademarks is lower notes that she can hold without needing to take a breath.

Some vocal coaches noted her live performances and revealed that she doesn’t hit high notes because her voice experiences some strain when she does.

But other than this, her voice is calm and relaxing to hear. And she is a pretty good singer.

But the true test of any artist’s singing ability is if they play live on NPR’s Tiny Desk series. Somewhat surprisingly, Dua Lipa did and sounds fantastic! And, as you’d expect, it’s totally live and raw with no autotune or lip-syncing.

Check it out on YouTubehttps://youtu.be/F4neLJQC1_E

I will say, however, that compared to other live videos of Dua Lipa on YouTube I’ve seen, it does seem like maybe she lip-syncs at least some of the time.

But her shows still seem to be a party and a lot of fun.

She can also use simple grooves to create danceable numbers. For example, Levitating, Don’t Start Now, Physical, Love Again are some of the most catchy songs I have heard from her albums that you can hardly resist dancing to.

There is no doubt that Dua Lipa can sing.

Is Dua Lipa’s voice deep?

Dua Lipa’s voice sounds deep when she hits lower registers with great control. Her low support range is D3/Eb3- Bb4/ B4-Eb5.

Dua Lipa has a unique sound. Her voice is husky and deep. She is a mezzo-soprano, from how she sounds to me.

In a YouTube Video, a vocal coach reacted to her performances at Radio 1’s Live Lounge. The vocal coach believes:

“Dua mostly hits the lower registers, hovering around G#3, dipping to solid Eb3, making her voice sound deeper”.

According to Diva Devotee, It wasn’t the most relaxed performance, but her larynx wasn’t being floored either. It gave way to mid belts around the G4-B4. At one point, she ascends to 5th Octave showing more timbre.

One fan commented:

“She is lyric-soprano but an underdeveloped one. She has a well-supported voice that drops as low as physically possible. This also means that the higher her notes go, the more tension it presents”.

Does Dua Lipa have perfect pitch?

Dua Lipa does not have perfect pitch, which is the ability to sing a note exactly on key without any accompaniment or reference note. But most singers do not have perfect pitch.

Although many believe that a perfect pitch is a quality inherited by birth, others believe that training can help develop one.

Here are some of the artists who have the gift known as perfect pitch:

  • Mariah Carey
  • Ella Fitzgerald
  • Brendon Urie
  • Charlie Puth

Often, singers face intense criticism when they lack perfect pitch. One such contemporary artist who has faced a lot of criticism due to imperfect pitch is Childish Gambino.

Read my recent article on why not having a pitch-perfect voice is not necessarily a mark of defining great singers for some artists.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

How many octaves does Dua Lipa have?

Dua Lipa’s vocal range is approximately 3 Octaves, from G#2-D5-A5. The average singer has a 2-octave range.

She can nicely lower the larynx and seems comfortable in accessing and staying in this area.

Dua Lipa uses electronic beats and is influenced by clubby pop deep soulful pulse very much akin to the 80s and the 90s.

She has a husky and powerful rock vocal which suits the type of music she creates. But her fans say that her lyrics often come out to be weak and submissive rather than empowering.

She compensates by vocally accentuating and elongating her lyrics.

On many occasions, she displays the quality to distort her sound for stylistic flair and also uses the technique to cover flaws in her voice.

Overall, Dua Lipa is a vocalist with great potential and picks themes of heartache, fighting for what you want, empowerment, and many others.

Another singer who adopts the same technique is Brendon Urie. 

In my recent article, I explored Urie’s vocal ability, including how wide a vocal range he has and whether he uses any vocal coaches to help him stay in vocal shape.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

(AUTOTUNE VS. NO AUTOTUNE) DUA LIPA - LEVITATING

Conclusion

Dua Lipa made her debut in the year 2017 with her eponymous album Dua Lipa. Over the years, she has grown into a singer with multi-range and shows no signs of stopping.

She has a reputation for giving some of the outstanding performances recognized, bringing many accolades in her pocket.

She sings live and in concerts and is known to embrace technology in both. She has used autotune in some of her tracks. While many say that overuse of her autotune makes her voice sound robotic, she has a subtle voice when heard raw.

But for me, I’ll just be hoping that she brings more music without much modification.


Photo which requires attribution:

Dua Lipa 02/12/2018 #23 by Justin Higuchi is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, edited, and had a text overlay added.

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