Does Halsey Use Autotune?

Written by Jeff Campbell in Solo Artists,Alternative Indie,Pop Last Updated November 17, 2022

Halsey @ Grammy Museum 09/23/2019

Halsey has been around for quite some time now. Since her debut album in 2015, she has become known as one of the most dynamic singers of her generation. She’s not known for having the widest range, but does Halsey use autotune?

Here’s what I’ve discovered:

Halsey does use autotune both on her recordings and in her live performances. Initially, she did not use autotune live but began using it after extensive criticism of her natural voice in a concert.

Sometimes autotune is subtle, but it is much more extreme in other situations. Because of the type of music Halsey makes, it can be difficult for fans to judge if she uses autotune or not.

But how often does she use it, and what does she do in concerts? Let’s explore!

What kind of voice does Halsey have?

Halsey is a pop singer with a 2-octave range in the mezzo-soprano category. Her style of singing has been described as “indie”, but her songs range from electropop to a blend of R&B and pop.

She has often been compared to Lorde in terms of her vocal stylings.

She is also known as what is called a cursive singer. This is a term applied to people who mispronounce or slur words when they sing. This title has been applied to other singers like Amy Winehouse.

Halsey has also faced some criticism due to her style of singing. This is because she sings with a different accent than she speaks with, which some have referred to as a form of cultural appropriation.

Can Halsey sing?

Halsey can sing. She has a smooth and rich tone, although she is not known for hitting high notes. Essentially, she is a middle-of-the-road singer with an edge.

People like Halsey’s music partly because she has a unique voice. Much of the music of today blends together. However, Halsey is not known as a singer who pushes herself.

This means that while she will not go down in history as the greatest singer in the world, her voice is perfectly fine. Halsey also writes much of her own music, which means she has lyrics that work well with her tone.

Although Halsey can actually sing, she sometimes faces backlash over her live performances.

One of the biggest online criticisms came from the popular YouTube channel Nicki Swift. In 2018 the channel posted a video called “Pop Stars You Don’t Want to Hear Sing in Real Life”, and they featured Halsey.

This has led Halsey to oftentimes use the aid of technology to make live performances better.

Again, this does not mean she cannot sing. It simply means not every singer is a great live performer. While she is an example of this, Halsey has moments where she does decently well on stage.

Does Halsey sing with autotune live?

Having watched videos of Halsey’s live performances, she does use autotune live although she is definitely singing live and not lip-syncing.

The use of autotune in concerts or other live performances is not a new trend.

Singers have been doing it for quite some time now, and Halsey just happens to be a more recent example of it. There are many reasons why some singers use autotune for live shows.

Typically, autotune in live shows is simply used to correct pitch or to even add an effect.

However, many fans have noted that there is a noticeable difference in more recent concerts from the way Halsey used to sound live.

As previously mentioned, Halsey has been judged for her live performances in the past. Adding autotune to live shows helps maintain her reputation as a singer.

Now, with just about everyone attending concerts with their camera-ready devices, it has become even more important for singers to be perfect.

The use of autotune in live shows does not mean that Halsey can’t sing. It just means she wants to put on a great show for her fans. No singer is perfect, and they all have different needs.

Why is Halsey’s voice weird?

Halsey’s voice sounds weird because of her unique tone and her tendency to over-enunciate vowels and sing in a different accent from her speaking voice.

Halsey’s vocal technique is different. Some say she sings in cursive, although my teen daughters who listen to hear swear that’s not what she’s doing. But that does involve over-enunciating certain vowels and Halsey definitely does that.

However, there is more to what makes her voice different than that.

Part of the reason why people think her voice is weird is the differences in accent. When Halsey sings, she uses a different accent than when she speaks.

This is common for international acts like Adele or Sam Smith, but it has left some fans baffled.

This has caused some backlash because it has been seen as an attempt to seem “exotic” as a way to stand out. Some have even called it a form of cultural appropriation.

Overall, she is known for using the “indie girl voice”. Most music listeners agree that this title fits the way Halsey sings.

Do any singers not use autotune?

Many famous singers avoid autotune or use it very minimally, including P!nk, Bruno Mars, Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, and Beyoncé.

In the music industry today, not using autotune makes a singer an anomaly.

What started as a thing only a few did has now become an industry standard. In fact, many sound engineers add autotune without the artist asking for it.

One example of someone who does not use autotune is P!nk. She has noted that after recording her 2017 song, Barbies, she had to ask for autotune to be removed. In her opinion, the song was better without it.

Another example is Bruno Mars.

He is a tried and true performer who believes in old-fashioned ways of making music. Bruno was once even accused of lip-synching and decided to respond because of the hard work he puts into his craft.

There are other singers who don’t use autotune. They don’t seem to openly look down on the artists who use it, but they speak proudly about their decision.

Halsey | Real Voice (NO AUTOTUNE)

Conclusion

Halsey is an artist who sticks out from many of her contemporaries. She has a varied catalog and a very unique sound.

While Halsey is not known as the greatest singer, she can hold her own. Her voice makes her songs sound haunting, but she always has a way of making extremely relatable songs.

Not every singer has to be a Lady Gaga to be great, and this is where Halsey fits in.

Photo which requires attribution:

Halsey @ Grammy Museum 09/23/2019 by Justin Higuchi is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, edited, and had a text overlay added.

Top Related Posts