Vocal

The year 2023 was a pivotal one in India’s journey towards becoming a global manufacturing powerhouse, with a concerted effort being made by the government to this end. With a new production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, the country witnessed a surge in investments and production across crucial sectors. Ahead of a key election year, the government promoted its schemes, including the Make in India initiative and the Indian Semiconductor Mission (ISM).Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill CoursesOffering…

Hi, this is Pranav Mukul in New Delhi. In early 2022, following the Russian ‘special operation’ in Ukraine, the West, led by the US, began imposing economic sanctions on its old Cold War adversary. And, with big tech companies playing a key role in raising these barriers, the narrative of a ‘splinternet’ started to gather steam.‘Splinternet’ refers to the balkanisation, or fragmentation, of the internet into smaller factions based on localised interests that could be either economic, religious, political, or even…

December 12, 20234min readBirds might sing in the morning because they need a vocal workoutBy Olivia FerrariA male zebra finch (Taeniopygia castanotis) Most professional singers agree that practice makes perfect. And now research published in Nature Communications shows that songbirds also rely on a daily vocal workout—if they want to impress potential mates. The new study is the first to show that birds’ vocal muscles require exercise to achieve peak performance, the authors say.The need for such a routine could help…

When the news broke that Billie Eilish would be involved in Barbie, no one could have predicted the chart-topper she and her brother, FINNEAS, came up with. The answer eventually came in the emotionally charged track “What Was I Made For?” which is about questioning your life’s purpose as a doll or a human, fitting in very well with the Barbie movie’s themes. It turns out, the formation of the track was no picnic as the Grammy winner explained the struggles of making this song and how it worked out as one of her “best…

When Canadian producer Jordan Young started playing around with AI voice-cloning technology — ultimately creating a fake Kanye West song that sounded, well, just like Kanye West — it immediately prompted him to think about the ethical implications of the technology. "As soon as I made it, I started to think ... if anybody can make music with anyone's voice, what does this mean for artists? What does this mean for music?" said Young, who has worked with Beyoncé, BTS and Dua Lipa.He and his company Hooky recently developed…

A couple of weeks after Lauryn Hill told a Los Angeles crowd that it was “lucky I make it on this … stage every night,” the singer will be taking a break from touring until next year due to vocal strain. She’ll perform at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center on Saturday but will reschedule the remaining eight concerts she’s booked for this year to 2024. Hill previously rescheduled the Philly gig, which was originally supposed to take place Oct. 23. “I fought through the last couple shows, pushing my voice, and…

Sam Smith offered their profuse apologies Wednesday for walking out on a Manchester, England, concert after noticing “something was really wrong” with their voice. And what turned out to be a vocal cord injury has since resulted in the cancellation of shows that had already been rescheduled in Birmingham, England, and Glasgow, Scotland.After their fourth song during Manchester’s Gloria the Tour stop, the “Unholy” and “Stay With Me” singer abruptly canceled the show mid-performance, much to the disappointment of fans —…

Sam Smith has said they are cancelling their concerts in Glasgow and Birmingham due to a “vocal cord injury”.The 31-year-old singer, who uses they/them pronouns and is non-binary, was forced to end their Manchester AO Arena show on Wednesday after the fourth song.The tour, which is in support of their fourth studio album, Gloria, was set to play Ovo Hydro in Glasgow on Thursday and Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on Saturday.The dates had been rescheduled in April by Smith due to illness.In an Instagram story to Smith’s…

Country superstar Morgan Wallen says he’s doing much better after abruptly canceling a series of concerts last month for vocal rest. The “Whiskey Glasses” and “Wasted on You” crooner returned to the stage Thursday, resuming his One Night at a Time world tour in Jacksonville, Fla., following a health update he shared with his 5.5 million Instagram followers. “What’s up, everybody? I just wanted to let you know I am in Jacksonville. We are going to play a show tonight — and all weekend,” the 29-year-old said in an…

Estimated lead-to-accompaniment-ratio, LAR, for songs in five genres from 1990-2020. Purple circles correspond to solo artists and green squares to bands. Credit: Kai Siedenburg A general rule of music production involves mixing various soundtracks so the lead singer's voice is in the foreground. But it is unclear how such track mixing—and closely related lyric intelligibility—has changed over the years.…