#louis singing

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

I totally agree with you about Louis' delivery of the lyrics and melody. He evokes so much emotion and transports you to another place that you co-construct with him. He places you somewhere and you the listener interpret and transform it. Nicole Scherzinger said it in his audition - you clearly have a connection with music. He got all yeses for a reason and I think this was it.

Hi, how are you!

Louis’ nuance in his singing is a quality that’s very hard to capture in live concerts.

We go through a lot of tour videos, but it’s rare to get the same kind of emotional complexity we hear on his studio records. For example, I haven’t heard a clean recording of the beginning of Defenceless or Fearless on tour. This can happen with cover songs, too, especially the verses that start in a lower register (I wish we could get a live recording of Louis’ 505 cover).

A lot of fans were startled at how Louis sounded on the LIVE album this year, because he sounds like the Louis in the studio! The live recording microphone (expensive) can pick up the vocal subtleties that the venue amplifiers tend to muddy. The lyrics are crisp, enunciation sharp, adrenaline forward and intact.

Louis obviously has a lot of experience recording and singing, but to have this kind of control over the emotional impact of his voice is a trait of theater singing (rather than pop or rock). This is why I think Louis should try acting or theater! He’s full of drama. Like you say, his voice transports the listener inside the story of the song.

[breefarrow]

May sound like a hater for this but someone in DMs did agreed with me so maybe not. When we get Harry or Louis singing a song we will probably never get to hear them sing again I wish fans would be more quite so we can hear them singing the song more than the fans. Like I love that Harry sang HDTY and he sounded amazing but I hate how at times the fans are singing louder than him so I can barely hear him. Like sorry not sorry but fans shut tf up I want to hear Harry sing HDTY not you !!!

[hazzabeeforlou]

https://hazzabeeforlou.tumblr.com/post/618605585501454336/ive-had-many-private-conversations-about-louis

hii! I saw this post of yours and i wanted to know have you noticed some changes in his singing now and if you'd be interested in writing an updated version? :))

Hi babe sorry for the late response ive been sick :/ Um, I honestly haven’t listened to his tour a TON, and it’s hard to tell sometimes with the crowd and stuff. I’d say in general over the past year or so he’s gotten loser and more comfy in his skin and I think he’s really pulling out the stops performance wise. His backing band is great, as are the vocalists, and he’s still working with a voice coach. So he’s set up for success!

I think in discussing asks like this we inevitably compare him unfairly to Harold in terms of pitch and accuracy and exhaustion. I dont think you guys realize, in the solo pop world Harry is a freak of nature. Hate to bring Tay tay up, but does anyone remember that live Rockefeller tree lighting ceremony years back? Lord. You get Mariah Carey or Beyoncé to sing live, or Freddie, or Adam Lambert, but MOST pop stars, no fucking way. Many of them, first of all, are engineered and auto tuned in the MOMENT, so what you’re hearing through the sound system isn’t really what’s going on. Then of course you have the lip syncing controversies… you get what im saying. Pop singers are chronically undertrained and (often) not very good singers period. (Ehem, Madonna, who was overdubbed for her STARRING role in Evita). Anyways classical/opera/Broadway singers train for years. Adam lambert is so good because he was a professional and did musicals. He was in Wicked for fucks sake. Then you have the freaks of nature, to whom this whole singing thing just seems to come naturally. They sing mostly on pitch, they belt, they hit falsetto… and Harry is one of those. Maybe not in the same lane as Freddie but yeah. ALL THIS TO SAY, I dont expect Louis to be one of “those” singers so I don’t evaluate him like that. Louis is an artist and an indie one at that, and heaven knows pitch perfection is NOT necessary to create emotion or artistry or enjoyment. And he could auto tune but he DOESNT, he wants his music to be authentic and raw. That takes balls. So I’m not trying to be offensive, but now that he’s on a healthier path to singing free of tension and with more expression, I don’t really see the need to “evaluate” his singing prowess anymore, yk? It is what it is and I will love his voice forever.

[ackroyd19]

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[whymewhynot28]

Such a beautiful environment in this concert🥰

And he was so happy

[running-out-of-infinity]

8 DAYS TILL HALLOWEEN

DAY 4: Louis as rogue elf

[ssfoc]

Two of Us: livestream reaction post

Livestream HERE

I’m writing down things as I hear the livestream. Overall I loved it, a lot. I thought Louis’ voice was the best it has been since hiatus. It’s confident, well-rested, nicely supported, strong and clear, like the best of his studio recordings. It’s easily one of the best live Louis performances I’ve heard. 

• 0:45. It looks like the first chord in the right hand is F-G-C? Then C-E-G (tonic C maj) then C-D-G. You hear the leading inside voice descend F->E->D, a descending scale, which is a musical motif in this song. 

• 1:01: Just to hear the answerphone: a little vocal crack on “answer.” Stage presence tiny bit rigid and nervous. Voice sounds full and clear. 

• 1:08: But I’ll leave a message, so I’m no’ alone. The dropped consonant! My dear Louehhhh... Love this so far. 

• 1:20: You’ll never know how mouch I miss you. Damn, I love those Yorkshire vowels that come right to the front of the mouth. 

• 1:23: The day that they took ya. The slight reverb in the mic sounds really good, a bit of an echo effect. Probably sounds much louder live and amplified, but on video it makes the voice sound warmer and rounder. *Louis voice*: really good. 

• 1:27: But you once told me, don’t give up. Thus far the vocals have stayed around a few notes, but here Louis makes the first high leap to F4 (F above middle C). He lands solidly on pitch. Medium difficulty, like a single axel in ice skating. He should land it, and he does. Beautiful. He feels confident. You can hear the high synth strings and the piano open up in arpeggio. 

• 1:32: Piano plays an arpeggiated first inversion C major chord, Louis is singing a minor. This is what I meant by the major and minor modes being juxtaposed in the Two of Us analysis. It’s a strangely sad/happy sound and it works. 

• 1:37: And diamonds they don’t turn to dust. End of phrase slight pitch adjustment. This tells us that the performance is live and without backing tracks. I’m loving it, Louis. 

• 1:42: So I will keep you day and night. Three-part vocal harmony. One male voice above Louis, one below. I’m curious that there are no female voices. It’s a restrained song even though it’s emotional. These voices are like amplifications of Louis’ own inner voice. The top notes are soft. It’s no match for One Direction harmonizing, but it’s good-- rugged and masculine. Adults singing. 

• 1:45: I’ll be livin’, one life for the two of us. Louis takes a breath in between the phrases. You see how his lower abdomen is contracting: he’s supporting his voice with his diaphragm. Good habit. I love it. 

• 1:50: I will be the best of me. He is overarticulating a little bit. His mouth is wide open internally, to let the vowels resonate, and he’s really articulating the consonants. Very clear diction. Theater training. Old pro.

• 1:55: Even when I’m on my own. Fifth interval leap to G4. Double axel. He lands it like it’s nothing. Doesn’t even need a moment. Spiderman. 

And that drum set! It’s a leap of energy and sound... and lots and lots of words. “Even when I’m on my own/ I know I won’t be alone/ Tattooed on your heart/ (breath) Are the words to your favorite song.” That’s a big breath! I think he sang “your heart” by mistake, but it’s alright. “I know you’ll be looking down/ Swear I’m gonna make you proud/ I’ll be living/ One life for the two of us.” Lots of words, few places to breathe.

• 2:14: Heartbeat percussion. I can feel your blood run through me. Really nice text painting. 

• 2:17: You’re written in my DNA-ha. Little breath for emphasis of diction at the end.

• 2:23: I know you’ll be waitin’, I’ll see you again. I think it’s cool that he sings in his Yorkshire accent, because after all, he’s singing to Jay, who also spoke in the same accent. So it would sound intimate to her, the way they spoke at home, not some fancy international recording. 

• 2:28: But you once told me. Hands are free, he’s feeling more confident. 

• 2:50: Louis is not holding the mic, but his voice is even, meaning that he is steady. He feels confident. So far, the performance is smashing it. 9/10.

• 3:12: I promised you I’d do this. Bridge. Louis has to switch gears; instead of singing step-wise, descending notes like in the chorus, the melody in the bridge jumps up by third and fifth intervals. Sometimes for a quick switch like this, it’s hard to get the pitch just right (this was a problem in BTY live). For the most part, Louis does beautifully here. “All (3) of (5) this (5) is (3) all (2) for (2) you.” “This” is a fifth (5) interval and the highest note, and he’s flat the first time. But he hears it and corrects it, because “Swear to God I’m living” are the exact same notes and he’s completely on pitch. Good work. He has been working on relaxing into the pitch switches, supporting his voice through them, using good breathing, head and neck relaxation techniques, and it pays off. Good job, Helene. 

• 3:29: Here until the day I die. Lil pitch change.

• 3:49: Even when I’m on my own. Mic comes off the stand and he’s moving around. Relaxed. In control. Love this. He’s got this.  He sounds great. Feels brave and confident.

• 4:05. In between the Oh’s, Louis looks up to the sky. It’s intense. 

• 4:13: And we’ll end just like we started. Louis is keeping it emotional but still very clear, strong, even. His tone is beautiful. The little breaths and hitches at the end of the syllables are his specialty, a lilt into falsetto. They can sound sappy when other people do it, but he controls it. It’s barely there, a natural hitch. He’s good at it. Been doing it since 1D. 

• 4:20: “And no one else (no breath) I will hold you where my heart is.” Again, very Yorkshire, flat R’s, very much himself. 

• 4:22: One life for the two of us.  Louis sings and swings away. A great and humble performance. He knows it was good. He’s pretty happy! 

Overall, I think Louis was at his most relaxed and confident in this live performance compared to any other. I suppose there could have been several takes if necessary? His voice is amazing. He has a high, pure, focused tenor that cuts through a lot of lower frequency sounds, and it’s almost like a countertenor voice in its beauty and purity. It’s natural and gorgeous, vulnerable, open, brave, a rare instrument in male pop vocalists. He doesn’t sound like anyone else. The voice is unique and immediately recognizable.

[narrymybed]