These Are The Questions: Why Does T-Pain Use Autotune? And Does Singing Well REALLY Matter?

But do these answers really matter since T-Pain is richer than all of us anyway?

So a lot of people I follow on social media were sharing T-Pain's NPR "Tiny Desk Performance" a while ago (Yes! I'm late!! Again!!!). The reactions to his performance have mostly sounded like this: "Oh my gosh he's such a good singer, I hope he never uses autotune again!" I'm going to tell you why this kind of reaction is a problem.

If you read the accompanying blurb to the performance, T-Pain explains why he prefers to heavily autotune his voice: "'People felt like I was using it to sound good,' says T-Pain, in an interview that will air on All Things Considered. 'But I was just using it to sound different.'"

You heard it from the man, himself. He doesn't need autotune to correct whenever he goes off-pitch--the video clearly demonstrates his vocal chops. He uses autotune as a means to separate himself from other R&B singers in the game.

Imagine if T-Pain debuted as a straight-up R&B singer without any frills or gimmicks. He'd be competing with so many other R&B singers who sound just as good as (if not better than) him. It wouldn't be a competition of how good your song is, but how good of a singer you are--which really isn't how the pop music industry works.

It helps to be a good singer if you're a contestant on a reality tv singing competition, but think of how many winners of these shows actually go on to sell millions of albums. I can think of just two singing competition winners that were able to achieve both success and longevity: Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

They're some of the few singing competition winners that I remember winning awards, selling loads of albums, and getting frequent radioplay. You don't necessarily have to have been a fan of the show they were on to know about these singers because they became household names already. However, my theories for their success barely have anything to do with their singing abilities.

First up is, fittingly, the first winner of American Idol: Kelly Clarkson

One of her strengths is undoubtedly her personality. Remember her audition for American Idol? Of course she met the required standards of singing well so that she could go on to the next level, but what really won the judges (and America) over was her personality. She's approachable and seems like someone you'd probably want to be friends with.

Okay, but what does her personality have to do with her being a platinum-selling pop star? Well you have to remember that pop stars/idols aren't just entertaining us on stage, but off, as well. We love seeing celebrities who we can relate to, that's why the majority of Tumblr seems to love the heck out of Jennifer Lawrence.

I couldn't agree more, JLaw.

In addition to having a likeable personality, Kelly Clarkson retained the public's interest by constantly changing up her image. She first started out as America's sweetheart (or America's idol), then shifted to an Avril Lavigne-esque rebel, and now she's cemented her status as a formidable diva who doesn't necessarily have to rely on her image in order to sustain success.

The general public tends to get bored of pop stars when they stay the same for too long, so Kelly Clarkson (and/or her image consultant) were smart in this regard.

In Carrie Underwood's case, my theory for her post-Idol success also relates to image. My theory is that she was able to find a slot for herself in a niche market (country music) and eventually dominate it.

At the time of her win, the country music industry was desperate for a fresh new face that the younger crowd could relate to and Underwood was able to fit neatly into that slot (Taylor Swift hadn't come into the picture yet, of course). That, plus the help of catchy songs that were able to cross into the mainstream--particularly "Before He Cheats" and the churchgoer-friendly "Jesus Take The Wheel". I've got to admit, I'm not even that religious and I still unironically jam out to "Jesus Take The Wheel".

Before you call me a cynic, I want you to remember that I am a singer. If you read my post about my audition for The Voice, it would give you a bit of information on my background. But with the help of autotune and other audio mixing techniques, it's possible for anyone with a voice to be a "good singer" (at least in recordings--which is what actually sells as opposed to deciding who's the "best singer").

Just look at Hatsune Miku. She's not even human and she's a successful pop star!

I do believe in talent. I do believe that singing well is a viable skill. I just don't think it's the sole deciding factor on whether or not someone will make it in the music industry. If that were the case, then wouldn't opera music be the mainstream?

The Phantom might take issue with opera becoming mainstream, though...

Though it was a long time coming, I just felt like I needed to say this ever since I saw people sharing T-Pain's live performance with comments like that. Again, I hope you don't think I'm a cynic after reading this blog. Singing well can take you places! Just remember that it's not the only way to make it in the music industry.