Out of tune but fans still believe

Out of tune but fans still believe

She may not be hitting the high notes the way she used to.

But as far as most of her Singapore fans are concerned, Mariah Carey - to borrow the title of her hit - will always be their baby.

The American pop diva, known for her stunning five-octave vocal range, struggled to sing on-key during her concert in Tokyo last Saturday.

In the gig that kicked off her The Elusive Chanteuse Show tour, she sounded strained as she fought to reach the high notes in My All as well as Always Be My Baby. She also croaked through Hero.

Did microphone trouble during We Belong Together throw her off?

Or were marital problems with her comedian-host husband Nick Cannon a contributing factor?

CHANGED LYRICS

The five-time Grammy winner had, after all, changed the lyrics to Billie Holiday's hit Don't Explain.

Instead of singing "And I know you cheat/ Right or wrong, don't matter", she sang "I know you cheated, motherf*****".

Reportedly, things failed to improve for Carey, 44, when she performed in Seoul on Tuesday.

Website Netizen Buzz quoted comments from disappointed Korean fans who apparently called her show "the absolute worst", "a horrific concert" and a "disappointment".

It also quoted fans who claimed they walked out of the show.

But the bad reviews have not dampened the spirits of local fans, who are going to catch the chanteuse live when she returns to our shores on Oct 24 at the National Stadium.In fact, most appeared less than bothered by her pitchy performances.

Ms Shivani Sundralingam, who works in the media industry, said: "She's been doing this for decades, at some point her voice is going to give out.

The 39-year-old added: "Besides, I'm not a fan just because she can hit her high notes but because she is amazing as a whole and there is no one like her."

Fellow fan Asri Jasman, 25, agreed.

The fashion assistant, who bought a top tier-ticket, added: "Honestly, you know she has been lip-syncing during her live performances so her vocal standard now is not a surprise.

"I'm a little disappointed seeing the Tokyo video, but I'm still excited to see her in the flesh."

But Ms Laura Greally, 31, admitted that she would expect a refund for a lacklustre performance from Carey.

Ms Greally, who bought a $98 ticket, added that she was disappointed and embarrassed for the singer when she saw the fan videos.

"It's Mariah Carey. I don't expect an amateur performance, I expect it to be amazing. I'd still go but I'm not as excited as I was."

When asked if the incident has impacted ticket sales, concert promoter Unusual Entertainment declined to comment.

Carey's Singapore leg of the show is held in association with BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore, presented by SC Global.

The tour will also see Carey performing in Australia and New Zealand.


This article was first published on Oct 10, 2014.
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