Ion's blog

This wave of weak voices comes at a time when singers have fewer excuses than ever: with electronic pitch control, producers can make sure every note is perfect. And listeners are getting more astute: they know that what they’re hearing on the new album by, say, Britney Spears (a closeted bad singer, though she’s not fooling anyone) is something more — or less — than an unvarnished voice.

Maybe that’s why bad singing is so popular right now: the more listeners know about pitch correction, the more fascinated they may be to hear something that’s obviously uncorrected. At a time when it seems easier than ever to become a celebrity, bad singing can create a seductive illusion of intimacy. To hear a pop star flub a note is to believe, if only for a moment, that you or I could just as easily be onstage, doing no less and no more than our best.

Tomorrow, Fox is to begin broadcasting the third season of “American Idol,” and before too long we’ll have a new cast of would-be winners, turning too-familiar songs into vocal workouts. And maybe some enterprising producer will look at the contestants, look at the pop charts and see the marketing opportunity. Never mind the winners: maybe it’s time to sign up the losers.