luna

Luna Ki has decided to withdraw from Benidorm Fest as they’ll not be able to use ‘auto-tune’ in their performance.

RTVE broke the news this morning. The artist told the organisation the reason behind their withdrawal was the ban on using autotune live. 

In a further communication, Luna’s team stated that their decision comes after the EBU forbid the use of autotune.

“We’re sad about it because autotune is a musical tool used by artists like Cher since 1998 and that represents the sound and identity of a generation. Luna considers that their songs has been composed with that tool and that its sound is an indispensable part of the interpretation”.

In the communication, the team states: “Luna is a sensitive person who’s going through a delicate emotional moment, that’s why we ask for respect and kindness”. 

“Luna feels a responsibility with the audience of Benidorm Fest, the rest of participating artists and RTVE, that’s why they’ll give a detailed explanation of the decision. Luna Ki will give a press conference on Monday at 16.30 to explain further details.”

Whether Luna will perform as a guest act or not remains unknown. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s press conference.

An update from 2034

On Monday morning, Luna Ki uploaded a video in which they explained their feelings about the withdrawal. Luna states that both RTVE and the show producer Boomerang helped and backed them with their plans, and that it was EBU who did not allow them the use of “auto-tune”.

You can watch the whole video with English subtitles here.

Luna explains that autotune was part of their song. “Think, if someone had a song with an electric guitar and then they were forced to use an accoustic one, it would not sound the same”.

“Eurovision, as far as I know, it’s not a contest of vocal skills like The Voice, that’s why I entered. Still, I would like to use this time to send a message to the world and say that I would love to see a change in the future so we can see projects similar to mine” in this kind of contests.

RTVE will offer further explanations a press conference on Monday at 16.30 CET. However, the broadcaster has shown support from Luna, and have asked for respect towards them, as they’re going through a tough time.

Who is Luna Ki?

The futuristic vision that the artist holds has turned Luna Ki into a performer with a sound that leaves no one indifferent. “Voy a Morir” is an alternative rock piece inspired by the anime universe. The artist describes “Voy a Morir” as “the experience of a painful and dependent love relationship, in which life is meaningless without the loved one.”

This is one of the most daring entries for Benidorm Fest 2022. The artist has worked next to Allnightproducer, Vanity Vercetti and Digital Geass for this song.

“Voy a Morir” is a story of love and dependence taken to the extreme. Through the lyrics, Luna Ki shows the toxicity of their addiction to their lover: “When you’re not here, you can hear me crying, you can feel me shiver, I have to self-medicate”.

What do you think about Luna Ki’s decision? Do you agree with them? Should autotune be accepted at Eurovision? Let us know in the comment section below!

122 Comments
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Bunny2222
Bunny2222
1 year ago

Personally I lean towards auto tune being a perfectly fine addition in Eurovision and if it became acceptable I’d be fine with it. But also the EBU has never made it a secret that they don’t want auto tune. So what was the plan in the event of a win?

Alexander
Alexander
2 years ago

One’s gotta have some nerve to bring up Cher when talking about auto-tune. Cher never ever needed it to hit the notes.

Klamat
Klamat
2 years ago

Folks, I understand your disappointment with the singer, but this doesn’t give anyone the right to misgender them… NOTHING ever gives. It’s really sad to see that in the comments.
The article makes it pretty clear that Luna uses they/them pronouns and doing so is not hard, so please, be respectful!

Mary M.
Mary M.
2 years ago

It’s just a mess, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger each time Luna speaks. So many contradictions about the situation; firstly TVE “let” them participate (as stated in the released video, the issue was apparently EBU), last night on Twitter they stated that TVE did not let them participate and that they were not even invited as guests … I don’t understand, what I know is that doing this three days before the first semifinal is a problem for everyone involved in the festival ><

Tomi
Tomi
2 years ago

Gosh, the drama began even before the National Final !!!

ESC Stan
ESC Stan
2 years ago

“Its not a contest of vocal skills”? Really? Okay let’s just have the backing track for your song and instead of singing just have the lyrics appear on a screen. Let’s see if you qualify.

meri
meri
2 years ago
Reply to  ESC Stan

If Eurovision is not a contest of vocal skills, why are all the artists supposed to sing live without voice manipulation tools?

ESC Stan
ESC Stan
2 years ago
Reply to  meri

This

beccaboo1212
2 years ago

Good, because “Voy a morir” sounds like something for a rave club soundtrack. 🙂

Andrea
Andrea
2 years ago

Autotune does not make someone ‘a singer’. What’s next, having someone use Vocaloids in a song?

meri
meri
2 years ago
Reply to  Andrea

True!! Autotune can also be used to disguise poor singing!!

Andrea
Andrea
2 years ago
Reply to  meri

That’s what it’s mostly used for. It also means that a lot of singers who’ve had actual training have trouble finding their place because it’s just easier to sell an autotuned Barbie.

Seth
Seth
2 years ago

It’s pretty obvious that she’s a beyond mediocre singer at best. Autotuned pre-recorded vocals are currently allowed at Eurovision, her fear is that she probably can’t even hit 25% of the notes when the song is pretty simple to sing live.

Pretty mad since it was my favorite song from the competition.

meri
meri
2 years ago
Reply to  Seth

Oh yeah!! It’s like she is using autotune to cover up poor vocal skills!

Adrián
Adrián
2 years ago

I understand that some musicians consider autotune or other tools to distort the voice part of their art, that’s ok. But I also agree with ESC rules that ban such tools from the contest. I’d say that in this case, as many others where the voice distortion is so evident are fairly innocuous because you can clearly notice is not her real voice so it’s not like she or whoever is trying to fool you. Yet allowing it will open the door for more sutil use of such tools where the audience can’t tell if the singing is being digitally… Read more »

Im so fab
Im so fab
2 years ago

Didn’t she know autotune is forbidden in Eurovision? IQ of an umbrella… Also, she is copying Lady Gaga from The Fame era. You are not Mother Monster, sis, accept it.

Unfortunately, RTVE is showing us once again how chaotic and disorganized they are. No hope for Spain this year.

Last edited 2 years ago by Im so fab
Fast Food Music Lover
Fast Food Music Lover
2 years ago

She has one of my favourite entries, so this news is devastating for me. As a member of Big 5 I’m sure Spain can demand Eurovision to let her use autotune if she ends up winning Benidorm Festival. Sounds to me like the organiser just want to create some pre-festival drama.

Paca
Paca
2 years ago

Before she left Benidorm Fest she wrote on twitter “I’m gonna die” xD.

Europotato
Europotato
2 years ago

I’m not against auto tune live as it’s actually very difficult to use auto tune because you need to hit the note for it to smooth out. But when she spoke her lyrics instead of singing it at the launch show, I was sus on her vocal abilities. Raging because I do love this song.

Karl
Karl
2 years ago

She knew she was not going to qualify, so she wanted to save face.

Also, RTVE is to blame for:

1) Not knowing well enough the EBU rules and accepting a candidate song which breaks said rules.

2) Not making her sign a contract obliging her to perform whether the odds were in her favor or not.

What a mess.

ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago
Reply to  Karl

I read on Twitter that Marta Sango has been taking a similar attitude. It’s a mess, but I hope the delegation learns from these mistakes to improve its organization in the future.

Adrián
Adrián
2 years ago
Reply to  Karl

Of course the responsability lies on RTVE. I can’t really blame the artists for sticking to their art, regardless if I like it or not. But RTVE was in charge of making the selection and to make sure all of them had fair chances of going to ESC. Why did they choose her if they weren’t sure if she could make it to the contest?

LMN
LMN
2 years ago

I’m glad she is out. She just can’t sing. But it’s disrespectful to the other artists, her fans and tve to withdraw now. She could’ve been replaced if she would have withdraw some time ago.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
2 years ago

I think everything was a bit weird with her from the beginning and it was never on her plans to go (or at least try to) to ESC. I did not know her before but people who did always said she was very alternative and transgressive but that was not showing on her interviews. She sounded too bland. When asked about her staging she said it was gonna be minimalist and simple (that does not make song with a song like hers). I guess she said so because she had no staging on mind since she knew she was not… Read more »

AMAAN STORM
AMAAN STORM
2 years ago

I’m not usually phased by the use of autotune, but in this case it was so overused and unbearable to the ears (for me). It was just shrill and ran through the majority of the ‘song’.
Sad that she’s going through a hard time because I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but im not so bothered that the song is out of the running because it was awful in my opinion.

ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago
Reply to  AMAAN STORM

I agree, autotune can be a great tool if it’s used properly and for enhancing a melody, – like in Irama’s La Genesi del tuo Colore, but that wasn’t the case with Luna Ki. Her attitude was always pretty sus and I think she stepped out too late. Still, I think it was a sensible decision (due to breaking EBU’s rules), though.

siyu viyu
siyu viyu
2 years ago

I’m so tired of autotune discussions. Look, autotune is a valid tool for making music. There are two main functions of it: to cover vocal imperfections and to add a vocal effect via distortion. Irama and Madame last year used it in Sanremo for specific parts of the song, not for the whole song. Yet, if they weren’t allowed to perform with autotune, they would’ve sounded well because they CAN sing. Netta used the song and her backing vocalists to make an impression of vocal flexes, she didn’t use autotune. Jowst used pre recorded vocals for a segment of the… Read more »

Pablo Nava
Editor
2 years ago

It sucks as the song was pretty good, but girl, when the rules are clear about autotune, and knowing very well that the EBU would have you nixed the moment you’d request that if you were the representative, it’s like… what did you think was gonna happen?

This level of disruption may be ground of RTVE blacklisting them for good

Karl
Karl
2 years ago
Reply to  Pablo Nava

RTVE should have known the rules of the EBU before choosing her song as a candidate. They’re more at fault than Luna Ki, but she’s also to blame for not staying in the festival. RTVE should have made them all sign a contract obliging them to perform. Such amateurs they are.

Pablo Nava
Editor
2 years ago
Reply to  Karl

There’s been many heavily-distorted songs with plenty effects that have been performed at the standards they’ve said regardless. RTVE gave the opportunity for song styles, but the rules are clear on how to perform.

Javiera’s also a big user of effects and there she still is.

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago

I wasn’t expecting it would end in a withdraw, but it was clear to me she would pay for the excess in her track. She wasn’t doing it in just a segment of the song like Netta’s loop, JOWST’s recorded modified voice or Irama’s live voice modification in last year’s Sanremo, she was doing it all the time. If RTVE allowed her to use them, the jury would crush her. If she had to drop them, the fact she refused to sing a single bit of her song during a RTVEPlay’s promotional event made me suspicious that she wouldn’t be… Read more »

Leendert Jan
Leendert Jan
2 years ago

Regardless of what your opinion of the song is, I think it’s weird that this only comes up one week before the festival. Did they not discuss this at all at an earlier moment?

Dawid
Dawid
2 years ago

Vital question would be – is it using autotune for some artistic effect or simply because you can’t sing live (in other words, you can’t sing).

Eurovision fan
Eurovision fan
2 years ago
Reply to  Dawid

She obviously can’t sing.

roodi
roodi
2 years ago
Reply to  Eurovision fan

I heard her voice in a nightclub live in my opinion she sounded good

Lorena
Lorena
2 years ago

According to some Spanish twitters, she did not want to use autotune. She wanted to use melodyne, a programme that cannot be used live, but only in playback. So she wanted to go playback. I think that is not admisible in any music contest. Anyway, we will have more detailed information from her tomorrow at the press conference, I hope.

Moonstar
Moonstar
2 years ago

Exactly what I was thinking!

DonutLover
DonutLover
2 years ago

Wait so she had Eurovision in mind knowing she can’t sing live on some decent level… c’mon now that’s just ridiculous..

Last edited 2 years ago by DonutLover
Paca
Paca
2 years ago
Reply to  DonutLover

She didn’t care about eurovision. She said that she was there for promotion.

Roro31
Roro31
2 years ago

I’m afraid for Subwoolfer…. sad 🙁

Jake
Jake
2 years ago
Reply to  Roro31

The backing tracks in MGP are so loud that I’m sure it’ll drown whatever comes out of Subwoolfer’s fangs. This is the door Eurovision opened with backing tracks when you can have songs that are backing track throughout because you will never hear the main voice on its own ever.

esc_fl
esc_fl
2 years ago

I had ranked this song last and mostly it was because the autotune was too rough to listen to. I think if it was sung without it the lyrics would have been reflected better. I’d say Luna should be invited back as a guest act, since the song was considered by Benidorm as one of the 14 entries (though if the song wasn’t aligned with the rules I’m not sure why RTVE is disqualifying it now).

Serafina
Serafina
2 years ago

It’s not like she was gonna win anyways so whatever, but ever since the interview where everyone sang a small bit of their songs and she refused to I had a feeling she just can not sing this song without the fancy effects

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
2 years ago

so using a vocoder isn’t allowed, but using pre-recorded vocals so loud that they’ll cover your voice for the entire song like tix and efenti did is fine….. k

James
James
2 years ago

Tix had his brother provide live back-up vocals. The only exception, at least from hearing his performance, would be the “I’m a falling angel” line towards the end where it’s clearly prerecorded.

Aria
Aria
2 years ago

All I heard was bad out-of-tune karaoke when Tix performed. Nothing saves you if you can’t sing. Unless you make a deal with Azerbaijan.

James
James
2 years ago
Reply to  Aria

Karaoke tends to be without any vocals by design.

Serafina
Serafina
2 years ago

Tix and Efendi sang at Eurovision, not Benidorm Fest, 2 different competitions, 2 different set of rules.

Last edited 2 years ago by Serafina
Ria van de Velde
Ria van de Velde
2 years ago

I won ‘t miss her, I don ‘t like the song

roodi
roodi
2 years ago

ok boomer

Maria
Maria
2 years ago

Another case of a “signer” who can’t sing.
a shame.

Rich
Rich
2 years ago

Good. She can’t sing, and her song is crap.

Thanos
Thanos
2 years ago

Well I am all for using modern methods in music but it is a different situation if a specific tool can also be used to break a rule of a contest (in this case the rule that the lead singer should sing live and without a potential distortion that can make him sound better than he actually does). So unfortunately/fortunately, autotune can’t exist in Eurovision. People signing up for the contest should be aware so as not to include autotune in their ESC song or to include it, knowing that they can’t use it in the live performance.

Last edited 2 years ago by Thanos
Jake
Jake
2 years ago

Benidrama!!! Let’s be real here. The festival is in 3 days. It’s not like all of a sudden this just came to light. They must’ve been doing rehearsals and just realized that the voice, without the help of machines, was sounding like crap—and that would ruin their career and the life of the song outside the contest. They probably could’ve used that robotic voice as backing but still had to do live lead vocals on top. Also…do not use Cher’s name in vain. She can sing. And she’s not entering music festivals. If you want to lip sing or have… Read more »

Efraim
Efraim
2 years ago

I mean… I ranked Luna dead last in my top 14 back in the day, so it’s not like I’m going to mourn this loss.

But if it’s true that this is the reason and that it was clear in the rules from the beginning that there could be no auto-tune, whoever in the selection committee decided to let through a song that relied so much on auto-tune has, at the very least, some explaining to do.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
2 years ago
Reply to  Efraim

On the report presented it sait the EBU has FINALLY rejected the use of Autotune. Therefore it seems it was not a firm NO from the beginning.

Lex
Lex
2 years ago

And we already have journalists saying that the autotune reason is a lie, it seems she wanted to use melodyne, which is a completely different story.

Efraim
Efraim
2 years ago
Reply to  Lex

What’s the difference?
(Honest question, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard of Melodyne)

Lex
Lex
2 years ago
Reply to  Efraim

There are several differences, the most important one being: melodyne is designed to be used manually, no real time.
It seems the goal was simple: Luna Ki wanted to use her own audio technician during the performance and, with that, have a chance to use a pre recorded, edited audio file, no live vocals.
Right now this is just a “rumor”, but we already have people from Eurovision-Spain saying that the information is accurate…

Illi
Illi
2 years ago
Reply to  Efraim

In live shows, if you use autotune your voice would sound distorted but you have to had at least an average voice and know how to perform the song.

Melodyne corrects all the notes, so you can be an horrible singer but you would sound fine.

Last edited 2 years ago by Illi
Konstantinos
2 years ago
Reply to  Efraim

Amateur audio engineer over here! There’s really not that much of a difference between melodyne and autotune. The main difference is that they are products from different companies that both tune vocals to a specific key. Melodyne on the other hand is easier to control manually and therefore has a more natural, less “auto-tuny” and robotic result on vocals. But you can still manually control vocals on Autotune Pro so there isn’t much of a difference.

Efraim
Efraim
2 years ago
Reply to  Efraim

Thanks to all who replied!

dygh
dygh
2 years ago

Was the song and its performability even discussed beforehand? Did RTVE not explicitly mention this rule? I really wonder how long all parties have been preparing because this is avoidable pain for everyone who worked on this.

Ellie
Ellie
2 years ago

I can understand their point when it comes to artistic expression. This vocal style is clearly their bread and butter. But this is still a competition and much like expression is limited to a song 3 minutes in length, there are expected limitations in what can be allowed to facilitate judgment by juries and televoters. Live vocal performance is one of the most obvious points of comparison and it’s simply unfair for some performers to be harmed by an uneven vocal when others can use modifications that would hide any faults. How much of this was communicated to Luna Ki… Read more »

Nicolas
Nicolas
2 years ago

OK for autotune of course but why some pitch correctors, vocoders and others tools on voices seems to be allowed in Eurovison ? Listen to ESC 2004 and any other starting 2016 and you can hear something has changed and don’t say that magically singers have become better.
And what about any studio processing on the recorded voices that should be only raw recording and don’t seem to be rhe case last year.

Denis
Denis
2 years ago

Please dont make another Djokovic out of this. You knew the terms and rules of this. You knew they dont allow autotune, you still went ahead hoping for exception because it is so special. They didnt allow it and now you complain. You only have yourself to blame..

Kinga
Kinga
2 years ago
Reply to  Denis

Bravo!

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
2 years ago

It “represents the sound and identity of a generation.”
Yet, it really doesn’t.

Apollo
Apollo
2 years ago
Reply to  Briekimchi

Honestly, it kind of does. Autotuning, Vocoding or Vocal Synthesising is an instrument of it’s own. Just look at Imogen Heap for example, she revolutionised that robotic sound and it’s been replicated countless times in many different genres. As music and instruments evolve, the rules for Eurovision should too.

Ellie
Ellie
2 years ago
Reply to  Apollo

The difference with someone like Imogen Heap is we know she can sing. The effect on Hide and Seek is not meant to fool us as to her singing ability. Given recent events with Luna Ki, I think it is fair to wonder if they can sing at all. Eurovision is not just a song competition; the performances that don’t cut it live on stage get penalized. Would James Newman have received 0 points if votes were based on the studio version? Would Lesley Roy or Roxen have made the GF? It’s bad enough that over time we’ve lost the… Read more »

beccaboo1212
2 years ago
Reply to  Ellie

The reason symphony orchestras were dropped starting from 1999 was to save money regarding the overall production.

Ellie
Ellie
2 years ago
Reply to  beccaboo1212

I’m aware, but the reason for losing it isn’t really the point. It’s that the truly live components of Eurovision are being lost because they are not advocated for enough.

GojoSatoru
GojoSatoru
2 years ago

When you see people in the comments finding a way to justify autotune, you know they are desperate Luna Ki fans. Autotune should never be used, no matter what, no exceptions.

Colin
Colin
2 years ago

I am sorry for how things turned out, but it’s one of the cases in which I can understand both sides. RTVE has their rules in order to comply with EBU and Eurovision, and they have been stated beforehand. Luna Ki has their style, and this song is totally dependent on autotune. It wouldn’t be the same without it. It would’ve been cool if they came to a mutually beneficial agreement, but here it is. 🙁

Last edited 2 years ago by Colin
Kosey
Kosey
2 years ago
Reply to  Colin

Very diplomatic Colin, and I of course agree with you. The EBU have rules and of course these must be adhered to. But please, I do wish people would stop riding around on their high horse saying, “integrity of the performance”, “authenticity of the artist”, “talent of the performers”, blah, blah, blah, when in most cases the singers didn’t write the songs and the unimportant people in the background smile and pretend to play their instruments. It must be obvious to everyone by now that this contest is not about finding the most technically gifted singer? Personally, I would make… Read more »

Moonstar
Moonstar
2 years ago
Reply to  Kosey

No, this contest is not about finding the most technically gifted singer, but it isn’t an autotune contest either. It’s shameful and low that she wants to have an advantage over the other contestants. It’s not their fault that she can’t sing live and has a bad voice.

Paca
Paca
2 years ago

We can’t live without DRAMA.

See you on Rocio’s shows 😛

Last edited 2 years ago by Paca
Alo
Alo
2 years ago

OK that’s quite bizarre.
I mean everyone knows that in eurovision you can’t use autotune or some other instruments like looper.
But I get her team wantet to get some exposure for her.

Héctor
Héctor
2 years ago

Yeah, so my concerns definitely materialized. I mean, she could’ve still compete in BeFest and then reject the Eurovision ticket. As far as she was my 2nd she wasn’t going to win. This opens even more the SF cause she was a QF in my book.

AlexC
AlexC
2 years ago

I didn’t like this song at all and I said it on my first post. Distorted voices are common tool used for singers who can’t sing live and hide their vulnerability behind the altered sound. On this occasion it also sounds bad.

Eurovision fan
Eurovision fan
2 years ago

She was one of my favourites and I wondered how she would sound without autotune as I assumed she knew that she would have to sing it without autotune. Even if she sang it well the song would still not sound good live. Sorry Luna, but this is festival and autotune isn’t some respected thing in music. Vocals over show.

Extinguir
Extinguir
2 years ago

Benidorm is just taking lessons from Sanremo. There needs to be always a scandal to feed press & media outlets. Watch for Luna Ki be confirmed in it last minute, in case of a win the song will be changed

Last edited 2 years ago by Extinguir