This is one of New Zealand’s most-celebrated singers, but this sounds out of tune to me.
Just a couple of bars at the beginning of this video…
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I don’t think it sounds ‘bad’. Given the situation in the video it looks like they’re just jamming about and not recording for an album. Kind of informal, may have been just for the video scene.
I thought this was cool:
Everything Moana does is a form of storytelling — whether it’s in music, film, or writing. She likes to call herself an artivist, an activist who works through her art.
“It’s a word I first heard when Toby and I went to the Arctic and we met a bunch of Sami activists who used film and storytelling and writing and journalism to talk about the rights of their people and indigenous issues. I like that word. I think it works really well.”
She is out of tune in some spots but I’m not sure that’s a final product that we’re hearing. But…Auto-tune, Melodyne to the rescue! 
Thanks, that’s what I thought. Just wondered if I needed my ears calibrated.
I’ll leave them as they are…
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I’m certainly not an expert, but I hear her scooping. (A scoop is a vocal technique in which the vocalist sings a note just a little below the desired pitch right before sliding up to it.) She does end up at the right frequency IMHO?? When the harmony starts, someone is a bit off, but can’t tell who??
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I know this is an old thread but I just happened to be speaking with someone who loves scooping and we were talking about this technique in jazz band instrumentation. Reminded me of this thread…
Even though we are hearing an unfinished product, The singer in the OP is definitely scooping. Its something really hard to do in a pleasant manner.
Yes, and it does not sound pleasant in this case. What happened to singing straight notes?
Likely because it isnt a finished recording as previously mentioned. Sometimes recording live music from directional mics will occasionally sound out of tune. I blame the doppler effect!
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More likely because she isn’t singing well enough IMO. I’m guessing she’s developed this way of singing because it’s safe for her, and I’m also guessing that no producer has ever picked her up on it.
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Adrian, was just thinking I’ve been missing you…
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