Earlier this week, Norway’s Head of Delegation, Stig Karlsen, stunned some Eurovision fans by predicting the introduction of autotune at the contest. Callum Rowe explores having to accept Karlsen’s hypothesis. 

“I think it’s misunderstood and I think Eurovision will have to do it because the music industry will demand it.” That was the key quote from the Producer of Norway’s national selection, Melodi Grand Prix, when he was asked explicitly by The Euro Trip if he thought Eurovision would benefit from the introduction of autotune. Karlsen oversaw the introduction of autotune at MGP earlier this year, and this historic rule change and the novelty of it sent Norwegian media and Eurovision fans alike into a frenzy. But, like Karlsen said, it was misunderstood. 

Autotune, in the conventional and most-understood sense of the word, is a tool to correct the vocal performance of a singer in a music studio. Used live, it’s something completely different. As Karlsen said in his exclusive interview with The Euro Trip, the autotune used in MGP was “optimising the sound” and “making it sound like a professional product like every other television show in the world”. I don’t think MGP was worse as a television spectacle with artists using autotune, but nor do I remember hearing such a noticeable and appreciable difference to the quality of the audio. Karlsen, an expert in television and music production, however, did which fuelled his support and defence of the technology’s use in his show, and encouragement for it to be introduced at Eurovision. If he sees a benefit, I can see contemporaries of his warming to the idea of it in the future for want of not being left behind. 

Advancements in the technology over the next few years might be so great that autotune gives benefit to those of us with an ear not tuned as well as that of Karlsen’s. Melodi Grand Prix’s national contemporaries like Melodifestivalen in Sweden and Eesti Laul in Estonia may follow the lead of Norway before Eurovision picks it up. If the sound of these shows is so enhanced compared to Eurovision, that is when clamour will grow for the EBU to accept autotune. 

It takes courage to commit to a change and be a trailblazer, especially in the entertainment industry when anything new is often criticised for the sake of criticising by some fans. Human beings don’t typically like change. We prefer the comfort of the known rather than the unfamiliarity of the unknown, so it’s easy to be wary of losing the former. Many Eurovision fans are naturally protective of the contest they love so dearly, and changes are often met with negativity. Australia competing, 2016’s new split voting system, pre-recorded backing vocals and full televote in Semi-Finals are all recent changes and adaptations that were met with staunch criticism when they were announced because they were going against the grain of conventions of the contest. Recently they have become their own conventions and accepted parts of the show. Autotune could easily be added to Eurovision’s decades-long list of adaptations and enhancements. 

Executive Supervisor of the contest, Martin Österdahl, admitted earlier this year that he likes to “tweak 10% [of the show] every year”. Why? “To keep the show contemporary,” he said. A change isn’t made just for the sake of it. Österdahl has a long history in the television production industry – much like Karlsen – and understands what it takes to create shows. He knows what works and what doesn’t. 

There is no risk – or reason to believe there is a risk – of Eurovision becoming a show full of talentless pop stars with the vocal prowess of a walrus. This contest is massive and is taken seriously more often than not by all of the competing broadcasters. Artists who don’t have the ability to deliver a live performance don’t typically get the opportunity to perform on the biggest music stage in the world anymore. Even the likes of Conor O’Donohoe of Wild Youth – who mimed more than he sang on stage in Liverpool this year – would not have been saved had autotune been as freely available to him as pre-recorded backing vocals were. 

MGP in Norway is the only Eurovision national final to have gone public about its use of autotune. Sweden’s Melodifestivalen used pre-recorded backing vocals for years before Eurovision introduced them, and while that was in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also to allow broadcasters to “explore new creative ideas” and to ensure the contest “moved with the times”. Major changes to the show don’t just happen in a heartbeat, they are methodically and critically analysed beforehand to ensure they will add value to the creative growth of the contest. 

Even if Eurovision bosses decide to introduce autotune as part of their quest to adapt 10% of the show, I don’t see it happening for a long time yet.