Remember when MR Removed videos were a big thing? If you don’t, that’s okay, you didn’t miss out on much. And, if you don’t know what MR Removed videos are, they’re essentially videos that are supposed to give you an idea of what the singer(s) voice(s) truly sound like without backing vocals and other noise, however, that’s rarely ever the case.
Groups like BLACKPINK, for example, are popular victims of the MR Removed videos, and what you see (or hear, in this case) isn’t necessarily what you get, especially as it’s common knowledge that each member of the group is a strong vocalist.
For example, Jennie, who has her own solo has been heard singing live or acapella quite a bit as shown below.
Quite unfortunately, though, this MR Removed video led to quite a few people roasting her online.
‘you’re sittin’ on my feelings, i’m sitting on my throne’ Jennie maybe instead of sitting on your throne, you should practice. 🤔
—Netizen
Does Jennie really sound like that? And, even if she did, we have to ask ourselves why it matters. As we see in the video, Jennie is quite active during the performance. Being judged on the quality of your singing while performing is unrealistic because it’s a totally different ability from solely being a good vocalist.
The editors of the MR Removed videos tend to edit their content in such a way that they’re guaranteed views, stripping away actual vocals in addition to the backing tracks. As explained by kpopalypse, when you take audio fields into consideration, vocals are almost always the central point on a track, and as such, when filters are applied in an attempt to strip away other parts of the audio, however, because K-pop idols tend to sing over a backing track of their own voice, the audio ends up butchered.
Additionally, it’s not that these idols can’t sing well or aren’t good performers as the two things aren’t mutually exclusive. Singers with higher stamina and more experience practicing good vocal techniques may be better at live performances, however, there are variables that have to be considered, including their overall health, whether the artist completed a tour (which could contribute to vocal strain), or things we simply aren’t aware of.
MR removed gadgetry doesn’t actually do the job it’s supposed to. Having said all that, even if it did work, you’d still be an idiot to evaluate someone’s vocals that way, for one very obvious reason – why should the way you are not hearing the performance in a live setting take primacy over they way you are hearing the performance in a live setting?
—kpopalypse
To sum it up, MR Removed videos don’t matter and a performer’s vocal abilities and talent should never be judged based on these videos.
