After being critically panned for her Eurovision Performance in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, Madonna posted an edited version of the show online that erases her vocal imperfections.
And fans did not let it go unnoticed.
When Madonna took the stage at the Expo Tel Aviv in the early hours of Sunday morning, after a swirl of drama surrounding her performance, the reviews were not favorable. The Guardian said her vocals were “pitchy” and her new song “Future” was “lacklustre.”
Luke Baker of Reuters said she was “off-key and a poor performer,” and the Telegraph said the performance was “passionate, baffling, silly and, honestly, something of a mood killer.”
During the live BBC broadcast, commentator Graham Norton noted that the singer received a “slightly muted response” from the live audience.
And her performance was slammed even within the live broadcast itself, when the representative from the Netherlands, announcing that country’s jury points, saying: “I’m so thankful for tonight, and for Madonna’s auto-tune.”
An online version of Madonna’s Eurovision show was nowhere to be found for close to 24 hours after the competition finished. Even KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster and host of this year’s show, poked fun, posting a video of a Hebrew version of “Like a Prayer” by Elinor Aharon recorded 30 years ago: “We’re not allowed to upload Madonna, but we can upload ‘Like A Prayer,’” KAN wrote alongside the clip.
But finally, late on Sunday, Madonna posted a video of the 10-minute performance to her official YouTube channel. In the clip, the vocals are noticeably different from her live performance, and commenters did not hold back.
“It’s edited,” wrote one commenter. “Comparing the original performance at Eurovision in Tel Aviv. It’s completely not the same.” Another added: “What happened to the original vocals!??? I watched the livestream and her voice was REALLY different.”
One of the most upvoted comments on Monday afternoon read: “Sorry, but this is not what we heard on TV! It seemed to be processed. However they have done it. I love Madonna and respect her for all she had done. But her voice performance at the show was frightening. So this video is that, what we expected, not what we got in Tel Aviv.“
Even the UK tabloid Metro poked fun at the singer, writing on Twitter: “Madonna editing her #Eurovision vocals before uploading to Instagram is low-key iconic.”
One thing is clear: Madonna left a lasting impression on the Eurovision grand final.