Does Naomi Aki really sing in I Want to Dance with Someone?

Naomi Akie takes on the difficult task of portraying the late, great Whitney Houston, but Naomi Akie sings in Whitney Houston: I want to dance with someone? Directed by Cassie Lemmons from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, the Whitney Houston biopic has all the genre trappings, but it’s Aki’s performance as the chart-topping singer that really sells the story. As with most music biopics, I want to dance with someone Tells the true story of an icon beloved by countless fans.

There is obviously a lot of pressure on the movie to get certain aspects right and this is especially true of the actor tasked with playing someone that most of the audience already knows so well. With this being Aki’s breakout performance, she has a lot to live up to in playing Whitney Houston and recreating her most famous singing performances. While some actors in biopics do their own singing, others lip-sync over the original recordings of the famous songs. But Naomi Aki did her own singing I want to dance with someone?

Naomi Aki doesn’t actually sing in I Want to Dance with Someone

Houston’s voice was used for her recorded songs

Naomi Aki has plenty of performance scenes that see the actress emulating Whitney Houston’s stage presence and energy, but Aki isn’t actually singing in I want to dance with someone – She is lip-syncing. The actress nails the late singer’s mannerisms and the obvious joy Houston exudes while performing, but it’s Whitney Houston’s vocals that are heard when Aki sings. It’s not like Aki doesn’t sing at all I want to dance with someone. She lends her vocal talents in scenes where Houston’s popular songs are not fully utilized.

Ackie sings an office scene with Stanley Tucci’s Clive Davis, as Whitney goes about choosing her next single. Aki also sings the first song I want to dance with someoneIn a scene where a young Whitney Houston is practicing her singing along with her mother. Akie’s six-month-long vocal training allowed her to perfect Houston’s style so that the actress could fully embody the role, singing along to playback of Houston’s biggest hits. All told, Aki told Yahoo UK that she doesn’t sing too much in the film and that “97.9% of it is Whitney.”

Why Whitney Houston’s vocals were used instead of Naomie Aki

Houston’s voice is distinctive

Whitney Houston has been dubbed “The Voice,” and it would be difficult for anyone to replicate—or even come close to—Houston’s impressive vocal range.. Record producer Clive Davis, who worked with Houston throughout her career, told USA Today that heDidn’t think her vocal genius could be captured.” To be sure, Houston’s vocal range is impressive, and the celebrated singer can go as low as an alto before shifting into soprano to hit the higher notes. Her pitch was perfect, and she effortlessly guided her voice over every note, making Each song her own.

Naomi Aki spent eight months preparing for her role after the role as Whitney Houston I want to dance with someoneHowever, regardless of Aki’s own vocal talents, it is unlikely that she (or anyone else, for that matter) could match Houston’s own singing abilities. Hearing Houston’s voice during the performance scenes in the biopic is a reminder of what a beautiful, powerful voice she has.

Ackie’s physical performance only adds to the experience. Although it won’t be the last time a music biopic uses the vocal talents of its subject, Whitney Houston: I want to dance with someone Ensures the audience relives Houston’s most iconic performances in her own voice.

Where Naomi Aki’s performance stacks up next to other biopics

Other biopics have included actors singing

When it comes to Naomi Akie’s singing I want to dance with someoneIt’s interesting to see how it compares to other music biopics. There have been actors doing their own singing while playing famous musicians with one of the most recent notable examples being Austin Butler in Elvis. The actor gained widespread acclaim for his accurate take on the so-called King of Rock. so too, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon received awards and accolades for their performances as Johnny Cash and June Carter cast in walk the line In which they also performed their own song.

One of Chadwick Boseman’s most underrated roles was in Come up where he played James Brown and Boseman took a similar approach to Aki in partially singing, while also using recordings of Brown’s own performances. on the other hand, Rami Malek won an Oscar for playing Freddie Mercury Bohemian Rhapsody Despite lip-syncing all the singing sequences. Certainly, although it is impressive that actors can do their own singing, it is not essential to capture the spirit of the musician as Naomi Aki’s proves with her performance in I want to dance with someone.

How was Naomi Akie’s performance received?

Naomi Aki’s performance was praised by critics

generally, I want to dance with someone Received mixed reviews. While some critics wished that some aspects of Houston’s life had been highlighted more, like her struggles with substance use, others praised the focus on her relationship with a woman before marriage Bobby Brown, something that those around her have often tried to hide from the Public. The film was criticized for being a by-the-numbers biopic, but the performances in the film, especially those of Stanley Tucci, Nafessa Williams and Naomi Ackie, were praised.

film threat is one of the outlets that disliked how much the movie glossed over Houston’s drug use in the movie, but they found no fault with Aki’s portrayal of her. They praised her effort to portray the pop sensation, calling the movie “You showAnd explain:

She makes Whitney face with a big F. The actor gives us fully the anger and the pain that was the price paid for the artist’s spine of iron. Her acting is triumph and tragedy, simultaneously firing on all pistons. While there is wonderful supporting work here, this is Aki’s show, and she earns it.

Time calls Aki’s performance as Houston”Girlishly sensitiveBut, for the outlet, it’s actually the scenes between Aki and Tuki as well as Houston and Davis that have a big spark:

The best scenes of the film – there are many of them – are the ones that take place in Davis’ office, where he puts in one demo cassette after another. The two listen together, but he says nothing before she does. Instead, he scans her face, wanting to know just what she’s thinking. She hears one song – it happens to be “How will I know?” – and just as bright; He gently countered that he wasn’t sure it had a hook. “I’ll give it a hook!” She says, and history proves that she did.

For any faults the audience may find in the story, there are none in the emotional performance given by Ackie in I want to dance with someone.