Monday 24 June 2013

[Versus] Who Sang "Stay" (Live) Better: Demi Lovato Or Rihanna?


Demi Lovato is one of the new generation of Divas- along with Ariana Grande- whose vocal profile gets a heck of a lot of hits daily. Not only that, but I know there are a number of regular readers, or "Lovatics", who also enjoy the X-Factor USA judge's musical output and voice. This being so, I thought I'd play to the crowd and post her rendition of Rihanna's Stay, which was filmed at the B96 Pepsi Summer Smash in Chicago.

Needless to say, Demi has no problem handling the Mikky Ekko assisted duet. For the most part she refrains from going crazy with the pipes, sticking pretty faithfully to the song's melody. But let's get real, no one wants to hear a cover sang exactly as the original was- there's kinda no point- and Demi knows it, "Lovatomising" the song at its climax by taking it up an octave. Vocally impressive, but does it match or even best Rihanna's original?

Take a listen to Demi covering Stay below, and check out the original, too- as if you didn't know how that sounded already! Vote and comment with your thoughts on who did it best!

Source:TGJ


Cover:


Original (Live):



71 comments:

  1. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan25 June 2013 at 02:49

    "Have no idea how Rihanna did as I will not listen to that person"
    Opie I love you for that :)

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  2. LOL The closest I will go to hearing Rihanna is listening to Anouk cover part of a tune Rihanna " sang" .

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv-LSWqtfTk

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  3. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan25 June 2013 at 03:45

    Title of this post: "
    [Versus] Who Sang "Stay" (Live) Better: Demi Lovato Or Rihanna?"

    Are you really bringing Adam into this?

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  4. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan25 June 2013 at 03:55

    Man Down is one of the worse Rihanna songs in the entire universe... She managed to turn it around, but still my kind of music, though. Thank God it doesn't sound trashy as Rihanna. :)

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  5. ive always found her belts to be throaty and similar to kelly clarkson with less control and less power
    i sometimes dont like when she belts because sometimes she loses control and
    and here she tried to do the mariah thing where she would go from a full belt to a softer note but it didnt sound anywhere near like how mariah would do it.

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  6. usually i hate rihanna's voice but for this song, i think its meant to be a tender song that someone would sing when they are so weak and scared that the person they love might leave them
    i dont like demi's take on it - towards the end where shes belting the rest of the song, it kinda of seems like she loses control and it kinda ruins the mood of the song for me


    plus rihanna's voice on the song seems more tamed and i feel the emotion of the song come through more because shes not trying to go crazy to impress the crowd

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  7. really? come on guys
    i dislike riri too but honestly demi ruins the song - this song is supposed to be soft and tender
    i totally understand making it your own and changing it up a bit but the upper echelon belting at the end from demi was just unnecessary
    it ruined the tenderness of the song for me


    and demi has always been a poor mans version of the queen kelly clarkson IMHO


    now dont get me wrong - demi is a better singer than rihanna - (I mean most people are despite her recent improvements) but i like rihanna's tender interpretation more i just feel that the belting toward the end didnt fit the song


    just because someone can belt some notes does not make their version better

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  8. LOL I wouldn't know how bad it is compared to other Rihanna songs but I do know it fits well in between Anouk's own song Been Here before

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  9. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan25 June 2013 at 08:34

    Sigh, seems like I have to explain why after all. I don't know about others reason for liking Demi's one more, but I will explain to you why I will prefer Demi's.

    The way I interpreted Demi's way of singing it might be silly, but honestly I don't care. First, if you say soft and tender is the song's mood, Demi did start the song like that. She just changed up when it hit the bridge. It gave the song more of a climax feeling.

    The belting at the end, for me, it felt like she's repeated the chorus a few times, wanting her lover to stay; but it isn't until she realized she was the one that needed him desperately rather than vice-versa in the bridge, hence after that she got more desperate and hence the higher, more belted notes that fits the mood that sounded shouty.

    Also, maybe Demi was a little bit showy, but it's good to show off both sides. Probably should have toned it down a bit. I didn't entirely like Demi's one either, but if she would have done the same thing Rihanna did, I definitely would have still picked Demi.

    I'm sure Kelly could have done a better belted version of this than Demi, no doubt.

    No one said that just because she can belt some high notes she's better. You just simply made the assumption.

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  10. NO NO RICKY I LOVE THAT SONG
    :(

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  11. Don't lynch me guys!

    In my opinion, Rihanna did it better. There's just something about her whiny tone that really brings the emotion out in this song. Throughout the whole song, she was able to maintain a beautiful vulnerability- and I appreciated that. The fragility in her delivery really impressed me.

    If singing was just a science- if it was all about the vocals, the technique- then I would give the victory to Demi without a second thought. But it's not- singing is an art. Emotions are necessary- and in my opinion, the emotions in a song are more important than whatever gymnastics the singer wishes to indulge in.

    Rihanna really brought this for me. She was emotive.

    Demi, well, she tried her best. But listening to the belting at the end, it was really hard for me to hold on to whatever emotion she tried to build up. I just had the feeling she was singing to impress. And she did, but in doing so, she sacrificed expression.



    And while I doubt Rihanna set out to express, I do feel she was able to maintain some modicum of feeling throughout.


    As a side note, I noticed that Demi was a little pitchy, talked some of her notes, and some of her belts sounded screamed, and others yelled.

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  12. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan26 June 2013 at 02:39

    Are you serious?! But it really is one of her trashier songs, of course, in MY opinion. Ram pa pa pa ram ram pa pa pa ram I just shot a man down? WTH kind of lyrics is that!?

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  13. I guess that's impressive for artists these days, but, fuck, Mariah Carey in her prime could shit out one without a second thought. Hell, Mariah Carey NOW can still shit one out without a second thought.

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  14. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan28 June 2013 at 13:21

    I love Rihanna's too. But I only preferred Demi's one more. For you it sounded whiny and vulnerable, to me it sounded like she struggled to keep support. LOL.

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  15. Demi has been singing a lot lately with all her crazy schedules and not to mention that she has a lot of power that just goes crazy when she belts. Like Whitney she has that kind of power but unlike Whitney, she doesn't know how to control that power which is why she's pitchy. If you look at Whitney's younger live performances of "The Greatest Love of all," you will see that even "The Voice" was pitchy on that D5. Demi. although pitchy has something that most artist in this generation don't possess and that's POWER and I think that is why I like her voice and songs. Whitney and Demi two of the greatest or to be greatest singers I have ever listened to in my opinion. :D

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  16. I think you explained it well enough. I am a Lovatic and a sucker for belting (in a good way). Before anyone claims that Demi is over-rated, look at the other artist who don't have good voices and changed history by making rapping go from "WOW, rapping is like soul singing except you talk" to "WOW, rapping is like cussing except you do it really fast." Demi possess what most artists today lack, POWER and SHEER-WILL to belt the heck out of a song because most artists these day just advertise sexuality. I mean, expressing your feelings in a song is good but, doing it TOO much is just meh. Come on, give someone who sexually releases music and nothing else with full clothing and give someone who releases music that has a soulful and great meaning and the difference would be a factor in which even a mind cannot comprehend.


    PS:
    Kelly is on a whole different league then Demi but Demi's getting there. . . someday. :D

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  17. #TeamDemi 💖💗

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  18. I'd have to say they're equal. Demi really didn't do anything with the song.

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  19. I think it's great s/he mentioned Adam Lambert. People may not have known that he did a cover, I sure didn't. Since when do we have to stick EXACTLY with the topic on these discussions?

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  20. I think "Man Down" is one of Rihanna's best songs!

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  21. HAHAHA definitely not one of her trashier songs. Have you even heard the entire "Talk That Talk" album??? 10x trashier.

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  22. Yeah I feel like Demi is super overrated.

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  23. Adam's cover is great!

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  24. I agree, although I do like the belts on "La La Land" and "Got Dynamite."

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  25. Yeah, Unbroken is better to me too. Nothing stood out to me on Demi expect for "Heart Attack," it just seemed like all the songs were the same.

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  26. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan8 July 2013 at 07:18

    Coming from Rihanna... Oh dear...

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  27. They were not equal. Demi was entertaining.

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  28. Ummm they both were NOT entertaining in my opinion. I'm saying they sang it equally. Demi pretty much just sang it word for word like Rihanna.

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  29. There is another video of Demi doing "Stay" that is better. I saw the B96 version second, and the whole thing is just better in the other performance.



    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voSuQ1IWd7M


    The competition should be between this version, and Rhianna's grammy version.

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  30. odd phrase for you to use, it sounded like you wanted her to change up the lyrics

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  31. I refuse to give that rihanna a single moment of my time. But listening to this rendition I think Demi tries to imitate Kelly as much as Ariana Grande is trying to imitate Mariah Carey.
    Both fail because they aren't as good as the people they try to imitate. But also because trying to imitate some well known diva is a failure right there in itself.

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  32. Oh, yeah I get what you're saying, didn't mean for a lyric change haha.

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  33. Yes, I completely agree about the 'Heart Attack' point. ALL her performances have not been up to the mark. It's majorly because of her tonsils. She's been hahving problems with them - she very recently underwent surgery to remove them. Hopefully, she'll recover and sound much better. Otherwise, it's weird saying she's overpraised. She's hardly ever got the recognition she deserves - what with everyone accusing her of using autotune and all. You should listen to the Vh1 performance of 'My Love is Like A Star'. It's not VERY old - after the rehab thing. Also - Skyscraper on 'America's Got Talent'. Give Your Heart A Break (GYHAB) on THe z100 Jingle Ball. Basically any of her performances before Heart Attack. She's a really strong singer. I wouldn't like her if she actually wasn't a brilliant singer. Other performances: GYHAB Vevo Go Shows, Lightweight (on her tour), All Night Long (tour), Two Worlds Collide (Wembley) <- This is one of her most flawless performances though it's way back in 2009 or something.

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  34. gisellefuentes29 July 2013 at 18:55

    Anytime someone does anything slightly ethnic( ex: rihanna embracing her Caribbean roots) all of a sudden it's trashy or not up to par.....smdh.

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  35. LOL Nothing to do with "ethnic". Rihanna is just trashy whatever she does.
    And you just accused a Malaysian Chinese dude of racism. Now THAT asks for a shake of the head and an eye roll thrown in for good measure.

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  36. I'm vocally ignorant but could it be her tonsils? Apparently they've been swollen for the last couple months so she got them removed a week ago.

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  37. gisellefuentes30 July 2013 at 16:28

    First of all.....Opie is it....I didn't accuse anyone of anything. Racism was never mentioned...I mentioned the common fact...you can do the research yourself if you like....that when artist stray away from "bubblegum pop" to more worldly music it can have a negative backlash. This is usually in reference to Carribean and urban music being considered trashy and or ghetto.....I personally believe Rihanna can make pretty trashy music....this song however had a very significant social justice message which in my opinion makes it a lot better than the swill coming from most artist....also being a person of color doesn't exempt you from making prejudice remarks....

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  38. Oh the racism accusation is clearly implied with that line you posted.
    But even if I take your word for that not being your intention...you were still doing some accusing of something there.

    Didn't mean to imply his ethnicity prevents him from being able of having racist views. The reference to Rickie's ethnicity was meant to make you aware that you don't know the ethnicity of a poster you accused of being influenced in his response by her " going ethnic". For all you know..he could have been from the Caribean area himself.

    Rihanna is trashy because that is who she is as a person. makes no bloody mind whether she is making " ethnic", Urban, pop or whatever genre music.

    And yes, it's Opie. It says so quite clearly above my comments in bold lettering. No idea why you were unsure about that but hope it's clear now. :-)

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  39. gisellefuentes30 July 2013 at 17:47

    Well....I see where you are coming from about the remark....I actually am from the Carribean ( Virgin Islands ) and you hear this type of thing a lot about island music. My main beef was obviously this song is miles better than the crap she normally puts out as it actually has a message( cockiness, pour it up etc....). I felt like there was a leaning against the genre of music not necessarily the origin of the music...while i could have phrased it better, there was no racial connotation associated with my post......either way I don't go throwing around "willy-nilly" tantrums of what's racist......I call it out point blank....and sometimes people can't handle that......also he was definitely addressing the song.....why are you so bothered when i was talking to him?

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  40. Well explain to me why this Rihanna song recieved a much better reaction than "Man Down?"... I couldn't agree with you less. Rihanna's execution was poor with "Man Down" and it just wasn't a good song...very abrasive lyrically (And lets face it, abrasive lyrics and Rihanna don't go hand and hand considering she doesn't write her own music) and very Anti-Climactic...


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yks23eq-kUY

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  41. gisellefuentes30 July 2013 at 18:05

    What are you talking about? First of all if were talking commercial success.....this song has no relevance. It comes down to personal taste and for obvious reasons this song was not chosen as a single because it doesn't appeal to the market Rihanna caters to. Also, were talking about the pop audiences reaction to Rihanna's more island flavored music....it just doesn't sell as well.....so once again what are you talking about?

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  42. Commercial success is irrelevant to my point. I was talking lyrics, and song quality throughout my previous comment. I also addressed the negatives to Rihanna's "Man Down" with all of this being of course opinion based, rather than the reaction to Rihanna's other song. How you managed to get confused I do not know....lol

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  43. Well, not going to argue whether he meant to call the song trashy or Rihanna. I will leave it to Rickie to clear up that point if he so chooses.

    You are in a public forum, you are never talking to just the person whose comment you replied to.
    i was bothered, like I said, by what I thought was you accusing him of being guided by a prejudice against " ethnic" music when really, you obviously don't know him from Adam...so to speak.

    I get why you made the assumption now though.
    Willy Nilly is not the opposite of point blank btw. It means.... just like that, without proper cause.


    Guess we both were making incorrect assumptions. :-)

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  44. gisellefuentes30 July 2013 at 20:35

    Noted.... it's no big deal!! Sorry if it seemed like i was trying to paint someone as something they are not.

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  45. gisellefuentes30 July 2013 at 20:38

    I'm not confused i am just saying your post has no relevant contribution to what i said....I said that Rihanna's singles that are more Carribean flavored will not sell as well as her others...and also that Island music gets a connotation of being "trashy"....you preferring this song does not change the fact that it would not do well in the market...and also what you said actually supports my claim that there is a bias against her more urban singles.....I say this because you referenced a filler track because of how YOU feel about it....I was speaking in terms of the market and commercial success.... if the label felt it would be successful it would have been released by now.....this song has not been released or achieved anything...which is why I wanted to know what your point is.....

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  46. You have valid points, and it was definitely my mistake for not being clear, but still as I mentioned I wasn't talking about the commercial success period. I was talking about the reception of both songs to many people and the fact that many prefer "No Love Allowed" (Well those who've heard it mostly prefer it) without automatically thinking that "Man Down" is "Trashy".... As for Caribbean music being trashy, that brings up my initial point which you seemed to have misconceived, and which I posted my link in response. The song I posted was by no means "Trashy" and neither is "Man Down" (Though the song gives me mixed feelings).... I personally believe her urban pop sound is akin to actual trash rather than when she goes to the isles on a track. Ricky was rather clear in referring to Rihanna being a trashy individual, because Rihanna well... She is rather disdained. lol And if you are making your point just on that basis, you kind of stereotyped him and I hope you aren't.... So now do we have clear understanding? You mistook what he said for the most part.

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  47. I have my doubts about the lyrics of Man Down as well but that is why it's so clever by Anouk, imo, to put it in the middle of her own song. It makes one able to interpret the violence of Man Down as what the woman whose man is been chased by another woman is fantasizing, rather than as an account of something which really happened.

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  48. Anouk really did make a miracle happen with that song. lol

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  49. thedigblackbick31 July 2013 at 01:41

    Yeah, she got them removed a few days ago I believe. Hopefully that'll change evrything!

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  50. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan31 July 2013 at 01:56

    Yeah, like partying non-stop, being late to concert shows... Cursing non-stop on her social accounts... Not trashy at all for you it seems.
    You're damn right that head of yours is full of damnation. :)

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  51. gisellefuentes31 July 2013 at 06:13

    what?!.....next...... LOL
    now i know why your friend answered for you.....i'm not even gonna come up with a response for this mess

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  52. gisellefuentes31 July 2013 at 06:16

    well then you should understand where i'm coming from since you acknowledge what i was talking about earlier..... glad we could clear this up ;).....on the trashy note i speak from experience as someone who is from the Caribbean and while i see now the guy who made the comment was obviously talking about Rihanna herself....i still stand by my opinion on public views of islander music

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  53. Uhm Ricky, I think when she said " does something ethnic" she was speaking musically.

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  54. Well then at least adjust your statement to " American public view" . ;-)

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  55. Now Ricky, that does sound like you equal " ethnic" with " trashy behavior"?

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  56. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan31 July 2013 at 09:52

    I'm too far gone with being sick, I'll reply to this when I have a clearer head and without barfing up every half an hour or so.

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  57. I agree. I just think Rihanna ain't helping the cause. I mean here, people think that all Rihsnna's music is like a sway island vibe because of her accent, if that makes sense...lol I mean that is their ignorance but the albums excluding this latest one have been utter crap. plus, as long as the people of this region stay confused about what the Caribbean music is, she isn't doing y'all proper justice...lol it has always been a wish of mine that she would dedicate an album to the sounds of the Caribbean but I'm always accused for wishful thinking.

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  58. speaking from experience... I was a former fan back in the tweeny bopper days when she was first on Camp Rock up to her sophomore album. Her live performances were never that great, always extremely pitchy and a bit all over the place. Once the whole scandal came out, I felt quite deceived over the hypocrisy that pushed her career. I lost my taste completely when she started judging X Factor since she had no right to sit down on a panel without much knowledge, experience or prestige to tell other artists whether or not they should make it in music. I was offended by it since she really isn't the best at what she does nor did she show good judgment in that second season. I'm no butt-kisser and I'm aware of those performances. Rumor has it, the cocaine usage hasn't died down that much but is shielded from the press. That may be why she can't bring the goods live.

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  59. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan7 August 2013 at 17:55

    Okay now, with a clearer head. I actually meant "trashy like Rihanna" as in her attitude. Not the song itself. I didn't say trashy like Rihanna's songs. She's been really trashy lately (of course, now there's a rumor saying she's broken up with Chris Brown or something?

    You don't have to respond, you're the mess for not understanding me in the first place. =_=

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  60. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan7 August 2013 at 18:00

    I was sick at the time I could barely think with my head straight, thanks Opie! :)

    Why does that somehow sound sarcastic in my head?

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  61. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan7 August 2013 at 18:04

    I feel like I have to stress this out, THANKS! :p

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  62. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan7 August 2013 at 18:06

    I still don't get this post even with a clearer head, excuse me but... whaaaat? LOL.

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  63. She (Gisellefuentes) was talking about ethnic musically (and making the point that people equate ethnic music with certain types of behavior and then call the music trashy) and you responded with examples of Rihanna's behavior.
    Thus making it sound like the music and behavior are interchangeable.

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  64. Ricky Yong Chin Yuan8 August 2013 at 03:10

    Oh oh. No. LOL. Sorry, was with a terrible condition that time (wow, I sure am sucking all the last bit of excuse I get from that illness)

    Anyway, I guess it's been resolved now? :o

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  65. I never thought you meant it to come across as it did Ricky. Was just saying how it might come across to someone who doesn't know you at all. :-)

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  66. Wait, you say pitchy? What performances have you heard? :D Demi's always been great on pitch. Everybody has some performances where they go off, but it's not as if she can never hit the right notes. Over the place, I agree. Her vocals were a bit messy till, well, after rehab. Unbroken and DEMI show how much she's gained control of her voice. But pitchy? Did you see that 'Two Worlds Collide' live performance? Well, any of the ones I mentioned above?
    I really can't say about X Factor, because it's mostly for Simon Cowell to get ratings and TPR. They cut out a lot of parts and edit in only portions which they hope will cause enough controversy to bring in viewers.
    Where'd you hear that rumour? I doubt it. Haters make up any stories just to bring people down - anyone using the internet would know that. Well, Demi's gonna be performing on the TCAs - let's hope she performs well! Cheers :)

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  67. I haven't seen her TCA performance yet but I think it's strange that she's singing so soon (after her surgery). Most people wait at least a month if not more

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  68. I concur. I think that today's singers should just stay with their own materials and try not to imitate other Divas. Heck, I would even listen a mediocre singer with barely anything to work with if she or he doesn't try to imitate other Divas.

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  69. Rihanna does have a really special voice which can be mended into a powerful and resonant voice if she sings songs like this and not about getting high or other weird stuff. I think she should really experiment with her voice.

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  70. Apparently she did ANOTHER cover and this time she changed up the verses a bit http://instagram.com/p/dvjAo7xvsL/# i don't have the full link yet

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  71. demi overrated?? i know who's overrated is SELENA GOMEZ !

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