Performing in Cold Weather Doesn't Just Affect Beyonce

By Molly Cochran, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

January 23,2013; 9:13PM,EST

Beyonce Knowles has been under the spotlight after reports that she lip-synced her performance on Inauguration Day. But there's a reason she might have lip-synced the national anthem. Cold weather can affect a singer's voice.
Chris Beatty, one of the founders of vocalcoach.com, says that cold weather is a major issue for singers and musicians.

"The main problem with colder weather for singers is dryness. Dryness in the vocal track is danger," he said.
If the vocal track is not well lubricated, your voice can crack. Some tips that Beatty gave for singers preparing to sing in colder weather are, "breathe in through your nose instead of your mouth in order to give your breath a chance to warm up to your body temperature. Singers should wear a scarf and hat and arrive early to acclimate to their current weather conditions."
Dave Defilippis, senior videographer for AccuWeather, is also a musician. He says that cold weather and the dryness that comes with the cooler temperatures contribute to how he tunes his guitar.
"Tuning is a huge problem as temperatures increase and decrease," he said.
Knowles performed around 12:30 p.m. The temperature at that time was a high of 40 degrees with a Real Feel of 35 degrees.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said the weather conditions for Inauguration Day on Monday had temperatures in the upper 30s into the mid-40s.
Maria Antonieta, a singer of Yas Cortes Duo along with Oscar Yas, Argentina, said that it is not uncommon for singers to lip synch when they are performing only one song, so that the audience can hear the song as it is intended to be heard.
"The lip synch is actually done out of respect for the audience, so that everything can be perfect," she said.
Hundreds of thousands of people watched the inaugural address live on Monday. The crowd really lucked out as Monday evenings temperature fell into the lower 20s with a Real Feel near zero degrees, according to Sosnowski.