Why Do Singers Wear Earpieces When They Perform?

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Beyonce once yanked hers out midway through belting out a song at Obama’s inauguration – but why do singers wear earpieces? (Picture: Getty)

If you’ve been keeping up with Glastonbury 2022 – or if you’ve ever been to a gig – you might have noticed that singers are often fiddling with earplugs or an earpiece.

Beyonce famously pulled hers out mid-performance at the inauguration of President Obama and Lauryn Hill fiddled with hers as she suffered sound issues a few years ago.

Many are wondering what purpose the earpiece serves. Is it just to protect their hearing from the loud speakers? Is someone feeding the lyrics to their songs through them?

We’ve got the answer here.

Why do musicians wear earpieces?

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Earpieces serve different purposes depending on the musician, but essentially they help everyone hear what they’re doing properly.

Earpieces replaced wedges, which used to a series of wedge-shaped floor monitor loudspeakers.

They were placed on stage to face a performer and play the music back to them so they could hear themselves over the sound of the crowd.

Glastonbury Festival 2022 - Day Three
Sam Fender’s in-ear monitor would’ve helped him stay on key and on time with the band (Picture: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)

Though unverified, many sources cite that the Beatles were the first to introduce this idea because they could never hear themselves over the throngs of crowds during Beatlemania.

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With the advancement of technology, earpieces deliver a wide range of benefits for live singers and bands. These include:

  • Hearing individual mixes – everyone on stage needs to hear something different, and earpieces will be tuned into different mixes and sounds. For example, the singer will need to hear themselves more prominently to stay on key, whereas a drummer might need to focus on the beat more.
  • Reduced feedback – using a wedge could mean your own playback getting picked up by microphones, meaning the audience would be hearing a mangled mix
  • More mobility – an earpiece means singers and performers can move around more freely and still hear themselves
  • Hearing health –  In-ear tech can block out the sound of the amplified instruments and acoustic instruments like drums but still allow you to hear the mix at a lower level, protecting ears from excessive sound. 

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