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Awkward live mic feed of Katy Perry’s Grammys performance leaks

This should make you feel good about your boozy, off-key Friday night karaoke renditions of Sia's Chandelier.

Some online troublemaker (Taylor Swift?) has leaked the isolated live vocals from pop star Katy Perry's onstage performance at last week's Grammys, and the results are warbly to say the least.  

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Katy Perry's live mic fail

Audio from Katy Perry's live mic at her Grammy performance has been leaked and fans are critical.

The clip highlights Perry's vocals front-and-centre without the bells and whistles of a backing track, as she mangles notes and struggles to catch her breath.

It's the kind of performance Mariah Carey might've shut down mid-song.  

The pop star, long criticised for her lack of vocal range, took the stage at the Grammys with Bob Marley's grandson Skip for a rendition of her anticipated comeback single Chained to the Rhythm.

But the performance, coming mere minutes after Beyonce's scene-stealing extended ode to motherhood, was panned by viewers, both for its shaky delivery and vague political jabs, with the duo ending the song in front of a projection of the US constitution.

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Despite the awkward live debut, the single – co-written by Sia and Max Martin – has quickly become a top five hit on the ARIA charts, because no one listens to vocals on the radio anyway. It also set a record on Spotify for highest first-day streaming for a single by a female artist.

The clip's a stark contrast to a similar mic feed leaked from Lady Gaga's performance at the Super Bowl earlier this month, which showcased the singer's powerful vocals.

The clip, which saw Gaga kick off a medley of her biggest hits with a mashup of God Bless America and Woody Guthrie's This Land Is Your Land – which many read as a subtle protest of Donald Trump's divisive policies – quickly went viral, racking up over a million views and praise for the singer.

"Can she sing? You don't say. A singer should be able to sing," wrote one commenter.

Well, not necessarily, it seems.