PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE OF ANY LIVE SINGING COMPETITION: Please listen to Pharrell Williams and Adam Levine and this one simple truth bomb they dropped during last night's episode of The Voice: You are TERRIBLE at clapping.
Anyone who's watched an episode of American Idol and seen tween girls awkwardly swaying to a tempo that is most definitely not the one being performed on stage knows that this rhythm issue is pervasive within the reality singing competition community. And anyone who's sat in an audience and watched as the brave artist on stage tried to overcome the rhythmically challenged clapping of the crowd knows that it's not a problem that will be easily solved.
During Pharrell's critique of one contestant's performance during Monday night's top nine episode of The Voice, the singer/megaproducer took a second to call out the audience's performance as well. "We have got to get some metronomes for our audience," he lamented.
"You guys are the worst clappers ever," fellow coach Adam added. "I mean, legendary how bad that is. That's the worst clapping ever."
Quipped Pharrell, "It's like catching mosquitoes!"
Listen, we're aware that this is also a reality TV producer problem, because they encourage the audience participation that leads to the off-tempo clapping. But with the help of more rhythmically inclined members of the audience, we can improve the working conditions for all reality TV performers.
People, there is no reason you cannot learn to clap in rhythm! Here's the first big tip: 2 and 4. That's when you clap. Clapping on 1 and 3 is a punishable offence. So let's all practice at home before we go to a live singing competition—it'll be better for the performers, for the professional musicians playing in the band, for the coaches tasked with critiquing said performances and for the good of the world.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)