It was the crack heard âround the world.
Until it wasnât.
During Sunday nightâs Super Bowlhalftime show, Alicia Keys suffered a voice malfunction as she began âIf I Ainât Got You.â The crack drew note on social media.
But through the wonders of modern editing, Keys smoothly starts the song on the version posted to the NFLâs YouTube page.
For those who want to hear for themselves, the moment deemed unfit for public consumption takes place at about 4 minutes into the video posted to YouTube. The original remains alive on Instagram.
Given that the halftime show was sponsored by Apple, itâs not clear who smoothed out the crack. When The Washington Post asked Apple, the NFL, and Keys for comment, it got no response.
Music professor Robert Komaniecki was one of the first to spot the editing.
âLast night Alicia Keysâs voice cracked (first video), and fascinatingly, the official NFL YouTube channel appears to be attempting to erase that little moment, having edited it out in their upload (second video),â he posted on X.
âPersonally this kinda grinds my gears because part of what makes live singing commendable is that mistakes may happen, and youâre vulnerable. I wonder if she or her team was consulted for this edit, my guess is probably not based on the fast turnaround, but who knows,â he added in a follow-up post.
Critics were blasted by Swizz Beatz, Keysâs husband.
âYâall talking about the wrong damn thing!!! Yâall donât see that amazing dress covering the entire stadium,â he posted on Instagram.
âTonightâs performance was nothing but amazing with 2 amazing Giants ! Congrats @usher and my love @aliciakeys that song is a classic,â he wrote. âWe donât do negative vibes on this side we make history.â
But when The Verge noted the edit, it offered a note about history and reality.
âA trivial, yet extremely noticeable change shows how easy it is to change the record of an event,â it wrote.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.