I have to say that I find these type of chats about people being authentic or not a little strange. Anyone who makes a habit of singing in public is a performer in my book, whether they get paid for it or not. If it is a song they have performed on many occasions they have a tendency to perform it the same way, including using the same mannerisms and facial expressions at the same point in the song. The more times it is performed the more difficult it is to avoid this happening.

I think that this affects the audience as well. How many times have people listened to a song that a has sad and terrible story to tell ? You go to a performance or put on a cd to listen to something that tells a terrible story. The song Strange Fruit is an example. What exactly is going on when people turned up to listen to Billie Holiday sing this song or if they listen to it now on cd ? That song is a fine example of what I said above. How does a performer keep it 'authentic' when they are singing and re-singing a song that has a truly terrible story to tell ?

I personally think that it is the song that matters. People perform their version and we the audience decide to like one version over another. I have my favourite singers like most of you, but the singers
that I do not like I do not consider to be fakes.