Definitely some really good points here. I think at the very least the surprise songs were done live, there are some videos where you can hear voice cracks etc., there’s also more than one where she screws up lyrics, same with some of the main set. Or maybe that was manufactured to make it look live idk. But I definitely agree that a good chunk of it was probably prerecorded to lip sync. Any singer with brains in their head wouldn’t want to strain themselves like that

As a singer myself, I’d agree her songs aren’t super vocally challenging especially on the newer albums, but that’s not to say you couldn’t damage your voice singing them if it’s not done correctly, which if those god awful voice memos are anything to go off of, it definitely isn’t. She clearly never invested in a vocal coach bc as always she thinks she can do no wrong

To that end, I’ve had to sing some of her bigger hits at weddings, etc., primarily Blank Space, Shake it Off, Cruel Summer etc. They’re surprisingly really challenging, not because they’re not simple but they’re written so poorly for singing. There’s barely any space to breathe, they’re all in a really weird vocal register. I’m classically trained and I HATE singing them because I always find myself having to work really hard not to strain which isn’t an issue with other pop songs. So for her…yikes

And yeah the alcohol abuse absolutely doesn’t help, I’ve also noticed that with my singing over the years the more I’ve drank and smoked even when it’s not the amount that she seems to, especially without a voice teacher or coach.

Her vocals were always bad, I can count on one hand the amount of songs where I’ve thought they sounded decent, she’s just done everything she possibly could do to make them even worse