Earpieces. Why?

[RosscoPCole]

What's with all singers you see on tv wearing earpieces? Just noticed that JLS had different coloured ones on. Apparently their colours from X Factor and according to SWMBO Westlife wear Irish flag coloured ones. Personally it looks very silly and off putting. Singers didn't used to need them so why do they now?

[Slinky]

Why earpieces or why colours?

And how are they off putting?

[pacman1]

It's so they don't forget the words.

[RosscoPCole]

They are off putting because on a head shot of the singer all you can see is a brightly colored plastic lump sticking out of their ears.

[StevieBee]

The sound you hear is called the "house mix". This is tweaked and balanced to produce the best sound for the audience.

However, performers need to hear themselves. Usually they put monitor speakers on stage facing them and the sound that comes out of these is the "monitor mix".

Instead of monitor speakers on the floor, the musicians have a custom earpiece fitted to their ear, usually it's wireless, attached to a receiver in their pocket or on their back, and the earpiece acts as the monitor.

The sound engineer does a separate mix for the musicians (sometimes different ones for the different musicians) to let them hear themselves and everyone else in the band.

Singers usually want to hear themselves very well, even if it's louder than the audience hears it. That way the musicians can hear a different balance of instruments, get what they need to play, and the sound engineer can adjust the audience mix in whatever way works.

[maniac0796]

Watch any big band live and they'll all have ear pieces.

Most of them are sound blocking aswell, especially for drummers. It's purely so they can hear themselves, and a mix of other musicians aswell.

[XG332]

Also so they sing to the played song not the transmitted song. If you get me.
Especially live due to the time delay.