Did Naomi Ackie actually sing in I Wanna Dance With Someone?

I Wanna Dance with Somebody has many performances of Naomi Ackie's Whitney Houston. We analyzed whether Ackie actually sang in the film.

Warning: This post contains minor spoilers for Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

^ Naomi Ackie took on the difficult task of portraying the late, great Whitney Houston, but she really used her singing voice to perform Whitney Houston: Do I Wanna Dance With Someone? This Whitney Houston biopic, directed by Cassie Lemons from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, has all the hallmarks of the genre, but it's Ackie's performance as a chart-topping singer that really sells the story.

The actors have occasionally used their vocal talents in musical biopics. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon provide their vocals as Johnny Cash and June Carter, respectively, on Walk the Line , as did Austin Butler when he sang Elvis songs in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis. However, there are also plenty of actors lip-syncing in music biopics, allowing the voices of real-life musicians to take center stage while performing. Daniel Radcliffe recently did just that in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. I Wanna Dance with Somebody faced the challenge of bringing Whitney Houston's story to life, and Naomi Ackie stepped up -- at least when it came to her physical performance as Houston.

Naomi Ackie has a number of performance scenes where the actress is seen emulating Whitney Houston's stage presence and energy, but Ackie isn't really singing in I Wanna Dance with Somebody - she's just lip-syncing . The actress emphasized the late singer's demeanor and the joy Houston palpably exuded while performing, but whenever Ackie sang, Whitney Houston could be heard singing. That said, it's not that Ackie doesn't sing at all in I Wanna Dance with Somebody. She brings out her vocal talents in underutilized scenes of Houston hits.

Naomi Ackie Doesn’t Actually Sing In I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Ackie sings an office scene with Stanley Tucci's Clive Davis while Whitney picks out her next single. Ackie also sang the first song in I Wanna Dance with Somebody, a scene in which Whitney is practicing singing with her mother. Ackie's six-month vocal training allowed her to perfect Houston's style, allowing the actress to fully embody the role, singing along to playback of Houston's biggest hits. All in all, Ackie told Yahoo UK, she doesn't have much of a singing voice in the film, and "97.9% is Whitney."

Whitney Houston was dubbed "The Voice" and it would be hard for anyone to replicate — or even come close to -Houston's impressive vocal range. Record producer Clive Davis, who has worked with Houston throughout her career, told USA TODAY that he "didn't think anyone else could capture her vocal talent." To be sure, Houston's The vocal range is impressive, and the famous singer can play in the low-bass before switching to soprano for high notes. Her pitch is flawless and she directs her voice effortlessly to each note, making each song her own.

Why Whitney Houston’s Vocals Were Used Instead Of Naomi Ackie’s

Naomi Ackie spent eight months preparing for her role as Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance with Somebody, but, regardless of Ackie's own vocal talent, it is unlikely that she (or anyone else) would match Houston's own The singing ability is comparable. Hearing Houston's voice in the biopic's acting scene is a reminder of what a beautiful, powerful voice she possesses. Ackie's physical presence only adds to the experience. While this won't be the last time a music biopic employs its subject's vocal talents, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Someone ensures audiences will relive Houston's most iconic performances in her own voice.

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