Britney Spears’ raw vocals for her song “Alien” were leaked on Monday, and many were quick to criticize the singer on her off-key vocals.

"Alien" Producer Defends Spears

The track was rumored to have been the original vocals to the song without auto-tune, but “Alien” producer William Orbit said that the raw vocals that were leaked were just a warm-up.

“I’d like to affirm that ANY singer when first at the mic at the start of a long session can make a multitude of vocalizations in order to get warmed up. Warming up is essential if you’re a pro, as it is with a runner doing stretches, and it takes a while to do properly. I’ve heard all manner of sounds emitted during warmups. The point is that it is not supposed to be shared with millions of listeners,” Orbit wrote on Facebook, defending Spears.

Listen Here:

The raw vocals have since been removed from YouTube due to copyright, but you can listen to it, and the final album version, which opens Spears' latest studio album, Britney Jean, below.

Britney Spears – Alien NO AUTOTUNE by dioguinhoblog

The track is far from flattering for Spears, but, as Orbit pointed out in his statement, it is not the final take, nor was it ever meant to be presented as an auto-tuneless show of Spears’ vocal talents.

“A generous singer will put something down the mic to help the engineer get their systems warmed up and at the right level, maybe whilst having a cup of herb tea and checking through lyrics before the session really kicks off. It’s not expected to be a ‘take,’” Orbit explained.

Spears has not commented on the leak, and while people have been quick to judge her voice sans auto-tune, it’s unlikely to affect how fans feel about her. Spears has never been known as an exceptional singer, but as a great performer.

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