Editing Cher (section)

== Artistry ==
=== Music and voice ===
Cher has explored diverse musical styles, including [[Rock music|rock]] ([[Folk rock|folk]], [[Punk rock|punk]], [[arena rock|arena]] and [[Pop rock|pop]] subgenres), [[Soul music|soul]], [[jazz]], [[Disco music|disco]], [[new wave music|new wave]], [[power ballad]]s, [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] and [[electronic dance music]],<ref name=rockhall3/>{{sfn|Tawa|2005|p=217}} aiming to "remain relevant and do work that strikes a chord".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Flick |first=Larry |date=October 31, 1998 |title=Cher Wants You to ''Believe'' in Pop |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IwoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12 |access-date=January 17, 2016}}</ref> Music historian [[Annie Zaleski]] wrote in Cher's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction essay that she sings "nearly every style of music" effortlessly.<ref name=rockhall3/> Cher's music often centers on [[Broken heart|heartbreak]], independence and [[women's empowerment]], making her a "brokenhearted symbol of a strong but decidedly single woman", according to ''[[Out (magazine)|Out]]''{{'}}s Judy Wieder.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Out (magazine)|Out]] |last=Wieder |first=Judy |title=Cher shares |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qWIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52 |date=May 2002 |access-date=March 7, 2016}}</ref> ''[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]]''{{'}}s Phill Marder credited Cher's musical success to her "nearly flawless" song selection, noting that while Sonny Bono contributed to early hits, most of her solo successes came from independent songwriters she chose.<ref name=Marder-2010>{{cite magazine |first=Phill |last=Marder |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/rock-hall-of-fame-would-be-a-lot-sunnier-with-cher |title=Rock Hall of Fame would be a lot sunnier with Cher |magazine=[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]] |date=November 15, 2010 |access-date=January 18, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211102306/http://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/rock-hall-of-fame-would-be-a-lot-sunnier-with-cher |archive-date=February 11, 2016}}</ref> Her 2000 album ''Not Commercial'', largely self-written, has a "1970s [[singer-songwriter]] feel" that highlights her [[storytelling]] skills, according to AllMusic's [[Promis (musician)|Jose F. Promis]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Promis |first=Jose F. |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/notcommercial-mw0000968870 |title=''Not.Com.mercial'' – Cher |access-date=January 18, 2016 |work=[[AllMusic]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201062105/http://www.allmusic.com/album/notcommercial-mw0000968870 |archive-date=February 1, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:CherO2201019-44 (48932502383) (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|alt=Cher sings on stage with one arm extended, wearing a black sheer bodysuit adorned with sparkling embellishments and dark curly hair cascading down.|Cher performing on the Here We Go Again Tour in 2019]]

[[Robert Hilburn]] of the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote, "There were a lot of great records by female singers in the early days of rock&nbsp;... None, however, reflected the authority and command that we associate with rock 'n' roll today as much as [Cher's] key early hits".<ref name=Hilburn-2002>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-aug-18-ca-hilburn18-story.html|first=Robert|last=Hilburn|author-link=Robert Hilburn|title=Written Off&nbsp;... Unfairly?|date=August 18, 2002|access-date=January 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203165909/http://articles.latimes.com/2002/aug/18/entertainment/ca-hilburn18|archive-date=February 3, 2016}}</ref> Some of Cher's early songs discuss subjects rarely addressed in American popular music such as divorce, prostitution, unplanned and underaged pregnancy, and racism.<ref name=Marder-2010/> According to AllMusic's Joe Viglione, the 1972 single "The Way of Love" is "either about a woman expressing her love for another woman or a woman saying au revoir to a gay male she loved".<ref name=wayoflove>{{cite web |last=Viglione |first=Joe |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/gypsys-tramps-thieves-mw0000309635 |title=''Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves'' – Cher |access-date=January 18, 2016 |work=[[AllMusic]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201025643/http://www.allmusic.com/album/gypsys-tramps-thieves-mw0000309635 |archive-date=February 1, 2016}}</ref> Her ability to carry both male and female ranges allowed her to sing solo in [[Androgyny|androgynous]] and gender-neutral songs.<ref name=wayoflove/>

Cher's [[contralto]] voice has been praised for its distinctiveness.<ref>{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Holden |title=Cabaret Review; On Life's Rough-and-Tumble, via Mama's Tender Heart |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 18, 1997 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/18/arts/cabaret-review-on-life-s-rough-and-tumble-via-mama-s-tender-heart.html |access-date=January 18, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165743/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/18/arts/cabaret-review-on-life-s-rough-and-tumble-via-mama-s-tender-heart.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref> Ann Powers of ''The New York Times'' described it as "a quintessential rock voice: impure, quirky [and] a fine vehicle for projecting personality."<ref>{{cite news|last=Powers|first=Ann|author-link=Ann Powers|title=Pop Review; Quirky but Real, the Beat Goes On|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 7, 1999|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/07/arts/pop-review-quirky-but-real-the-beat-goes-on.html |access-date=January 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120743/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/07/arts/pop-review-quirky-but-real-the-beat-goes-on.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> Zaleski called her [[timbre]] "recognizable, dusky and sultry, like exquisite black velvet", with a [[Vocal range|wide range]] and "warbling" [[vibrato]].<ref name=rockhall3/> AllMusic's Bruce Eder stated that her voice's "intensity and passion" are amplified by her acting skills, creating "an incredibly powerful experience for the listener".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/half-breed-mw0000615307 |title=''Half-Breed'' – Cher |first=Bruce |last=Eder |access-date=January 18, 2016 |work=[[AllMusic]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201062140/http://www.allmusic.com/album/half-breed-mw0000615307 |archive-date=February 1, 2016}}</ref> ''The Guardian''{{'}}s Laura Snapes called her voice "miraculous", capable of expressing "vulnerability, vengeance and pain" simultaneously.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/sep/28/cher-dancing-queen-review-ingenious-abba-dabbling |title=Cher: ''Dancing Queen'' review – ingenious Abba-dabbling |first=Laura |last=Snapes |date=September 28, 2018 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=September 28, 2018 |archive-date=March 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301204253/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/sep/28/cher-dancing-queen-review-ingenious-abba-dabbling |url-status=live}}</ref> Zaleski added that her vocal delivery feels like "a direct line to her soul",<ref name=rockhall3/> while author Paul Simpson observed that "she spits out the words&nbsp;... with such conviction you'd think she was delivering an eternal truth about the human condition".{{sfn|Simpson|2003|p=116}}

{{Listen
|filename=Believe - Cher.ogg
|title="Believe" (1998)
|description="[[Believe (Cher song)|Believe]]" pioneered the use of [[Auto-Tune]] to intentionally distort vocals—a technique later known as the "Cher effect".
|filename2=Believe - Cher (No Auto-Tune).ogg
|title2="Believe" without Auto-Tune
|description2=For comparison, Auto-Tune is not applied in this section.}}

Writing about Cher's musical output during the 1960s, Hilburn stated that "no one matched the pure, seductive wallop of Cher".<ref name=Hilburn-2002/> By contrast, her vocal performances during the 1970s were described by Eder as "dramatic, highly intense&nbsp;... [and] almost as much 'acted' as sung".<ref name=Eder/> First heard in the 1980 record ''Black Rose'',{{sfn|Bego|2001|p=142}} Cher employed sharper, more aggressive vocals on her hard rock-oriented albums, establishing her sexually confident image.<ref name=lovehurts-ew/> For the 1995 album ''It's a Man's World'', she restrained her vocals, singing in higher registers and without vibrato.<ref name=Bessman-1996/>

Cher's 1998 song "Believe" was the first commercial recording to use [[Auto-Tune]]—an [[audio processor]] for correcting [[off-key]] vocals—as a stylistic effect, creating a robotic, futuristic sound.<ref name=Sillitoe-1999>{{cite magazine |last1=Sillitoe |first1=Sue |last2=Bell |first2=Matt |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-cher-believe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241229092557/https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-cher-believe |url-status=live |archive-date=December 29, 2024 |title=Recording Cher's 'Believe' |magazine=[[Sound on Sound]] |date=February 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Flashback: Cher Brings the Future of Pop to ''Top of the Pops'' With 'Believe' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/cher-believe-top-of-pops-737084/ |last=Weingarten |first=Christopher R. |access-date=December 20, 2024 |date=October 15, 2018 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620060908/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/cher-believe-top-of-pops-737084/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Cher, who proposed the effect,<ref name=autotune-nytimes>{{cite news |title=Cher Resurrected, Again, by a Hit; The Long, Hard but Serendipitous Road to 'Believe' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/11/arts/cher-resurrected-again-by-a-hit-the-long-hard-but-serendipitous-road-to-believe.html |first=Neil |last=Strauss |author-link=Neil Strauss |date=March 11, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102162318/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/11/arts/cher-resurrected-again-by-a-hit-the-long-hard-but-serendipitous-road-to-believe.html |archive-date=November 2, 2016 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url-status=live}}</ref> faced resistance from her label but insisted it remain, saying, "You can change [the song] over my dead body".<ref name=autotune-nytimes/> Dubbed the "Cher effect",<ref name=Sillitoe-1999/> the technique was later described by ''Pitchfork''{{'}}s [[Simon Reynolds]] as having "revolutionized the sound of popular music" and as "the sound of the 21st century".<ref>{{cite web |title=How Auto-Tune Revolutionized the Sound of Popular Music |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/how-auto-tune-revolutionized-the-sound-of-popular-music/ |first=Simon |last=Reynolds |author-link=Simon Reynolds |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=September 17, 2018 |access-date=December 21, 2024 |archive-date=July 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726001852/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/how-auto-tune-revolutionized-the-sound-of-popular-music/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Cher used Auto-Tune extensively on ''Living Proof'' (2001) and later albums.<ref name=ew2018/>

=== Acting style and screen persona ===
{{Further|Cher filmography}}
[[File:Good Times 3.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Cher with a voluminous blonde bouffant hairstyle and winged eyeliner, wearing a gold sequined top while seated in a red booth.|Cher in ''[[Good Times (film)|Good Times]]'' (1967), her first leading film role]]

''[[Maclean's]]'' magazine's Barbara Wickens described Cher as "probably the most fascinating [[movie star]] of her generation", highlighting her "magnetic" screen presence and her ability to be both "boldly [[shock value|shocking]]" and "ultimately enigmatic".<ref name=Wickens-1989>{{cite magazine |title=The Cher Effect |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1989/3/6/the-cher-effect |date=March 6, 1989 |last=Wickens |first=Barbara |magazine=[[Maclean's]] |archive-date=June 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620073930/https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1989/3/6/the-cher-effect |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Film Comment'' wrote, "For Cher is a star. That is, she manages the movie star trick of being at once a character and at the same time never allowing you to forget: that's Cher."{{sfn|Berman|2001|pp=86–87}} ''[[New York Post]]'' critic [[David Edelstein]] attributed Cher's "top-ranking [[Charisma|star quality]]" to her capacity for projecting "honesty, rawness and emotionality", adding that she "wears her vulnerability on her sleeve".<ref name=Wickens-1989/> ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine's [[David Denby]] pointed to her distinctive appearance as a key factor in her appeal, describing her look as "odd, a bit oriental and snaky" and suggesting that it aligns with "the traditional definition of a Hollywood star—that you always want to see more".<ref name=Wickens-1989/>

Author Yvonne Tasker noted that Cher's film roles mirror her public image as a rebellious, sexually autonomous and [[self-made woman]].{{sfn|Tasker|2002|pp=191–192}} She often portrays women who help [[Social exclusion|marginalized]] male characters navigate mainstream society.{{sfn|Negra|2001|pp=170–177}} This perception was reinforced in ''[[The X-Files]]'' episode "[[The Post-Modern Prometheus]]" (1997), which follows a scientist's grotesque creature who idolizes Cher because of her role in ''Mask'' (1985), where her character cares for her disfigured son.<ref>{{cite video |people=[[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Carter, Chris]] |year=2005 |title=Audio Commentary for "The Post-Modern Prometheus" |medium=DVD |work=[[The X-Files (season 5)|The X-Files: The Complete Fifth Season]] |publisher=[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Deans |first=Meghan |title=Reopening ''The X-Files'': 'The Post-Modern Prometheus' |url=http://www.tor.com/2012/08/23/reopening-the-x-files-qthe-post-modern-prometheusq/ |website=[[Tor.com]] |access-date=January 17, 2016 |date=August 23, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328024925/http://www.tor.com/2012/08/23/reopening-the-x-files-qthe-post-modern-prometheusq/ |archive-date=March 28, 2016}}</ref> Film critic [[:de:Kathleen Rowe Karlyn|Kathleen Rowe]] wrote of ''Moonstruck'' (1987) that the depiction of Cher's character as "a '[[Women in positions of power|woman on top]]' [is] enhanced by the unruly star persona Cher brings to the part'".{{sfn|Tasker|2002|p=192}}

Cher was ranked first by ''Billboard'' on its list of "The 100 Best Acting Performances by Musicians in Movies" for her role in ''Moonstruck'', with the performance described as "the standard by which you mentally check all others".<ref>{{cite news|title=The 100 Best Acting Performances by Musicians in Movies|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/8477854/musician-movie-performances-top-100|date=October 4, 2018|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|archive-date=July 25, 2020|access-date=October 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725071006/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/8477854/musician-movie-performances-top-100|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was named the eighth-greatest [[romantic comedy]] of all time by the [[American Film Institute]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/10top10/category.aspx?cat=2 |title=AFI's 10 Top 10: The 10 Greatest Movies in 10 Categories |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=June 23, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222429/http://www.afi.com/10top10/category.aspx?cat=2 |archive-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref> ''People'' included Cher among its "100 Greatest Movie Stars of our Time"{{sfn|Laufenberg|2005|p=120}} and ''[[Biography (magazine)|Biography]]'' ranked her the third-favorite leading actress of all time, behind Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Audrey+Hepburn+Named+Favorite+All-Time+Oscar-Winning+Actress+by...-a075081004|title=Audrey Hepburn Named Favorite All-Time Oscar-Winning Actress by ''Biography'' Magazine Readers|agency=[[PR Newswire]]|date=May 29, 2001|archive-date=November 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110213336/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Audrey+Hepburn+Named+Favorite+All-Time+Oscar-Winning+Actress+by...-a075081004|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Music videos and performances ===
{{Further|Cher videography}}
[[File:Cher Dressed to Kill D2K (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|alt=Cher sits on a chandelier-like stage prop, wearing a black and nude vampire-themed outfit with a feathered headpiece. Bare-chested male dancers with fake horns pose around her.|Cher performing on the Dressed to Kill Tour in 2014]]

Cher's music videos and live performances have frequently reflected her public image, addressing themes such as [[Self-concept|self-construction]], [[Human female sexuality|female sexuality]] and the [[Perfectionism (psychology)|pursuit of perfection]].{{sfn|Tasker|2002|p=193}} Her concerts often include biographical montages and [[self-referential]] visuals. Author Diane Negra described them as multimedia retrospectives that merge different phases of her career into a cohesive stage narrative and frame performance as a form of autobiography.{{sfn|Negra|2001|p=175}} ''The New York Times'' observed that Cher's onstage appearances alongside projected images of her younger selves function to reaffirm and reclaim earlier identities,<ref name=Pareles2002/> while the ''Los Angeles Times'' described her shows as rooted in "her larger-than-life story [and] [[Personal mythology|mythology of self-reinvention]]".<ref name=powers2008>{{cite news |date=May 8, 2008 |title=Full of Vegas sparkle |first=Ann |last=Powers |author-link=Ann Powers |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-may-08-et-cher8-story.html |access-date=March 15, 2025 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625063437/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-may-08-et-cher8-story.html |archive-date=June 25, 2021}}</ref>

In her 1991 ''Cher... at the Mirage'' concert video, she subverted the typical staging of female pop performances by replacing female backup dancers with a [[Female impersonation|male dancer impersonating her]]. Dressed in a replica of her 1986 Academy Awards outfit, the impersonator initially appeared to be Cher. Cher then emerged in a different costume and began performing, while the impersonator interacted with oversized [[prop]]s symbolizing fame and media attention.{{sfn|Tasker|2002|p=193}} Negra interpreted this segment as Cher casting herself as the narrator of her own life story, using the impersonator to emphasize her status as a "[[Persona|fictionalized production]]" shaped by media and performance—a dynamic she described as offering audiences a "pleasurable plurality".{{sfn|Negra|2001|p=175}} Commenting on the scale of her shows, Tony Spilde of ''[[The Bismarck Tribune]]'' wrote that "[Cher's] lavish concerts have become bigger than the music they're meant to promote".<ref>{{cite news |first=Tony |last=Spilde |date=April 11, 2003 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |title=Waiting for Cher |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bismarck-tribune-waiting-for-cher/163895112/ |newspaper=[[The Bismarck Tribune]]}}</ref> James Sullivan of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' credited her with influencing the development of stadium-scale concerts, stating, "She's comfortable enough to see such imitation as flattery, not theft."<ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Sullivan |url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Cher-s-still-a-diva-to-believe-in-Farewell-Tour-2814925.php |title=Cher's still a diva to believe in / Farewell Tour takes Oakland crowd on glitzy, sentimental ride |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=August 5, 2002 |access-date=January 18, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131213145/http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Cher-s-still-a-diva-to-believe-in-Farewell-Tour-2814925.php |archive-date=January 31, 2016}}</ref>

Cher's 1980 video for "[[Hell on Wheels (song)|Hell on Wheels]]" employed cinematic techniques,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.questia.com/magazine/1P3-1308990661/filming-the-hell-on-wheels-spot|date=March 1980|title=Filming the 'Hell on Wheels' Spot|first=Roger|last=Flint|magazine=[[American Cinematographer]]|access-date=January 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216044526/https://www.questia.com/magazine/1P3-1308990661/filming-the-hell-on-wheels-spot|archive-date=February 16, 2016}}</ref> and film historian [[Lawrence J. Quirk]] described it as one of the earliest examples of a modern [[music video]].{{sfn|Quirk|1991|p=272}} The 1989 music video for "[[If I Could Turn Back Time]]" was the first to be banned by MTV,{{sfn|Tasker|2002|p=193}} due to controversy over Cher's performance aboard the battleship {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|6}}, where she straddled a cannon in a leather thong that revealed her tattooed buttocks,{{sfn|Semonche|2007|p=161}} accompanied by [[homoerotic]] imagery featuring [[sailor]]s.{{sfn|Horn|2017|p=198}}