Reverse singing: how to sing backwards and flip it

Reverse singing comes in two flavours. The simple one: record a vocal and play it backwards to hear what it sounds like. The addictive one: learn to sing the backwards version out loud, so that when you reverse your attempt, it plays back as the real lyric. Both take seconds on your phone. Here is how.

What is reverse singing?

At its simplest, reverse singing is just a vocal played in reverse: melodies smear, words turn into strange shapes, and a clean take can sound haunting or hilarious. The reverse-singing challenge takes it further. You reverse a line, study the weird backwards sounds, then sing those sounds yourself. Flip your version and, if you nailed it, the original lyric comes back out.

How to reverse your singing

With Reverse Audio (on iOS and Android):

• 1. Record or import. Sing a line into the app, or bring in a clip you already have.
• 2. Reverse it. The vocal flips automatically. Tap play to hear it backwards and scrub the waveform.
• 3. Save or share. Keep the reversed take, A/B it against the original, or send it to a friend.

The reverse singing challenge

• Start tiny. One word or a two-word hook is far easier than a whole verse.
• Loop the reversed clip. The more you hear it, the easier it is to copy.
• Mimic the sounds, not the spelling. Backwards vocals rarely match real words.
• Slow down. Sing your imitation slowly and it lines up better on the flip.

It is basically the singing version of the reverse speech challenge, and a great way to lose an afternoon with friends.

Hunt for hidden vocals too

Once you can flip a vocal, try reversing famous tracks and listening for words. That is the world of backmasking, and there are plenty of songs with backwards messages to test, some put there on purpose, most just our ears playing tricks.