Ginuwine addressed recent online criticism during a live show in Los Angeles by cutting the music and singing one of his biggest hits completely a cappella.
The moment happened during the R&B Lovers Tour, when the singer paused his set to respond to claims circulating on social media that he had been lip-syncing during a previous performance.
The backlash began after a video from the Florida Strawberry Festival went viral last week. In the clip, some viewers claimed the singer appeared to be lip-syncing during one of his songs, prompting a wave of online posts questioning his ability to sing live.
During his Los Angeles performance, Ginuwine decided to confront the criticism directly. Stopping the music, he spoke to the crowd about the viral conversation before demonstrating his vocals without any backing track.
"Y'all heard on the internet they said I couldn't sing? That I was lip-syncing?" he told the audience. "I hated that shit. So if I said…"
He then launched into the opening verse of his 1999 hit "So Anxious," delivering the performance entirely with his voice as the band and track remained silent.
The crowd responded loudly as the singer moved through the verse, proving he could still deliver the vocals that made him a standout R&B artist in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"So Anxious," originally released on Ginuwine's 1999 album 100% Ginuwine, remains one of his most recognizable songs and a staple of his live shows.
Clips of the Los Angeles moment quickly circulated online, with fans praising the singer for addressing the lip-syncing accusations head-on and letting his voice speak for itself.
Check out some reactions below.