Britney Spears holds her award at the 2014 People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles
Part of the Mickey Mouse Club, Britney Spears suffered a mental break down that prompted rehab. REUTERS/Kevork Djansezian

Britney Spears’ raw vocals for her song “Alien” has been leaked online, and the reviews weren’t kind. Music producer William Orbit has defended the pop princess from the cruel comments that claimed the autotune-free version was off-key.

On Tuesday, the 32-year-old singer’s original vocals for “Alien” made its way on the Internet, and it was distinctively different from the polished final version, which has received generally favourable reviews from critics.

According to some online commenters, the “Alien” with Britney’s raw vocals is terrible and off-key. There are those who didn’t express surprise at the singer’s apparent “lack of talent,” claiming it’s been no secret that Britney has been lip-synching during her live shows.

There were loyal fans, though, who thought that the original vocal version was “not that bad.” They argued that the song, taken from her eighth studio album “Britney Jean,” wasn’t in the best range of Britney’s voice in the first place.

Orbit, who co-wrote and produced the song, addressed the issue of the leaked track on his Facebook page, saying the version was shot during a warm-up session.

Read his full explanation:

“Dearest Music Lovers, I have heard that Britney vocal link that everybody’s been discussing. It has been impossible not to as there have been many comments directing my attention to it. [I won’t re-posting it here]. 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 vocalisations 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.

“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.’

“I think that 99% of you reading this will totally understand.

“Whomever put this on the internet must have done so in a spirit of unkindness, but it can in no way detract from the fact that Britney is and always will be beyond Stelar! She is magnificent! And that’s that.”

“Alien” without autotune:

“Alien” album version: