Is Austin Butler Really Singing in 'Elvis'?

Austin Butler as '70s Elvis.
Austin Butler as '70s Elvis. / Warner Bros. Pictures
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Director Baz Luhrmann's Elvis is now playing in theaters, and it's earned itself a 79-percent Rotten Tomatoes score and nabbed the top spot at the box office during its opening weekend. Austin Butler, who plays Elvis Presley in the stylish biopic, has earned plenty of praise for his performance—but is he really singing in the movie? Well, kind of.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Butler is the one singing in the early performances in the movie, but as the character ages and the Las Vegas years start, his voice is “blended” with that of the real Presley.

To be as authentic as possible, Butler studied how Elvis's voice changed over the years and would adapt his performance to match it. "I broke it into time periods because his voice changed quite a lot over the course of his life," the actor told Entertainment Weekly. "So then I could break it up and go, 'Okay, what am I filming today? I'm in '62—how does he sound here?'"

So which songs feature Butler’s voice? Here’s a quick list, first reported by Variety:

  • “I’ll Fly Away”
  • “That’s All Right”
  • “Baby, Let’s Play House”
  • “Blue Suede Shoes”
  • ” Heartbreak Hotel”
  • “Working on the Building”
  • “Hound Dog”
  • “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”
  • “Trouble”
  • “Crawfish”
  • “Here Comes Santa Claus”
  • “If I Can Dream”
  • “Suspicious Minds”
  • “Can’t Help Falling in Love”