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Whom Are The Most Overrated Widely Known Musicians/Singers Of All Time ? (11/30) (1 Viewer)

GordonGekko

Footballguy
VIDEO: LET'S ARGUE: The Most Overrated Singers of All Time Jun 25, 2020

Singers brought up in this video: Ed Sheeran, Freddie Mercury, Khalid, Kurt Cobain, Adam Levine, Elvis Presley, Mike Patton, Post Malone, Bob Dylan, Adele, Michael Jackson, Prince, Christina Aguilera, Billie Eilish, Lou Reed, and Mariah Carey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGeDQTWYBAo



Direct Headline: Popular Singers That Can’t Actually Sing At All

There’s all kinds of music that people listen to, and plenty of that music has people singing in it. But it seems as though a lot of the celebrities that become cultural icons for their music, can’t actually sing at all. So, here’s a list of singers that are actually lacking in the vocal department.

Fergie - Fergie isn’t untalented as a singer, but everyone will think back to her terrible rendition of the National Anthem at the NBA All-Star Game in 2018. A vocal coach noted that a false vibrato caused her to wobble out of pitch. In addition there was a lot of “nasality” and “tongue tension”.

Ke$ha - Ke$ha has used so much autotune in the past that people automatically assumed she was a bad singer. She also has a high-profile poor performance under her belt that further hurt image. She’s since proven that she has more talent than people expected, but her reputation is still stained.

T-Pain - This is the man that brought auto-tune to everyone’s attention with how he changed his voice. In the last few years, he has performed without his autotune, and actually has a pretty good stage presence. However, his natural singing voice is average at best. It’s understandable why he preferred to use autotune, although he likely still has room for improvement.

Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey was once a superb singer, with a five octave vocal range that people only dream that they could have. However, after 20 years in the music industry, someone’s voice is bound to deteriorate. It was Carey’s Christmas performance at Rockefeller Plaza in 2014 that made everyone realize her once great vocal talents were a thing of the past.

Hilary Duff - People love Hilary Duff. Who wasn’t a fan of “Lizzie McGuire” while it airing? Like a lot of Disney stars, people expected that she wouldn’t have any trouble transitioning to a musical career. Unfortunately, since her first cover of the Go-Go’s “Our Lips are Sealed”, it’s been shown she may not be meant for singing. She just can’t carry a tune.

Adam Levine - It was the front man of Maroon 5 that propelled them to superstardom. They gained so much traction, but after ten years, it’s become obvious that Levine’s voice does not change. He sounds identical in every song he sings. And if you listen to him live, he struggles to hit those higher notes that he often does on his tracks.

Ashlee Simpson - Ashlee Simpson just doesn’t have the talent for singing. It’s not something everyone has, but living in their older sister’s shadow (Jessica Simpson), probably didn’t help. She was completely exposed as a fraud too during an episode of Saturday Night Live when she was brought on as the musical guest. Her backup track played the wrong song and she ended up the only performer to ever walk off stage in an episode of SNL. This whole debacle is the reason why musical guests are required to perform their own vocals live.

Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson has sold countless albums, yet she still isn’t a skilled vocalist. It seems as though she’s just coasting off of her last name. Her songs may be catchy, but even when she performs live she needs a backup track to help her out.

Jennifer Lopez - Jennifer Lopez isn’t particularly gifted at anything when it comes to performing, and that especially includes singing. She must have some talent for writing music, but she’s credited as a co-writer most of the time. It seems as though she thinks she’s much better than she actually is. And then she even managed to get a job as a judge on American Idol. Maybe she’s only tone-deaf when it comes to herself.

Lana Del Rey - Lana Del Rey’s success comes more so from aggressive marketing than actual talent. She sounds better on her tracks, but you can say that about most singers. When forced to perform live, Lana Del Rey struggles to carry a tune.

Carly Rae Jepsen - Carly Rae Jepsen managed to catapult her way to stardom by singing the incredibly catchy (and almost annoying) “Call Me Maybe”. However, she has not been able to replicate this success since. Her singing voice is rather whiny, and this fact is especially exasperated when she’s performing live.

Madonna - Madonna just isn’t a good singer. Even since her debut singles, her voice has mostly been corrected in the post to make it sound better. She’s at least aware of her shortcomings and has taken vocal lessons to help better herself, but her peers aren’t particularly impressed by her.

Avril Lavigne - Avril Lavigne really just showed up at the right place at the right time. She had a unique, punk-pop gimmick no one was getting anywhere else. But over time, it became more apparent that she her shaky vocals and sing-shouting didn’t mean she was particularly gifted. She’s since improved, but she isn’t selling as many albums as she did in her heyday.

Selena Gomez - Selena Gomez is a fantastic actress, but that doesn’t translate well over to her musical talent. Her album sales are minuscule in comparison to other musical celebrities, so it’s a wonder why people show up to her live performances. It seems as though she’s like Britney Spears; her music career was driven to succeed by some crafty producers.

Rihanna - Rihanna, herself, has admitted that she’s never taken a vocal lesson in her life. Listening to her albums makes it clear that she uses a lot of autotune, and listening to her live performances makes it obvious why. She hasn’t been doing much in the way of music lately, but she has said that she’ll be releasing more of it in the future.

Katy Perry - So, Katy Perry isn’t a powerhouse singer. She’s not particularly better than a lot of the musicians out there. Her song are pretty catchy, yes, but plenty of people also find them annoying. So, what makes her so popular? It’s really hard to tell, especially considering that whenever she has to perform live her voice doesn’t sound good.

Taylor Swift - Pop sensation Taylor Swift may benefit more from autotune and other enhancements than one might think. In her live performances she often sings off-key, and doesn’t have a strategy to get herself back on-key. She just needs to develop her voice more.

Britney Spears - Nothing against Britney Spears, she’s had a rather tough life, but that doesn’t make her a good singer. Her singing voice and public persona were essentially crafted by her record label. She can’t even lip sync very well.

Jason Derulo - Jason Derulo managed to break into the music world using his voice. Now he just needs to learn how to take care of it. According to his fans, it’s been noticed that his singing has become rather breathy. He doesn’t display the same vocal talents anymore that got him into the business to begin with.

Pitbull - It might not really be that fair to put Pitbull on this list. He’s not a singer after all, he’s a rapper. Although, he’s attempted singing in the past before, even in some live performances.

Keyshia Cole - It always seems to be the live performances that give away a singer’s awful voice. Keyshia Cole doesn’t have any trouble hitting the lower notes in a song. But when she tries to bring it up an octave, things can get pretty dicy.

Nicki Minaj - Nicki Minaj actually has impressive skill and talent as a rapper. But if she tries to move into a different tone, things start to break down. Her rapping’s good, her singing, not so much.

Paris Hilton - Paris Hilton doesn’t have any real talent as a singer. She simply uses applications and studio money to make herself sound better. If her fans were forced to listen to her actual singing voice, they might not be her fans anymore.

Kanye West - Kanye West is another rapper, and he certainly has the talent for that. But one must not forget the time he did a cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. The feedback was overwhelmingly negative. He turned a classic piece of music into something dreadful.

Chris Brown - Considering Chris Brown’s past, it’s a lot easier to make fun of him than some of these other celebrities. The bad part is that he actually had some talent as a singer and performer. Although, this is offset pretty harshly by his sheer laziness when it came to his vocals. When he’s not lip-syncing, he’s singing off-pitch. And when he’s not doing either of those things, he just forgoes the lyrics and dances instead.


https://www.thedelite.com/popular-singers-that-cant-actually-sing-at-all
 
*********


"Being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing. It has much to do with your service to people. And your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well."

- Aretha Franklin


"Music is the greatest communication in the world. Even if people don't understand the language that you're singing in, they still know good music when they hear it."

- Lou Rawls





Here is another topic that is designed to increase discussion and participation in the FFA. It is apparent lots of people like to talk about music here, particularly music they love, so let's have a fireside chat about musicians they might not find as appealing.

I'd like to have an open honest discussion here about bands/singers/musicians who have had/or still have widespread mainstream popularity, fame, name recognition and "success", but you just don't seem to understand why it's even happening in the first place. You consider them "overrated"

I'm not a particularly huge music-phile, but I added the video and article above for some context, not that I absolute agree or disagree with those lists. I will say, on a personal note, I don't enjoy it when some classic songs are "covered" by other artists. If I really love the original, and it speaks to me on a visceral level, I'd like it to be left untouched. A good example for myself is Dolly Parton's Jolene. I don't care for how anyone else sings it or covers it. I am very fond of the original.




What is your personal definition for "overrated" in this context? Why? Whom do you find to be overrated? Why so? Did this person or band shift from something else first, then become overrated, or have they always been overrated? Why do you believe so many in the mainstream support these artists you find overrated? Do you have an informal checklist of behaviors/traits/circumstances you use to determine as likely to lead someone to overrated status? What would they be and why? Are there artists and/or bands you felt were finally exposed in public in general for their overratedness? Whom and what happened?


I'll leave this here for others to discuss. (11/30)
 
Obviously there are some singers who are more technically skilled than others but that doesn't always translate to connecting with an audience or having something to say. Not sure anyone jumps to mind as overrated singer.
 
Art as measured of itself versus art as measured by entertainment value.

Countless examples of singers, actors, writers, etc. whose popularity far exceeds the talent. And yet, for whatever reason, people love the movies by the guy who basically plays himself in every film, or the singer who needs autotune to survive, or the writer whose books aren't particularly well written.

We, as consumers of entertainment, are an odd bunch.
 
You cut your own premise down by your last comment. There are no overrated singers. You like the voices you like and don't like the voices you don't.


"Here is another topic that is designed to increase discussion and participation in the FFA."



Feel free to adjust the premise to whatever suits you to further engage and talk about bands/musicians/singers/performers at your own discretion then.

If you like, pick another term other than "overrated" if you wish. Or share thoughts on some of the artists listed in that article. Or branch out the discussion in another direction about music.

I have not, nor have I ever, concealed my intentions with my recent slate of thread topics. It's an opportunity for people to engage and increase discussion.
 
There is Linda and there is everyone else.

This is not up for debate.
I will say one name and end/win the debate.*

Prince.




*yes I am aware your tongue was firmly in cheek due to the other Linda thread.

Style and performance are subjective. Prince may have been a better performer, writer, dancer, and musician, but he was not a better vocalist.


And Im actually serious about Linda. Im hiding my seriousness with silliness but Im dead serious. I have never heard a better voice.
 
I will say one name and end/win the debate.*

Prince.
If you're calling Prince overrated because of his singing voice I can respect that, but IMO he's a top 3 all around entertainer. Amazing front man, amazing guitarist, terrific songwriter. I saw him live a few times and he was simply incredible.
No. I’m saying the opposite. There is Prince at the top of the mountain as an musician/artist then there’s everyone else. He’s the GOAT imo.
 
You cut your own premise down by your last comment. There are no overrated singers. You like the voices you like and don't like the voices you don't.


"Here is another topic that is designed to increase discussion and participation in the FFA."



Feel free to adjust the premise to whatever suits you to further engage and talk about bands/musicians/singers/performers at your own discretion then.

If you like, pick another term other than "overrated" if you wish. Or share thoughts on some of the artists listed in that article. Or branch out the discussion in another direction about music.

I have not, nor have I ever, concealed my intentions with my recent slate of thread topics. It's an opportunity for people to engage and increase discussion.

I agree with the premise of the thread. Most of the artists you listed are from the past 25 years. I would say that its clear that none of these newer artists could hold a candle to artists pre 2000s but I cant say that for sure because we haven't heard very many of them perform without assistance.

Im an old man now but give me a live studio performance w/o auto-tune and Im in.
 
My favorite modern music band is Twenty One Pilots. Their music is amazing on so many levels, except one - they don't sound nearly as good live as on record. That's a huge flaw for me. It's too bad b/c their albums are on a ridiculous level when it come to depth and breadth of quality songs. I still appreciate them for what they are, but they lose a few pegs on a my all-time list as a result of the wide recorded and live disparity in my ears.
 
You cut your own premise down by your last comment. There are no overrated singers. You like the voices you like and don't like the voices you don't.


"Here is another topic that is designed to increase discussion and participation in the FFA."



Feel free to adjust the premise to whatever suits you to further engage and talk about bands/musicians/singers/performers at your own discretion then.

If you like, pick another term other than "overrated" if you wish. Or share thoughts on some of the artists listed in that article. Or branch out the discussion in another direction about music.

I have not, nor have I ever, concealed my intentions with my recent slate of thread topics. It's an opportunity for people to engage and increase discussion.
Do you actually have an opinion, or are you just into clever formatting?

Singers I am not fond of are loved by millions. Singers I connect with mean nothing to people I care about.

You tried to load the dice here by the quotes above (all recent artists), but I'm not buying into your jive game. Best of luck to you increasing discussion.
 
I will say one name and end/win the debate.*

Prince.
If you're calling Prince overrated because of his singing voice I can respect that, but IMO he's a top 3 all around entertainer. Amazing front man, amazing guitarist, terrific songwriter. I saw him live a few times and he was simply incredible.
No. I’m saying the opposite. There is Prince at the top of the mountain as an musician/artist then there’s everyone else. He’s the GOAT imo.

Subjective.

I would have to go through a lot of songs before I got to a Prince song. Real talk? To me Prince was a conglomeration of James Brown, Michael Jackson and Little Richard.

He was talented. He was a sex symbol. He could write, produce and perform. He just didn’t make very many songs that I want to hear.
 
I agree with the premise of the thread. Most of the artists you listed are from the past 25 years. I would say that its clear that none of these newer artists could hold a candle to artists pre 2000s but I cant say that for sure because we haven't heard very many of them perform without assistance.

Im an old man now but give me a live studio performance w/o auto-tune and Im in.
This is true but let’s not forget a lot of the bands we love from back in the day had studio musicians come in to record the albums, were lip synching on TV appearances, etc. It’s not to the level of today but it’s not totally new.
 
I will say one name and end/win the debate.*

Prince.
If you're calling Prince overrated because of his singing voice I can respect that, but IMO he's a top 3 all around entertainer. Amazing front man, amazing guitarist, terrific songwriter. I saw him live a few times and he was simply incredible.
No. I’m saying the opposite. There is Prince at the top of the mountain as an musician/artist then there’s everyone else. He’s the GOAT imo.

Subjective.

I would have to go through a lot of songs before I got to a Prince song. Real talk? To me Prince was a conglomeration of James Brown, Michael Jackson and Little Richard.

He was talented. He was a sex symbol. He could write, produce and perform. He just didn’t make very many songs that I want to hear.
Ironically I agree with the bolded. Almost every song I like from him is off of Purple Rain. But that’s exactly my point. His talent is so immense that it transcends one’s like of the music.
 
I agree with the premise of the thread. Most of the artists you listed are from the past 25 years. I would say that its clear that none of these newer artists could hold a candle to artists pre 2000s but I cant say that for sure because we haven't heard very many of them perform without assistance.

Im an old man now but give me a live studio performance w/o auto-tune and Im in.
This is true but let’s not forget a lot of the bands we love from back in the day had studio musicians come in to record the albums, were lip synching on TV appearances, etc. It’s not to the level of today but it’s not totally new.

New, no. But it was HEAVILY criticized until recently. Now there is no shame.
 
My favorite modern music band is Twenty One Pilots. Their music is amazing on so many levels, except one - they don't sound nearly as good live as on record. That's a huge flaw for me. It's too bad b/c their albums are on a ridiculous level when it come to depth and breadth of quality songs. I still appreciate them for what they are, but they lose a few pegs on a my all-time list as a result of the wide recorded and live disparity in my ears.

As a vocalist, this is a source of pride for me. I may not be the most talented singer around, but my live performances are virtually identical to any studio recording I’ve done. When we cut the Southern Slang EP, I recorded the vocals for six tunes in one two-hour session. Basically 2-3 times through the song and then on to the next. Other than EQ, some compression and a touch of reverb, there was basically no processing. Auto-tune as a style (see, T-Pain) is cool. Auto-tune to correct your vocals is lame as hell.
 
New, no. But it was HEAVILY criticized until recently. Now there is no shame.
I don't think The Beach Boys got a lot of heat for not playing instruments on their albums. The Beatles are great but much of their work was studio "tricks" that could not be replicated live. I see no problem with using technology to create music beyond what one is naturally capable of.
 
You cut your own premise down by your last comment. There are no overrated singers. You like the voices you like and don't like the voices you don't.


"Here is another topic that is designed to increase discussion and participation in the FFA."



Feel free to adjust the premise to whatever suits you to further engage and talk about bands/musicians/singers/performers at your own discretion then.

If you like, pick another term other than "overrated" if you wish. Or share thoughts on some of the artists listed in that article. Or branch out the discussion in another direction about music.

I have not, nor have I ever, concealed my intentions with my recent slate of thread topics. It's an opportunity for people to engage and increase discussion.

I agree with the premise of the thread. Most of the artists you listed are from the past 25 years. I would say that its clear that none of these newer artists could hold a candle to artists pre 2000s but I cant say that for sure because we haven't heard very many of them perform without assistance.

Im an old man now but give me a live studio performance w/o auto-tune and Im in.

Sia, Adele, Chris Stapleton are a few vocalists performing today without assistance (as far as I’m aware) that are jaw-droppingly good. I’m sure there are a bunch more.
 
My favorite modern music band is Twenty One Pilots. Their music is amazing on so many levels, except one - they don't sound nearly as good live as on record. That's a huge flaw for me. It's too bad b/c their albums are on a ridiculous level when it come to depth and breadth of quality songs. I still appreciate them for what they are, but they lose a few pegs on a my all-time list as a result of the wide recorded and live disparity in my ears.

As a vocalist, this is a source of pride for me. I may not be the most talented singer around, but my live performances are virtually identical to any studio recording I’ve done. When we cut the Southern Lang EP, I recorded the vocals for six tunes in one two-hour session. Basically 2-3 times through the song and then on to the next. Other than EQ, some compression and a touch of reverb, there was basically no processing. Auto-tune as a style (see, T-Pain) is cool. Auto-tune to correct your vocals is lame as hell.
Yes, something truly special about a vocalist who can deliver naturally.
 
I see no problem with using technology to create music beyond what one is naturally capable of.

I hear ya, and agree when I look at it as essentially a different genre and form of the art. I just find myself discounting bands like 21P over others like Alabama Shakes, or better comps with the electronics would be Muse and/or Tool - amazing live performers, in addition to creating magic in recorded form. That said, I would never say a band like 21P is talentless or worse - just that they are flawed, and overrated if placed in the same company.
 
I don’t get Bob Dylan as a singer. It’s just god awful.

Cobain and Nirvana. I just don’t get the hype. The only joy I get is annoying the guy at work who loves Cobain by saying Grohl is the only reason they made it when Nirvana comes up. He gets so mad. :lmao:
 
I don’t get Bob Dylan as a singer. It’s just god awful.

Cobain and Nirvana. I just don’t get the hype. The only joy I get is annoying the guy at work who loves Cobain by saying Grohl is the only reason they made it when Nirvana comes up. He gets so mad. :lmao:
Yes those are common examples and I get it. I love Dylan but if someone says they don't like his voice, I never question it.
 

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