
“She Literally Can’t Sing”: People Are Sharing The Worst Singers That Made It Big
InterviewIt takes a lot to be a performer. You need stamina, a thick skin, a unique look and a charismatic personality. And while it would be great if you’re super talented too, that’s not a requirement, apparently.
Redditors have recently been discussing famous singers that they don’t think have the pipes to be performing on a professional level, so we’ve gathered some of their hot takes down below. Whether you love these stars or not, there’s no denying that some of them could benefit from a few voice lessons. Enjoy scrolling through this list, and be sure to upvote the replies that you can’t help but agree with!
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Yoko Ono.
-z-z-x-x-:
I love that video where John Lennon was on stage singing Johnny b good with chuck berry and they just cut her mic off
She knows she can’t sing well. But she is a performance artist and that is part of her art. It’s not really a hot take
Kid Rock. He can barely "rap", and he definitely can't sing. I do admit my opinion might be colored by my intense hatred for this poser a*****e.
Drake. The dude just talks with auto tune on.
To find out how this conversation started in the first place, we reached out to Reddit user ZarieRose, who invited readers to share examples of singers that they don't think have great voices.
"I saw a similar post about comedians, so I thought it would be interesting to see what people’s takes about singers were," the author told Bored Panda.
Jennifer Lopez
She literally can't sing.
puremotives:
Agreed. That's why she gets Ashanti to do it for her
I think JLo is a genius (maybe an evil one!)! She's not a great singer nor a great actress, but she had big succes in everything that she tried to do!
Cardi B. Can't stand her as a singer. Can't stand her as a human being.
I'm reminded of her lives at the beginning of the pandemic *bawling* into her Froot Loops because she couldn't go buy sushi.
DEEEJAYYYYY KHALED!
PurpleTeaSoul:
ALL I DO IS WIN WIN WIN NO MATTER WHAT
We were also curious to know if there are any famous singers that ZarieRose isn't particularly impressed by. "I’d say Ray," the OP shared. "Not that she’s a bad singer, she just suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere, and there’s so much hype around her. I think her songs are nice but not as outstanding as some other artists."
Jojo Siwa, don't think i need to explain lol.
alfie_the_elf
Ah, yes. The first and only gay pop star, bringing gay dance music to the world.
What ever would we do without her contributions to music?
MGK, bro is doing all the genres and being s**t at all of em.
Jaden Smith.
The author also believes that stars shouldn't try to make up for their lack of vocal skills by being charismatic. "I definitely think talent is more important over personality," ZarieRose says. "There’s probably so many fantastic singers out there, but they don’t get enough attention because they may be shy and don’t have the stage presence."
Low-hanging fruit here, but Ice Spice.
gruccimanee:
the way she got rich and famous by recycling the same beat for multiple 3 minute songs full of poop and fart references is so crazy to me
Doja Cat. Just straight up cannot sing. Has to rely on technology.
Finally, we asked the author what she thought of the replies to her post. "The top choice of Jennifer Lopez was a surprise, but I have a feeling it’s more to do with her association with P Diddy," she noted. "It was a lot of fun reading through the responses and seeing the different opinions. Some people said Enrique Iglesias, didn’t expect that. He has a beautiful voice in my opinion."
Florence Foster Jenkins was so terrible she sold out Carnegie Hall.
bakewelltart20:
The film about her is incredibly sad, but I almost choked to death laughing at the singing.
I have no idea how the actors managed to keep straight faces, especially Meryl herself.
Robin Thicke should thank Pharrell and Emily Ratajkowski because it sure wasn't his talent that made that song popular.
Island Boys.
BOREN:
Did they really “make it big”, though?
TheAvaPark:
Bigger than they ever should have 😭
Iggy Azalea.
all the way to the top with this one. she's atrocious. her sound is awful
I will die on the hill that Chris brown cannot sing but can dance. Disgusting scum piece of s**t but yea he can dance. Never could sing tho.
Jessica Simpson.
Bob Dylan. Great writer. Terrible singer.
So according to the title of this thread, bob Dylan should never make it big??? My God, bob Dylan is a poet of our era and wrote some of the most important songs for generations. Yeah he is not here for his voice but how could we include him in this thread along with the rest
I love that people are just naming people they don't like who aren't amazing singers when there's people like Playboi Carti out there
The guy that sings on the Burger King commercials. What a terrible singer!
SlainSigney:
BK Me eeeelt
Ethel Merman was known as the worst singer.
She was fabulous.
No one sings *There's No Business Like Show Business* like she does.
Brava, Ms. Merman!
She sang everything through her nose and had a very unique tone but it was all in tune.
William Hung (showing my age here😂).
smooze420:
American Idol knew what they were doing.
Fergie. That NBA All-Star game National Anthem was legendary.
Fergie actually has a great voice, she just made a dog’s breakfast of that National Anthem.
Maybe I'm too old, but I feel like I can never understand any of Ariana Grande's lyrics. They just seem smooshed all together into one indistinct sound.
All the children in the cars for kids commercial.
Katy Hudson before she became "Katy Perry"
I can’t believe I’m not seeing Marilyn Manson here. He sounds like a drunk lounge singer trying to be spooky.
beartheminus:
Hes almost a performance artist and not a singer really. Its all about the theatrics etc. I still don't like it though.
This sounds more like "I don't like this music" than "this singer sucks"
The actual answer might be Biz Markie but that was the whole charm, wasn't it?
"Yooooououou! You got what I neeeEEeed".
What? Biz Markie was amazing! He was an OG beat boxer! Loved his cameo in MIB2.
Megan Trainor.
girl_im_deepressed:
she's a talented singer but tends to sing in the most irritating way possible
Tom Waits and I love every minute of it.
He's interesting. His voice isn't classically great but it's gritty and a vibe.
Dave Mustaine in his prime sounded like a goose getting strangled to death and nowadays he's just grumbling into the mic.
Auto tuned Adam Levine.
Ashley Tisdale.
Like Hillary Duff, she’s not a bad singer. She’s an average singer
Not sure about worst, but Paula Abdul definitely comes to mind. Very weak, thin voice. Seems like she was a dancer who got forced into being a singer too.
That Dance Monkey girl.
Pussycat Dolls.
If referring to Nicole Scherzinger, she can sing. She did Phantom Of The Opera well enough to know she has some technique. The only other one of that group who really sang forefront was Melody Thornton. The others were backup vocalists or backup dancers. They were all severely underpaid and pimped out.
Selena Gomez 👀.
Rita Ora.
Tove Lo.
She's quite talented. Despite the fact that everyone mispronounces her name. ;)
Justin Timberlake.
Lin Manuel Miranda.
NO QUESTION that man can write a song. But he sucks at singing!
Poll Question
Do you think charisma or vocal talent is more important for a successful singing career?
Charisma
Vocal talent
Both equally
Depends on the genre
I’ll probably be downvoted to buggery, but I don’t think that Beyoncé is a good singer. She’s autotuned to the sky.
Nah, I agree. She's been putting out some really boring songs. I miss Destiny's Child.
Load More Replies...I upvoted you for respectfully sharing your honest opinion. I’m just wondering, though, if you heard her when she came up with Destiny’s Child? At that time autotune had just been created and was far from ubiquitous as it is now. She stands out in those early years even alongside her talented band mates.
It’s from when she was doing a concert on her own at the start of her solo career.
The fact that your lack of talent is inextricably entwined with your poor judgement of talent is nothing to boast about. Hold on real hard to that racism. It doesn't change the fact - and truth - that Beyonce is one of the greatest singers and performers of the 20-21st century...
Yeah, my niece made me listen to that country album. I made it two songs in. The ones she picked as "best".
So many posts here about people who really can sing, but the OP just doesn't like their singing. Not liking a singer and thinking they're actually *bad* are two different things.
Some of these are politically motivated, but i know what you mean. I feel the same way about Celine Dion, I know that she's a talented singer, but her voice just does not resonate with me. I especially hated her more when she decided to remake John Lennon's, Happy Christmas; she ruined a beautiful song with her over the top rendition. Lennon wanted to people to focus on the lyrics and message of the song, not how well it can be sung. Almost every artist that has remade that song make the same mistake, but Celine is by far the worst!
Load More Replies...I'm gonna get downvoted to hell, but Taylor Swift shouldn't have made it big. And to all the people saying "she's an excellent song writer", I disagree. All her songs are generic fluff and that would be fine if people would stop trying to prop her up as the "next Shakespeare".
I'm inclined to politely disagree, she has some really awesome, catchy song, and her voice is incredible. Although, I will admit her new album isn't too awesome.
Load More Replies...PREACH. I have a hard time finding Taylor Swift dislikers where I am
I understand the appeal of her songs, in that her target audience is teenage girls. Her singing voice is not very good. You can find YouTube’s where they strip off the background music and backing vocals. It’s tragic.
Her singing was bad at the beginning of her career, and her songs weren't really my thing. My daughter likes her but I found her voice really grating and her songs just pop fluff. But she's an adult now and her work reflects her growth. Have you listened to Folklore? It is legit a masterpiece. I was taken back by it, I didn't expect that from her of all people.
I have a hard time mistaking Billie Eilish's whispering for singing.
Every song of hers that plays on the radio at work in the store, it sounds like there's an odd beat between silence and then all you hear is a faint "damn".
Load More Replies...Not liki g her style is t the same as her not being able to sing. Did you see her performance of No Time to Die at the Oscars? She can sing.
Actually, I like her. Probably more fo her songwriting and style than her voice.
Rhianna's voice hurts my nervous system, and her lyrics are repetitive and mindless. I hate every sound that she has ever made.
"Work work work work work" ugh can't stand it. I'm sure if she had a 9-5 she had to drudge through she would have never written that monotone c**p.
Load More Replies...Maybe I'm getting old but most of today's pop stars all sound the same. Their lyrics so mumbled that I can barely hear what they're singing.
Lmao join the club I’m 60 n yup no idea on most of em but leave bob Dylan n fergie alone lol few others I know maybe ten max rest im like WHO 🤷♀️😂
I'm going to guess this list was mainly made by people who just dislike the artist cause a lot of them can sing 😅 I see some actual good answers but definitely some that don't make any sense.
I once heard Madonna live on TV about 20 years ago and god it hurt. Of course she was dancing so I can understand how much short of breathe she could have been but still... Not in tune, not in rythm, and breathless.
Thank you! I was scrolling through thinking I’m going to be the only person who says Madonna can’t carry a melody. Saw her in concert when I was 19. I’ll give her her due. She sang and performed live; I just hadn’t realized until I heard her sing in real life how much autotune was responsible for her recorded singing. She danced well, she had tons of charisma and stage presence. But so off key, yes, it hurt.
Thankfully, I've either never even heard of most of these people or just know their name and couldn't even name one of their songs.
Somebody please tell me how in the hell Justin Bieber is not on this list. He absolutely cannot sing and single-handedly proved the power of voice-manipulation software.
Taylor Swift. Im not sure if anyone else dislikes her voice, but the lyrics are so bad. Just recycled. Incredibly recycled.
No one holds a candle to Kanye West for being a lousy singer ....don't believe me ...listen to his rendition of Freddie Mercury's songs !!!!!
I suppose no one heard about Marek Ztracený outside of Czechia? Lucky you, guys, he has an extremely irritating voice, terrible songs and radio stations are apparently in love with him.
Cheryl Cole. I swear she wouldn't have had the success she's had if it wasn't for her looks. "
Unpopular opinion: Janis Joplin. I want to like her and I do like the song 'Cry' but her screeching sets my teeth on edge. Same with Edith Piaf
I’m going to show my age here, but the “singer” I always think of who didn’t deserve their five minutes of fame is Wesley Willis. He was never popular in terms of the charts, but his stuff got “discovered” in the ‘90s by one of the syndicated radio morning shows (it may have been Bob and Tom) and they roasted the hell out of him until people actually started buying his albums to see if he really was as bad as they made him out to be. He was worse. Much, much worse.
Not exactly singers, but there are some guitarists that need to stay in their lane. Satriani is fantastic but would be better if he got someone else to do the occasional singing bits.
I’m getting old. I don’t know half of these people. And you know what? I’m OK with that! LOL
I don't think Madonna is a good singer, but that's not what people watch her for. When she sang some millennial-type woo-woo song at the Grammy's back in the day she totally couldn't hit the high notes. Which is fine if she can't, but don't do a freaking live show!
What do they watch her for? Have a wank and then listen to some music
If you ask anyone who really knows me who my favorite band is, they will say Billy Joel. Billy Joel was the first music I listed to after I stopped listening to The Wheels on the Bus. The man sings OK, but if it weren't for his song writing and his piano playing, he wouldn't have made it.
Miranda Lambert. Terrible person worse singer. She doesn't like it when "the staff" look at her.
Why the heck isn't Gord Downie on this list? His voice is so weak and awful! I swear, if Canadian radio stations didn't have a Canadian content quota, The Tragically Hip would never get any airtime!!
An unpopular opinion as an Aussie, but Kylie Minogue really really neeeeds that autotune assistance
With Auto-tune and today's pop music styles, how can you tell who is a good singer? And, why isn't Sting on this list? He can carry a tune, maybe, but he sounds like he's being strangled.
Really, I get down voted. Sony admitted that Michael recorded his main vocals in his home studio. No witnesses. Apart from squeaking and grabbing his nuts, some times little boys nuts he had a very limited voice. Quincy, when asked said "I'm not going harm my 50% on some tracks" was he as talent, " he copied a lot" Quincy was the genius.
Paula Abdul is the only singer here I know. But I can't remember how she sounds and I can't bother to look it up. 👵
I'd add Cher and Neil Young to this list, but Neil Young is an icon and Cher is just...let's say her face matches her voice now.
Tell me this is a mostly white platform with out actually saying it..🤣
I’ll probably be downvoted to buggery, but I don’t think that Beyoncé is a good singer. She’s autotuned to the sky.
Nah, I agree. She's been putting out some really boring songs. I miss Destiny's Child.
Load More Replies...I upvoted you for respectfully sharing your honest opinion. I’m just wondering, though, if you heard her when she came up with Destiny’s Child? At that time autotune had just been created and was far from ubiquitous as it is now. She stands out in those early years even alongside her talented band mates.
It’s from when she was doing a concert on her own at the start of her solo career.
The fact that your lack of talent is inextricably entwined with your poor judgement of talent is nothing to boast about. Hold on real hard to that racism. It doesn't change the fact - and truth - that Beyonce is one of the greatest singers and performers of the 20-21st century...
Yeah, my niece made me listen to that country album. I made it two songs in. The ones she picked as "best".
So many posts here about people who really can sing, but the OP just doesn't like their singing. Not liking a singer and thinking they're actually *bad* are two different things.
Some of these are politically motivated, but i know what you mean. I feel the same way about Celine Dion, I know that she's a talented singer, but her voice just does not resonate with me. I especially hated her more when she decided to remake John Lennon's, Happy Christmas; she ruined a beautiful song with her over the top rendition. Lennon wanted to people to focus on the lyrics and message of the song, not how well it can be sung. Almost every artist that has remade that song make the same mistake, but Celine is by far the worst!
Load More Replies...I'm gonna get downvoted to hell, but Taylor Swift shouldn't have made it big. And to all the people saying "she's an excellent song writer", I disagree. All her songs are generic fluff and that would be fine if people would stop trying to prop her up as the "next Shakespeare".
I'm inclined to politely disagree, she has some really awesome, catchy song, and her voice is incredible. Although, I will admit her new album isn't too awesome.
Load More Replies...PREACH. I have a hard time finding Taylor Swift dislikers where I am
I understand the appeal of her songs, in that her target audience is teenage girls. Her singing voice is not very good. You can find YouTube’s where they strip off the background music and backing vocals. It’s tragic.
Her singing was bad at the beginning of her career, and her songs weren't really my thing. My daughter likes her but I found her voice really grating and her songs just pop fluff. But she's an adult now and her work reflects her growth. Have you listened to Folklore? It is legit a masterpiece. I was taken back by it, I didn't expect that from her of all people.
I have a hard time mistaking Billie Eilish's whispering for singing.
Every song of hers that plays on the radio at work in the store, it sounds like there's an odd beat between silence and then all you hear is a faint "damn".
Load More Replies...Not liki g her style is t the same as her not being able to sing. Did you see her performance of No Time to Die at the Oscars? She can sing.
Actually, I like her. Probably more fo her songwriting and style than her voice.
Rhianna's voice hurts my nervous system, and her lyrics are repetitive and mindless. I hate every sound that she has ever made.
"Work work work work work" ugh can't stand it. I'm sure if she had a 9-5 she had to drudge through she would have never written that monotone c**p.
Load More Replies...Maybe I'm getting old but most of today's pop stars all sound the same. Their lyrics so mumbled that I can barely hear what they're singing.
Lmao join the club I’m 60 n yup no idea on most of em but leave bob Dylan n fergie alone lol few others I know maybe ten max rest im like WHO 🤷♀️😂
I'm going to guess this list was mainly made by people who just dislike the artist cause a lot of them can sing 😅 I see some actual good answers but definitely some that don't make any sense.
I once heard Madonna live on TV about 20 years ago and god it hurt. Of course she was dancing so I can understand how much short of breathe she could have been but still... Not in tune, not in rythm, and breathless.
Thank you! I was scrolling through thinking I’m going to be the only person who says Madonna can’t carry a melody. Saw her in concert when I was 19. I’ll give her her due. She sang and performed live; I just hadn’t realized until I heard her sing in real life how much autotune was responsible for her recorded singing. She danced well, she had tons of charisma and stage presence. But so off key, yes, it hurt.
Thankfully, I've either never even heard of most of these people or just know their name and couldn't even name one of their songs.
Somebody please tell me how in the hell Justin Bieber is not on this list. He absolutely cannot sing and single-handedly proved the power of voice-manipulation software.
Taylor Swift. Im not sure if anyone else dislikes her voice, but the lyrics are so bad. Just recycled. Incredibly recycled.
No one holds a candle to Kanye West for being a lousy singer ....don't believe me ...listen to his rendition of Freddie Mercury's songs !!!!!
I suppose no one heard about Marek Ztracený outside of Czechia? Lucky you, guys, he has an extremely irritating voice, terrible songs and radio stations are apparently in love with him.
Cheryl Cole. I swear she wouldn't have had the success she's had if it wasn't for her looks. "
Unpopular opinion: Janis Joplin. I want to like her and I do like the song 'Cry' but her screeching sets my teeth on edge. Same with Edith Piaf
I’m going to show my age here, but the “singer” I always think of who didn’t deserve their five minutes of fame is Wesley Willis. He was never popular in terms of the charts, but his stuff got “discovered” in the ‘90s by one of the syndicated radio morning shows (it may have been Bob and Tom) and they roasted the hell out of him until people actually started buying his albums to see if he really was as bad as they made him out to be. He was worse. Much, much worse.
Not exactly singers, but there are some guitarists that need to stay in their lane. Satriani is fantastic but would be better if he got someone else to do the occasional singing bits.
I’m getting old. I don’t know half of these people. And you know what? I’m OK with that! LOL
I don't think Madonna is a good singer, but that's not what people watch her for. When she sang some millennial-type woo-woo song at the Grammy's back in the day she totally couldn't hit the high notes. Which is fine if she can't, but don't do a freaking live show!
What do they watch her for? Have a wank and then listen to some music
If you ask anyone who really knows me who my favorite band is, they will say Billy Joel. Billy Joel was the first music I listed to after I stopped listening to The Wheels on the Bus. The man sings OK, but if it weren't for his song writing and his piano playing, he wouldn't have made it.
Miranda Lambert. Terrible person worse singer. She doesn't like it when "the staff" look at her.
Why the heck isn't Gord Downie on this list? His voice is so weak and awful! I swear, if Canadian radio stations didn't have a Canadian content quota, The Tragically Hip would never get any airtime!!
An unpopular opinion as an Aussie, but Kylie Minogue really really neeeeds that autotune assistance
With Auto-tune and today's pop music styles, how can you tell who is a good singer? And, why isn't Sting on this list? He can carry a tune, maybe, but he sounds like he's being strangled.
Really, I get down voted. Sony admitted that Michael recorded his main vocals in his home studio. No witnesses. Apart from squeaking and grabbing his nuts, some times little boys nuts he had a very limited voice. Quincy, when asked said "I'm not going harm my 50% on some tracks" was he as talent, " he copied a lot" Quincy was the genius.
Paula Abdul is the only singer here I know. But I can't remember how she sounds and I can't bother to look it up. 👵
I'd add Cher and Neil Young to this list, but Neil Young is an icon and Cher is just...let's say her face matches her voice now.
Tell me this is a mostly white platform with out actually saying it..🤣