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Who are the 10 biggest artists with the least talent who made it big in the music industry?
Thank you for your question about artists who have made it big, despite having little talent. My most useful sources were Critic of Music, and marketing experts. The short version is that a lot of these artists are first and foremost business people: building a brand around themselves that includes music together with other merchandise, fashion brands, and production companies. For many, earlier success in other areas, such as television, made their image popular, and from there, they branched out into music. My list includes Redfoo, Katy Perry, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez, and more. As a creative myself (writer), I'm well aware of the contradictions within the arts industries, and really enjoyed this research.
ASSUMPTIONS AND METHODOLOGY
-I haven't included the artists you mentioned, since you clearly already know about them
-I've given this research a global scope – though I've focused more on singers that are famous in the English-speaking West.
KANYE WEST
SKILLS: West sings through an “artificially warbled filter of vocoders and autotune” according to the BBC's music section. And according to singer-songwriter David Crosby, West “can't sing” - “Somebody needs to drive him over to Stevie Wonder’s house right now so he understands what a real (rock star) is. Secondly, they should send him all of Ray Charles’s catalogue so he can learn how to sing,” he said.
ALBUMS OR WORTH: 32 million global album sales
HOW SUCCESSFUL: According to 898 Marketing , Kanye has kept himself in the headlines by being confident and through his strange antics, like fighting with Taylor Swift, begging Mark Zuckerberg for a billion dollars, and a “back stage meltdown” at SNL. The site points out the coincidence of West suddenly being very outlandish and active on Twitter right when his latest album was due out. West knows how to create a buzz and get people talking. In terms of his brand (cockeyness), the site notes how consistent he has been with this, over time- a key to brand success.
KATY PERRY
SKILLS: Perry yells rather than sings- creating a frayed, pressed tone, and lack of vibrato, according to voice teacher Elaina R, writing for singing site Take Lessons. When she sings her neck visibly strains. According to Critic of Music, Perry has a “tendency to become pitchy or off key”. In live settings she often becomes nasal, and her live vocals are off key, most of her belts lack vibrato. Her vocals could also be described as “icy”.
ALBUMS OR WORTH: Net worth: 125 million, over 40 million albums world wide
HOW SUCCSESFUL: Perry's brand is “provocative” with “crazy” costumes. She knows that “major-league pop success is all about building a brand that goes beyond the songs themselves - that's the way of the pop machine,” according to Guardian writer Jude Rogers. For Forbes and Business Insider, Perry is also financially successful because of her international tours and her tour merchandise, as well as seven-figure business endorsements. Perry is open about this: "Music has changed," she told Forbes. It is the “launching pad for all kinds of other creative branches."
KIM KARDASHIAN
SKILLS: In 2011, Kardashian's song My Jam debuted. A Forbes writer described her singing as “unenthusiastic, auto-tuned vocals drowned out by a pulsating, migraine-inducing beat.” One of those artists who made money and fame first, Kardashian then released this song off the back of that. Though she isn't first and foremost a “successful singer” - she's worth including in this list as someone who's brand sold the song, rather than talent.
ALBUMS OR WORTH: 2016 celebrity earnings $51 million
HOW SUCCESSFUL: Kardashian herself attributes much of her success to social media, and says that her “talent” is maintaining her “brand and turning it into a $100 million business” and getting people to like her for who she is – that is success based on identity and personality (or looks) rather than skill. Kardashian has also built up her personal brand as an influential business woman and fashion icon. Social media wise, her Instagram is full of images of luxury clothing.
REDFOO (Stefan Kendal Gordy)
SKILLS: Beyond the sexist content of his songs, Redfoo's singing tends to be closer to talking. Unfortunately, most reviews of Redfoo find it hard to go beyond the misogynist content of his songs, and I was unable to locate any authoritative ratings of his singing ability: positive or negative. However, a quick listen to any of his songs will do the trick.
ALBUMS OR WORTH: Hit single Let’s Get Ridiculous achieved 4x Platinum. More than 1.9 billion YouTube views as a member
of the band LMFAO.
HOW SUCCESSFUL: Redfoo became a music artist through his father's business - Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records. He originally wanted to play tennis, and was less interested in music, until a wrist injury ruled out tennis. Redfoo, like Perry, also has his own clothing line, and owns record label Party Rock Records.
SELENA GOMEZ
SKILLS: Critic of Music rates Selena Gomez as a D- that is, last among the celebrities or “Not good technical proficiency marked by generally bad live performances, intolerable intonation accuracy, and/or poor musicality.” Gomez's notes are harsh, and chest notes carry little power. Live, her stamina is “sub par” and she struggles with intonation.
ALBUMS OR WORTH: Net worth: $22 million
HOW SUCCSESFUL: Gomez started out in television in 2002, then appeared in several films, then launched her own production company. It was at that point that she started making music. She has also gained notoriety for her relationship with Justin Bieber. Gomez is another one of the artists who are less-than-talented, but who take on a range of roles, in her case – model, actress, and businesswoman. She has attracted the support of large brands because she is “drama free”. She is now associated with Coca-Cola, Verizon, Louis Vuitton, and Pantene, and others. She is also (in 2016) the most followed on Instagram, with 105 million followers.
JENNIFER LOPEZ
ABILITY: Lopez has said herself that she lacks confidence as a singer, and Diva Devotee notes that she has a limited range. Her lower range is weakest, “foggy”, unfocused, “and almost hazy in quality, denoting little control, and possibly damaging vocals.”
ALBUMS OR WORTH: Net worth: $300 million
HOW SUCCESSFUL: Lopez is yet another artist that is described as a businessperson above all else. She has made “beauty” her signature, and like many mentioned above, has a diverse platform: music, film, dance, television and talent contest judge.
REBECCA BLACK
ABILITY: Rolling Stone described her voice as “bizarre”. “ It's not just the processing on her vocals – she has a peculiar tonality that inadvertently highlights the absurdity of boilerplate pop lyrics” they write. She sounds “pinched and stilted”. Starcasm called her song an “assault” on the ears.
ALBUMS OR WORTH: More Youtube fame than money or album sales – 166 million Youtube views for her song Friday in 2011
HOW SUCCESSFUL: In 2011 her Youtube video Friday went viral. Prior to that, she was unknown. The song though, has become the target of jokes, and often comes up when people search for the “worst video”. Despite that, she has continued to make covers of pop songs.
KESHA
ABILITY: According to Critic of Music, Kesha is a C grade singer – that is: “inconsistent performances and tolerable to intolerable intonation accuracy, as well as okay musicality. Considerable flaws.” She has inaccuracies in upper intonation, and tone and breath control issues.
ALBUMS OR WORTH: $40 million
HOW SUCCESSFUL: Interestingly, Kesha began her career as a background vocalist for other singers on this list, or who almost made it- Perry, as well as Paris Hilton and Britney Spears ( I didn't include Hilton because she has only released a few songs, and Spears because reviews of her singing ability are mixed). Her own first album, Animal, debuted at number one on Billboard 200 when it was released in 2010. Her brand is “unfiltered, reckless party-pop” -which both attracted fans and detractors.
TAYLOR SWIFT
ABILITY: Rated D+ by Critic of Music, Swift has an airy lower register, pitchy or off-key live performances, and her voice is sometimes nasal. She has breath support issues, and all registers lack vibrato.
ALBUMS OR WORTH: Net worth $250 million
HOW SUCCESSFUL: Swift said that if she hadn't been an international pop start, she would have had a career in advertising: showing once again the link between musical success and branding or marketing. Marketing Interactive described her as having a “vice-like grip” on her public image – where she aims to embody the supposed goals of the younger generations: standing up to bullying, supermodels for best friends, and well documented romances. Swift also adjusted her music genre to her target audience (teenage girls), and she makes strong use of social media.
CONCLUSION
Singers, and their managing team, have often either capitalized on their fame as actors, television stars, or rich people, to then release music singles or albums. Other stars who can't sing well have become famous and wealthy by using music as a launching pad to then sell other products (like fashion), and others because of their family. Thanks for using Wonder! Let us know if we can help with anything else.