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Who are the 10 biggest artists with the least talent who made it big in the music industry?
Hello! Thanks for your question about 10 biggest artists with the least talents in the music industry.
The most useful sources I found to answer your question are TheRichest and Biography.com. The short version is that the 10 biggest singers with the least talent are Paris Hilton, Pussycat Dolls, Pitbull, Ashlee Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Lana del Rey, Carly Rae Jensen, Lindsay Lohan, Hillary Duff, and Paula Abdul.
Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
METHODOLOGY
I didn’t put in the singers that are already mentioned in the query, as you already know about them.
Since the definition of ‘okay singer’ is subjective, especially when the singers are well-liked and defended by their fans.
I have several indicators to determine who are the least talented but popular singers to put on the list. The chosen singers don't have to fulfill all of them, but these are the main points that I put much emphasize in:
1. Was famous before becoming a singer, then either using that fame to boost their sales in the music industry or using the music industry to boost their overall reputation
2. Riding on other people's reputation to boost their own
3. Changing their song genre to accommodate the current trend
4. Cannot sing well in live concert
5. Famous for extensive use of digital enhancement or autotune
All of these are indicators that they more brand than talent and managed to achieve fame by plugging into the youthful demographic.
I have also read the previous two requests and tried to come up with a fresh list. I've looked into the singers' history to ensure that they are more brand than talent. However, there would be some names that reappear below.
I try to use all the latest sources (within 2 years), but since we are looking at the history of the singers' careers, some of the sources might be older than 2 years. This is especially true when the singers are no longer active.
FINDINGS
1. Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton has been famous long before she entered the music industry. In fact, she was "born a brand" and that reputation combined with a "right budget and excellent support" gave her singing career the push needed to be successful.
She began her singing career in 2006 with two songs "Nothing In This World" and "Stars Are Blind" that tapped into the young people's interest in the pop-song genre at that time. In 2013, she released a studio album titled Paris, which has sold 198,000 copies in the U.S. One of her latest songs, "Come Alive" is considered an Electronic Dance Music (EDM), another example of how she is conforming her music to the current music trend.
2. Pussycat Dolls
The band's lead singer Nicole Scherzinger publicly admitted that the band was a 'marketing sham' with her singing 95% of the songs. Since its inception in 1995, the group had sold 54 million records worldwide. With a series of catchy pop songs and attractive ladies who could dance in skimpy clothes, Pussycat Dolls dominated the girl group band before it split in 2010. Before splitting up, the group's line-up was Nicole Scherzinger, Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton and Kimberly Wyatt
3. Pitbull
Pitbull is a rapper who focused on club music. He was dubbed the 9th worst rapper ever by the Gentlemen's Quarterly. His success seems to come largely from being featured on other people's songs. Pitbull has collaborated with top singers such Jennifer Lopez (On the Floor), Christina Aguilera (Feel This Moment), and Timber (Ke$ha). By working with extraordinary talents, Pitbull managed to break into the international music industry and his net worth is $65 million in 2016.
4. Ashlee Simpson
She is Jessica Simpson's younger sister who is known for her lip syncing during the Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 2004. Though Ashlee herself had tried hard to escape her sister's fame (she even wrote a song about it titled 'Shadow'), their relationship would have lent her some industrial connections required to propel herself to popularity. Prior to her singing career, she was already known for her acting career in TV shows such as Newlyweds and The Ashlee Simpson Show. This fame would also lend her singing career some credence prior to the SNL debacle.
5. Jennifer Lopez (J-Lo)
Despite her global success that put her net worth at $39.5 million according to Forbes, not many would attribute that to her vocal talents. J-Lo is also an actress, reality television star, and dancer.
Before embarking on her journey as a singer, J-Lo was first a dancer and an actress. She starred in many movies and received many accolades. She was already famous before entering the music industry, which would give her new chosen career the boost it needs to take off. Though good at dancing, not many agreed that she has a good voice.
6. Lana del Rey
Even from the beginning, she was already rumored to be a "cunning production of marketers and producers" as her published story of a struggling artist who became a famous celebrity was suspected as false. They were aiming for the DIY demographic. Her change in name from Lizzy Grant to Lana del Ray was also followed by a change in the music genre, from folk songs to mainstream. After the incident at Saturday Night Live in 2012 where her performance was considered sub-par by many people, Lana herself has admitted that she does not perform well on stage.
7. Carly Rae Jensen
Her soar to fame was propelled by Justin Bieber's support when he tweeted that he liked her song in 2011. Though she won third in the Canadian Idol, it was Bieber's support that made her what she is now. She is then marked down by Scooter Braun (Bieber's manager) for her 'sexy hippie pop' under Schoolboy Record. Continuing the tradition, Bieber planned to guide her through her career. Her song 'Call Me Maybe' became topped the Hot 100 in 2012 but she received mixed reviews, one of which commented on her voice. Her new album also received some critical review that attributed the song's success to the producer's machinations.
8. Lindsay Lohan
She has been acting long before she entered the music industry. She got her fame from her starring role in Mean Girls and had worked for Disney as an actress. In 2004, her album 'Speak' was launched and her fan base's support propelled it to hit platinum status. Her voice is said to be lacking, off-key, or had too much sound effect mixed in her songs.The lip sync disaster in Good Morning America did not help her case at all. Her wild reputation helps to keep her in the media's spotlight.
9. Hillary Duff
Another Disney Channel star turned singer. Hillary is criticized for her weak voice and assumed to earn a spot in the music industry by borrowing her fame from her days as an actress. She tailored her songs to follow the mainstream trend, as shown by her latest album that contains songs with EDM flair.
10. Paula Abdul
She was a dancer and choreographer before she became a singer. Her talent in singing was often questioned and there was even a lawsuit against her for allegedly using her backup singer's voice to augment her own performance in a video voice over. She won the suit in the end.
Her rise to fame could be attributed to knowing the right people as she had worked extensively before with big names such as the Jackson 5, George Michael, Duran Duran and Janet Jackson. She was also one of the American Idol's judges.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, the 10 biggest singers with the least talent are Paris Hilton, Pussycat Dolls, Pitbull, Ashlee Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Lana del Rey, Carly Rae Jensen, Lindsay Lohan, Hillary Duff, and Paula Abdul.
Often, they capitalize on existing fame, whether their own or others'. This is a form of plugging into the youthful demography. Many use digital enhancement to make up for their lack of talents or to produce the music that the public like (e.g. EDM), hence many do not perform well in live concerts. This is a marketing strategy to conform to the young demography, similar to changing their song genre to fit the industry trend.
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