Spin off: who are the least talented famous singers?

[WishinAndHopin]

Mick Jagger: just shouts tunelessly. He can’t sing at all.

Generally a lot of men in bands, like the Gallagher brothers, Alex Turner, and the singers in the Kinks.

Chris Martin - he’s just an insipid whiner. There was an advert with a woman with a good voice singing while driving a big lorry. I thought “that’s a nice song” and realised that it was actually Yellow by Coldplay. I never even realised it was a decent song because he just sounds so horrendous.

Generally women are held to a much higher vocal standard, and are only ever considered respectable artists if they are also good singers. Men who can’t sing get away with it. But ti balance it here are two women:

Geri Halliwell: Posh gets shit on for her bad singing but at least she had a pleasant enough tone. Geri is far worse - flat as a pancake.

Taylor Swift: such a weak voice. Sounds like mediocre karaoke.

Mick Jagger is a rock star, not a ‘singer’ as such. Awesome performer and decent blues harmonica player.

Lana Del Rey has a beautiful, otherworldly voice on record and is amazing at drawing you into her world but she is more a poet and studio artist than a performer really.

She’s not a belter and struggles to project her voice in the big outdoor shows. I’d love to see her in a tiny jazz club but those days are long gone sadly - she sold out 5 stadium dates in about 2 days.

I really dislike Beyoncé and Adele’s voices, I can hear their talented but don’t find them enjoyable to listen to at all.

I actually think the worst singers are the ones who can hold a pleasant tune and are inoffensive with no vocal distinction or looks from each other, think like girls aloud or Martine McCutcheon, that sort of thing, the generic stage school voice, I’m sure I could come up with a long list.

But the 60s produced a lot of acts that weren’t necessarily vocally perfect, but were unique and also didn’t necessarily look cutesy and perfect.

One that always comes up is Cilla Black, she’s an easy target. Someone said who gave here a career, well John Lennon championed her and rated her highly, Brian Epstein adored her, George Martin produced her and also rated her, she was unique and a chart topper, her range was immense and powerful and her sixties recordings exceptional, lots of album tracks that are unknown, of course this defence can be given to many artists. Il admit she definitely lost her way during the 70s and beyond and her 80s onwards output is just awful, but there was a time the woman was unique and if she had disappeared into obscurity in 1967 she would be a celebrated cult act, unfortunately like many celebs they eventually disappear up their own arses, lulu is one of the most arrogant going for example (many more)

YouTubes interesting, Cilla is being discovered by young Americans who love her 60s work, as are many others from back then. Sorry for the side track, but I’ve typed it now, so what the hell (presses post and ducks)

I'm surprised nobody has said Dido. Great songs, but she has a really weak voice. Went to Live 8 with a friend, and she was surprised to hear my opinion on her - until she sang live. I'm guessing nobody is saying her because she isn't in the public eye any more.

Taylor Swift has a good voice it just doesn't equal the level of success she has achieved ditto Ed Sheeran.

Harry styles and Louis Tomlinson don't have great voices but I would say the same of a lot of boy/girl band members- Cheryl Cole , posh spice etc

Agree re Wil I am terrible voice!

I personally think Lily Allen has a lovely voice.

She actually could sing really beautifully but she never used that voice, or rarely. She used the screaming one more!

I think outside the classical realm it is more a question of personality and performance than an objectively beautiful voice and technique.

Some of the people I've loved for decades (Joe Strummer and Bryan Ferry come to mind, many more) do not have wonderful voices but lots of other factors in play.

I think some people are mistaking "not liking a singer's style of singing/music" for being "least talented."

You're off your rocker if you're listing Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Adele, Beyonce as "least talented." It's fine to dislike their style of singing-or music-but they're objectively good/amazing singers.

Also, the topic is "least talented singer" not that they're not talented in other ways. Taylor Swift is not a vocalist. She's a singer-songwriter, and we can go easy on the singer part. There's nothing wrong that-and I like her music-but she's not a great singer. If she wasn't such a good songwriter-I doubt she'd be as popular.

I really don't like "cursive" singing. There's a time in a place for that indie girl sound but some really do overdo it and it makes me wonder if their voices are good enough/distinctive enough to stand out. I suspect they're not and that's why they overuse that style of singing to force their voice to be distinctive when it's just bang average.

I think the issue nowadays there's so much studio (and live) trickery that you can't really tell who can find a note and who can't. I think gone are the days of genuinely talent vocalists like Mariah, Whitney, Celine because there's no need to hone your craft and voice when technology can correct your pitch and you can hide behind the trickery (even when performing live).

Taylor Swift (I genuinely believe it's all a psy-op, the fuss about her, I can't understand it otherwise)
Shakira (horrendous voice)
All the other girl singers that all look and sound the same (Ariana Grande, etc)

As for the males: rappers, in general (although they don't sing per se)
"Romantic" boy band types

Cheryl Cole

Agree with all of this. I also think a lot of indie girls are not just average but bad and have to sing in that way to cover it up and make the imperfections sound like a style choice.

Apparently the industry favours less good singers now to make the stars more relatable and improve the sing a long quality.

I think she has a good voice

I think he sings well in the Beatles

I don't know what Paul McCartney sounds like these days but he used to have a great rock n roll voice (not quite Noddy Holder) but was more suited to ballads like Yesterday and Here, There and Everywhere.

If you hear a British person putting on an American accent whilst singing then that suggests a lack of ability (to me). Unfortunately I can't think of any examples just now but I remember it in school choir practice decades ago.

I was getting ready to defend Chris Martin as at least his voice is distinctive, but bloody hell, I've just seen him on the Jingle Bell Ball and he managed to murder his own songs. How can you get the melody, tempo and breathing wrong in something that you wrote for your own voice?!

Kylie cannot sing.

Elton John cannot sing anymore.

Paul McCartney should not sing anymore.

Geri Halliwell had no business being near a microphone.

(And Beverly Knight and Guy Garvey should be a national treasures for their pipes)

I think her mother did well off the back of her!

Anyway, she is married to a member of The Feeling, which might have helped.

Geri Halliwell had no business being near a microphone. Hear,hear.
The only Spice Girl who could sing was Sporty and she wasn't great.

Usually I think those the OP is thinking of form into two categories- bad material, or bad karaoke groups.

Sadly also some people lose their singing voice, and then they disappoint because they are no longer the singer they were.

I agree. Though her singing is not the worst thing Geri Halliwell has done, the defender of her alleged sex pest husband.

Mili Vanilli

Couldn't bear Olivia Newton-John. Or the Spice Girls. Or Bananarama

And Dylan hurts my ears.

I love Pink's voice!

He used to. Always preferred everything he did to John Lennon

But he needs to stop now

Finding Taylor swift and Chris Martin talentless is baffling to me. They are industry leaders who break record after record due to working the system, knowing the business and being GOOD at what they do. Are they 10/10 vocalists? No. Are they brilliant? Absolutely. It makes you look so dim

Me too @Nanny0gg .

Paul or John? Definitely Paul.