Which famous singers have the worst voices?

Adam Levine

(silent)

Katy Perry sounds like a braying ass

Gwen Stefani - like an ice pick in my ear.

Not sure if he's still famous but Billy Corgan cannot sing worth a damn.

Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera never encountered a song that they couldn't bludgeon to death.

Britney Spears wins, hands down.

Madonna on her worst day is eight times the talent as any one of the light weight Britney Lovato Bieber putzes we have today.

Madonnas first albums were a revelation in their day. I know I was there!

And she didn't have the option of autotune!!

[quote] And she didn't have the option of autotune!!

Just endless takes to get a useable vocal

Shakira, Shakira.

Cilla Black

Sandie Shaw

Alicia Keys, I second JHO, hate her voice, singing and speaking, makes me want to shoot the TV like Elvis.

Beiber belongs somewhere on the list.

Bob Dylan, Britney, Princess Stephanie

Katy Perry. Horrible--no breath control, strange vowel choices, sounds like a person being tortured on the rack--but she seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator, so she makes millions.

Paula Abdul, who doesn't really "sing." She makes singing noises, then dances really fast.

Justin Timberlake, who sounds like whining baby to me.

Katy Perry

Taylor Swift

Oh wait....Janet Jackson. How could I forget?

Christina Aguilera--apparently, she learned a lot of her vocal "technique" from Mariah and Whitney AND country music. Trust me, I could tell.

Adam Levine--his voice makes his banal songs sound even worse. The earlier Maroon 5 stuff wasn't bad, but their recent stuff after Moves Like Jagger is terrible, poor-imitation "dance" music.

Bob Dylan--I don't care how good of a poet he is, if he sounds bad, he sounds bad, end of story.

Jennifer Hudson--somebody should tell her that melisma is dead now.

Alicia Keys is the definition of vocal damage. Girl on Fire is unlistenable to me.

I think Christina actually has a great voice - she just doesn't know how to use it. There is a tendency to oversing and showboat. On some songs, it's okay, but not appropriate for other songs. She butchered "At Last" - a song that could have been written for her had she not fucked it up (and yes, I know Etta James sang it before them). Then Beyonce got to sing the song and the rest is history

[quote] Then Beyonce got to sing the song and the rest is history

Are you implying Beyonce "owns" the song now?

What a conundrum, the singers who have good voices don't know how to sing and the one's that don't, well they shouldn't really be singing anyway.

Madonna has to be the most uneven singer ever. I actually like her high pitched singing in her early years better. Then she got all mannered and tried to perfect her voice and what did we get?? Cats being murdered!

Kylie Minogue is very nasal. It was NOT a good idea for her to do a "stripped down"/"airy orchestral" album recently.

"Jennifer Hudson--somebody should tell her that melisma is dead now."

Melisma has been around for years, it comes from gospel and it's not a trend.

Geez, some of you are confusing "singing in a style that I don't like" with not being able to sing at all.

Most of them today cannot sing, males and females. Some like Christina could sing if they didn't yell and various other crappy habits that a good voice coach could train away.

If you walk away from the shows like American Idol and The Voice the screeching is even more apparent. Sometimes I'm in another room and I hear this god awful howling and it turns out to be one of their finalists. It's horrible, but volume is everything now.

[quote]Are you implying Beyonce "owns" the song now?

Oh, not at all...she stole it like she does a lot of things. I just think Christina could have done a better job had she not overdone it. Her voice is leagues above Beyonce's.

R25, I know, I was referring to the style of melisma popularized by people like Aguilera and her like...melisma was originally used for a purpose, but with a lot of the showboating singers, the purpose isn't there.

I honestly hate Judy Garland's wobbly, greasy vibrato.

The only current pop stars who actually have great voices are Adele, Gaga, and Christina (but I agree with others - she doesn't know how to use her voice at all).

Anyone who does that fake, tribal 'yelp' thing. Just gross and stupid-sounding.

"The only current pop stars who actually have great voices are Adele, Gaga, and Christina (but I agree with others - she doesn't know how to use her voice at all)."

I'd put Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson above Gaga.

Also, Taylor Swift sounds really bad live. Forgot to mention her. She did a live version of Silent Night and it was embarrassing.

R8 you're wrong about Demi Lovato. Her songs suck, yes, but the girl can sing.

anyway, the worst singers right now:

Shitney Spears

Vadge

Adam Levine

Jussy TimberFake

Ke$ha

Rihanna

Ciara

Katy Perry

Justin Bieber

Miley Cyrus

sadly there are too many to chose from

The Bond Theme (especially on The Oscars) demonstrated that Adele hasn't got much range.

Kelly Clarkson has a more versatile voice.

Sorry to go a bit less popular but Oh Land. She just irritates me.

Was this written by DLers? I'm surprised the word frau was not in this.

One must mention the two who mistake screaming for singing..none other than Streisand and Celine Dion.

Can Selena Gomez sing?

[quote] One must mention the two who mistake screaming for singing..none other than Streisand and Celine Dion.

Re-read the thread title: worst voices

R33, I had forgotten about Ke$ha and Ciara. They are terrible. Ciara had an SNL performance that was really awful a few years back.

Ashanti (WEHT her?) was terrible but she seems to have faded away.

Very Over rated: Adele Jennifer Hudson

Painful: Alicia Keyes Gloria Estefan Nikki Minaj

The more I listen to the current crop of vocalists, the more I appreciate the vocal genius of Whitney Houston.

AVRIL LAVIGNE is the QUEEN of terrible voices. I cannot understand how she ever made it as far as she did. Terrible.

Also:

Beyonce

lead singer of Nickelback

Demi Lovato

Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks is either amazing (Traveling Soldier, for example) or an annoying twangy mess (Ready to Run)

Lana Del Rey is fucking awful.

That new chick Lorde isn't a great singer either. Parts of her "Royals" smash hit are pitchy even in the studio version.

Oh dear, do I have to be the one to say it?

Cher

God, I love her, but that voice is akin to a fog horn and she's got absolutely no range.

Kissie kissie to you, Cher. I do love you.

How could I forget the lead singer of Creed. And yeah, the Nickelback lead singer.

[quote]Geez, some of you are confusing "singing in a style that I don't like" with not being able to sing at all.

Exactly. Jennifer Hudson using melisma isn't a trend because she, like Whitney Houston before her, actually grew up in the gospel music of the black church. That others like Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera tried to mimic that style even if they weren't raised in that tradition isn't gospel's fault.

[quote]Early Madonna (the first two albums) was pretty bad, but her voice started sounding better around the True Blue era. Now she sounds okay.

LOL at the OP trying to pass Madonna off as a good singer. Fact: Madonna sounds flat. She's the classic example of a pop singer who can't sing.

Madonna could never sing. It's painfully obvious. The only improvements to her voice over the years have happened because of advanced technology. Even the vocals on her first album were speeded up which made them sound marginally better.

Listening to old Whitney Huston songs, I have to say she had an incredible gift that was ruined by drugs. But it was great while it lasted.

And does Katy Perry even know how to sing? She just bellows the lyrics.

Katy perry's "singing" basically consists of the sounds my dog lets out in excitement when I'm home from work. He's also probably smarter than she is.

R48, you should watch the howard stern interview with her. Just listen to her speaking, it will further convince you your dog is smarter.

Madonna can't sing. Period. No matter how many vice lessons you take, if you can't hold a tune, that's it.

As weak as it may be, I've never found Madonna's voice particularly grating. She knows her limitations and doesn't try to showboat outside her range.

[quote]Oh wait....Janet Jackson. How could I forget?

Um...no. Janet is remarkable with harmonies, has a versatile if not powerful voice that can do soft vocals ("Again") or hard rock ("Black Cat").

Taylor Swift-she makes Stevie Nicks sound like Maria Callas.

Oh dear. "Black Cat" as hard rock. The JanBot's Unhinged 2013 tour continues.

Almost All male singers have very very thin voices. Think sting, Michael buble and robin thicke. Without LOTS of multi-tracking and digital help over the years, these guys would sound impossibly thin and unpleasant. Frankly, it's not their fault. Pop music demands an "_authentic" sound from male singers. If they trained and had clear voices mixing high and low registers they'd sound too much like Andrea bocelli to be popular.

Bad but interesting male voices are the norm in today's music.

[quote]Oh dear. "Black Cat" as hard rock.

It's a rock vocal. Not heavy metal, but rock--particularly when compared to the rest of the material on RHYTHM NATION. Janet was even nominated for a Best Female Rock Vocal Grammy for "Black Cat".

Also, the Nuno Bettencourt/Vernon Reid guitar riffs on the remixes solidified its rock status.

The only unhinged (and woefully uninformed) person would be you.

Beyonce. Her voice has an unpleasant tone and perhaps it's her catalog, but most of her songs grate on my ears.

Lovato actually has a decent voice. However, she has no clue what to do with it, and her choice of material is dreadful.

Carey, once upon a time, used to have a great voice. Now she just coos.

Jackson is a joke as is Shitney.

Aguilera has a fantastic voice, but she mistakes power with technique.

Clarkson is one of the few who can sing in different genres and doesn't need autotune

I LAUGH at the people that say Madge can't sing.

She sure ain't one of the greats. But to say she CAN'T sing is just silly.

http: //www. youtube. com/watch?v=s8oJV81jq6A

http: //www. youtube. com/watch?v=z46VH8oLaWU

[quote]Jackson is a joke as is Shitney.

Bitch, please. To even put that "Awwrr bay-beh bay-beh" warbling pop tart in the same category with Janet voice-wise is the joke.

Get 'em Janbot!

Gloria Estefan, that nasal monotony

"LOL at the OP trying to pass Madonna off as a good singer."

I said she was okay

Madrona

Celine Dion

Judy Garland

all of the melisma queens

Gwen Stefani

Bob Dylan. Though for the most part, I like his interpretations of his songs better than anyone else's, he's not someone I can listen to very often.

Best unaltered male voice this generation is Clay Aiken. That guy can sing anything from Metal to gospel and do it brilliantly.

[quote]Bitch, please. To even put that "Awwrr bay-beh bay-beh" warbling pop tart in the same category with Janet voice-wise is the joke.

Yes, because they both deserve their own special categories of horridness.

Bruce Springsteen

Sting

Bob Dylan

There's not even a contest. Janet Jackson is the absolute WORST voice in pop music history.

Paper-thin voice. Zero range. Emotionless. Devoid of inflection. No power. No layers. Struggles to reach the most basic note. It's like she has the lungs of an infant with emphysema.

The songs were often decent and the production was first-rate but she was nothing more than a visual prop and a celebrity name that provided dead vocals.

The others listed here are all channeling Beverly Sills compared to the vocal horror that is Janet Jackson.

R69, marry me.

I'm sorry, if you don't get Lana del Rey, we probably can't be friends. She's amazing.

On the other hand, I have to leave the room if Taylor Swift comes on sound system. It literally hurts my ears. And I hate Stupid Little Girl lyrics too.

R71, I don't know 'bout you, but I'm feelin' 22.

Katy Perry is the vocal equivalent of robbing your dick on a cheese grater.

Adele sounds like a whale in distress, come to think of it, she LOOKS like a whale in distress.

Now, Alicia Keys REALLY pisses me of. That tortured, melodramatic screeching makes my skin crawl. "Nooooo Yawwwk, concreeete jungle...." or "theeeeees girl is on fuyaaaah" - seriously affected pronunciation.

Slutney Spears.

As much as I love and adore Vanessa Williams, her voice can get really off-key when she sings. Plus she sometimes over-enunciates.

[quote]Early Madonna (the first two albums) was pretty bad, but her voice started sounding better around the True Blue era. Now she sounds okay.

Miss Keller, your career as a music critic needs to be based on something more tangible than the vague thump sound makes in your pudenda.

Question about Alicia Keys btw I think she is fine if she isn't straining too hard to hit notes but it seems all she does is strain to hit the notes in most of her songs anyway.

Did Alicia used to talk too white so she started to this street affectation? It's subtle, but I could have sworn when she first started out she spoke very polished and educated.

I'm sick of John Legend. He's got an awful voice.

r78

I've heard him hit some notes that you wouldn't believe.

I think there's a difference between people who CAN sing, but, for whatever reason, one doesn't care for their voice vs people who just can't sing at all.

Celine, Mariah, Gaga, Adele, Christina. You might not like their voices, but all can sing, and sing quite well.

Then there's Janet, Britney, and Madge. They can't sing.

Britney, JLo and Madonna were never singers. All were professional dancers who lucked out and were able to release music to accompany their dance videos. If there was no MTV, they'd probably be Vegas showgirls.

Singers who are supposed to be lauded as AMAZING, WONDERFUL singers but who are complete rubbish are:

Celine Dion (most of what you hear on her recordings are reverb)

Whitney Houston (her voice was also completely studio created, no matter how beautiful it sounded. It never existed like that in reality. Her most memorable accomplishment, the Star-Spangled Banner, was recorded in the studio and she lip-synced to it. She was the master of her art, but her art was not live singing but creating a fantasy world of superhuman vocals in a studio setting. I will always respect Whitney for her contributions to the recording arts)

Mariah (there was a video recently of her with Miguel performing her song live and she couldn't hit any of the whistle notes. The stations later went back and played the studio version over for later broadcasts).

Yes, a lot of posters seem to be having difficulty with the premise of this thread.

Michael Jackson.

Mariah's voice is pretty much shot, but that doesn't mean she was always rubbish.

I much prefer Jackson Five Michael to post-nosejob, thin-voiced/Miss Ross-emulating Michael.

R81, I think it's silly to say Whitney (who I love) and Celine (who I don't) aren't great singers. There is TONS of live footage of both singers hitting ridiculous notes. It's fine if they aren't your thing, but both have very deserved legendary voices.

Plenty of popular singers have terrible voices. Some can't really sing at all. Here are some examples:

Bob Dylan

Carole King

Joni Mitchell

Neil Young

Tom Petty

Patti Smith

Jimi Hendrix

Paula Abdul

Marianne Faithfull (she had a nothing voice BEFORE she destroyed what little she had with drugs)

Bruce Springsteen

Madonna

[quote]There's not even a contest. Janet Jackson is the absolute WORST voice in pop music history.

What a tasteless, clueless shithead you are. Apparently you've never heard of Britney Spears? Ever hear of Paula Abdul? Neither woman (whose careers are a bi-product of what Janet began, by the way) can hold a candle to Janet vocally. Paula's voice is an absolute nasal mess, and we won't even go into whatever that is Miss Spears tries to pass off as singing. There are a myriad of other performers in popdom who cannot even come close to Janet's vocals.

[quote]Paper-thin voice. Zero range. Emotionless. Devoid of inflection. No power. No layers. Struggles to reach the most basic note. It's like she has the lungs of an infant with emphysema.

Your stupidity knows no bounds. Zero range? She can go from singing a rock song like "Black Cat" to doing something as soft as "Again" or "Let's Wait Awhile", and do it with conviction. People thought "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" was a duet when in fact she was using her lower register in the first verse and her normal higher register in the second verse. Her backing harmonies are always smooth as silk, and she has timbre and a soft melodic quality to her voice that even your wailing, full-on singers couldn't achieve.

[quote]the vocal horror that is Janet Jackson.

The only horror is that travesty of a face that you see whenever you have the misfortune to come across a mirror. Go jump off a bridge, and take R70 with you.

[quote]She can go from singing a rock song like "Black Cat" to doing something as soft as "Again" or "Let's Wait Awhile", and do it with conviction. People thought "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" was a duet when in fact she was using her lower register in the first verse and her normal higher register in the second verse.

Just because she's recorded different genres does not make her a good singer. Her voice is so heavily autotuned it isn't even funny. She simply is not a strong vocalist. But she can dance at least. Or rather she could.

No, Britney, Paula and Demi and others weak singers mentioned here do have unremarkable voices, but so does Janet.

R88, with auto-tune she could have read the words on the page in a monotone and displayed that range. None of the samples were her natural unaltered live voice.

[quote]Just because she's recorded different genres does not make her a good singer.

It's not the cross-genre of songs that make her a good pop singer, it's the fact that she crossed genres believably. Could you picture Celine Dion singing "Black Cat"? Mariah doing "Rhythm Nation"? Hell, she can even take a seductive "baby-making" song and knock it out of the park with her sultry vocals alone. That's versatility.

[quote]She simply is not a strong vocalist

Just become someone isn't a "strong" vocalist doesn't make them a bad singer. You're confusing the too.

[quote]Her voice is so heavily autotuned it isn't even funny

Autotune wasn't even a thing when Janet first started out, and she sounded just fine back then. Here's a song from her very first release from 1982--LOVE AND MY BEST FRIEND. It's a pretty, vulnerable vocal--no autotune needed...

Paula Abdul is a MUCH worse singer than Janet Jackson, no contest. Not only that, the material she sang was about 3 steps down from Janet. She danced with an animated street cat, for crying out loud!

Sidenote: people who complain about modern pop music being terrible should listen to some of the music that was popular in the late-80's and 1990. Remember Wilson Phillips, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice?

Celine wouldn't have sounded any worse singing "Black Cat" than Janet did. Her vocals on that song were nothing special.

[quote]Paula Abdul is a MUCH worse singer than Janet Jackson, no contest.

Exactly. And I say this as someone who is actually a fan of Paula's music. Take "Blowing Kisses in the Wind", for example. A gorgeous, lush ballad that suffers slightly from Paula's nasally delivery. She tries to reach certain vocal plateaus that she just cannot reach.

Shit. The Janbot has been woken. Society isn't safe.

Janbot, she's a legend. She's on the Mt. Rushmore of post-1985 Pop Stars (Madonna, Janet, Britney, and probably Gaga).

But she has a weak, weak voice. It's better than Madonna's and Britney's, but that's like saying a nickel is worth more than a penny. True, but meaningless.

R93, Celine, as great a singer as she is, would have sounded laughable attempting "Black Cat". She doesn't have the sass to deliver a track like that. Just as it takes a certain kind of talent to deliver a power ballad, it also takes a certain kind of talent to deliver a good pop track sans vocal runs.

Singing is so 20th century

[quote]Janbot, she's a legend.

YASS, HUNTY!!

R94, I don't have any grudge against her, but yeah, her voice is razor-thin.

R95, I think Madonna would actually have slightly more vocal range than Janet.

Hexar, she probably does, but Janet has a nicer tone and timbre. It's soft and easy to listen to.

[quote] You're confusing the too.

Oh, DEAR...

Janet Jackson is unfit to audition for a high school choir among a student body filled with mutes.

Her voice is abysmal on a good day and a sonic atrocity at its worst. The "sounds" that come out of her mouth - it's not singing - are the result of production and engineering. The criticisms levied at so many of the performers here pale in comparison to this woman. Every singer mentioned - even the horrible ones - are leagues ahead of this woman. She has no vocal talent. She is not even a dilettante, as dilettantes have at least a shallow knowledge of a craft.

She was very lucky to have ascended during the height of the music video era, when imagery was first and talent was far down the list. Even today, with the shallowness and twerking and vapidity that exists in popular music, nothing equates to the desperate, horrific sounds that once emanated from Janet Jackson.

Truly one of most ghastly examples of nepotism, plastic surgery, marketing and top dollar production working in synch to produce an abomination masquerading as a "singer."

Calling this woman a "singer" is a disgrace and an insult to people with a shred of vocal talent.

R102, I think that we all agree that Paula Abdul is a worse singer than janet .

R101, I know that, you twat. Unfortunately, it was too late for me to correct it. Fuck you very much.

[quote]R102, you went to a lot of trouble with all of that meaningless rambling. Too bad none of it comes off as believable or funny, which is what you were obviously going for but failed MISERABLY. You're a joke and a loser who has never and WILL NEVER amount to anything but the basement-dwelling trash that you are.

Janet Jackson is a singer in the same way Jeffrey Dahmer was a chef.

Milli Vanilli won Grammys too and they never sang a note on their songs.

Yes R106, but MV didn't sing on their albums. Janet does. And she does it well. Now have a seat.

R107, prove it. Is it really Janet or a computer generated reasonable facsimile?

[quote]prove it. Is it really Janet or a computer generated reasonable facsimile?

Janet Jacson is the queen of this thread. Pop music's worst voice, by far.

The entire post of r81 is brought to you from the Bureau of Misinformation.

Madonna, JLo and Britney do not dance well enough to be showgirls. As dancers, they ARE terrible singers. Janet Jackson was a better singer and dancer than any of them by far.

Mariah lost most all her voice many years back. She always had very noticeable breaks between her freakish registers, but it is not her whistle or top notes that are most scorched now. She cannot sing with power or pitch in her mid register, which makes it impossible to sing most songs, or to build any momentum in the kind of songs she "sings along to." She has been using tracks for her trouble spots since she was about 28 years old. He vocal chords are full of folds and pockets that are chasmic, but she can still do that damn whistle thing, just not with melody attached. Her voice is quite literally in pieces.

Celine's reverb is called resonance. She is a pure soprano, but with controlled dark low tones, warm rich mid tones and soaring high notes that can sound thin to old ears. She has power in all registers, unlike most pop singers. Her vibrato is used too much for some, but she has great vocal control. She is French Canadian and her style and tone are inextricable from her heritage. Love her or hate her, she has the most phenomenal range, well over four octaves and she sings beautifully in all parts of that range. (It doesn't count if it makes no sense Mariah.) Celine has the best technique of any of the Divas. She takes care of her voice like it is all she will ever have. She is nuts and nouveau everything, but was one of the great voices of her time. Look it up R81.

What you said about Whitney defies the truth and offends the informed. Her recordings were gorgeous vocals. If she lip-synced it was on some dive tv show in Albania near the beginning of her career. Whitney sang LIVE in great, good or heartbreaking voice around the world. She had a long decline and then hit her head, but for 15 years she performed with unmatched vocal greatness. Hundreds of performances and hundreds of millions of fans, some who don't even like pop music bare witness. Her voice was something, and she was something more.

She sang better live! Who doesn't know that? She imbued her princess of pop songs with some soul and spark and gospel and sometimes she just showed the fuck off. Vinyl and laser disc do not capture the walls coming down tone, power, purity or beauty of Whitney Houstons' voice. We are not likely to hear anything like it again. She was the most thrilling live vocalist of the modern age.

Madonna, at the beginning of her career, had a tinny, high-pitched Minnie Mouse voice. She lowered her register a bit, and that helped some. But sophisticated recording techniques are what really made her sound better. Even so, she is nothing as a singer. NOTHING.

[quote]Madonna, JLo and Britney do not dance well enough to be showgirls. As dancers, they ARE terrible singers. Janet Jackson was a better singer and dancer than any of them by far.

Truer words have never been spoken.

[quote] Even so, she is nothing as a singer. NOTHING.

That makes her 10 times the singer that Janet Jackson is.

10 x 0 = 0

Rhianna

[quote]I know that, you twat. Unfortunately, it was too late for me to correct it. Fuck you very much.

Don't you mean TWO late...snicker...

RiRi really can't sing, can she? I totally get Beyonce, Gaga, Miley, even Britney. They have something about them that is interesting. But RiRi boggles my mind. She and Katy Perry I just don't get. Both suck and both just churn out hit after hit.

r116 Beautifully played.

The problem with Whitney for me was that she NEVER sang her hits live as they were recorded, which I thought was lazy and self indulgent on her part.

I thought this thread was titled WHO HAS THE WORST VOICE? Why is it that a good singer is always equated as a good voice? It's two different things.

A Good Singer? Someone who is very techinical and can use all diferent facets of their voice.

A Good Voice? Basically someone who has a pleasing tone when singing in all their ranges.

Beyonce for example is a wonderful singer but she has a horrible voice.

I thought it was publicized that Madonna's early recordings (with that Minnie Mouse voice) was actually studio trickery. Her tone is much lower.

Madonna as usual always get slammed in these type of threads. Yes she is not a great singer but she has a nice voice. One of the few pop stars who can actually EMOTE.

To the posters who want to turn this into a thread abut their faves, knock it off. There's already a "most dynamic voice" thread.

Gloria Estefan sounds like she should be playing the lounge at a Holiday Inn Express off of I-275 in central Florida. Such a banal voice. A range of three notes. So inoffensive and dull it hurts. Her career is a mystery. Supposedly an interesting lady, in sharp contrast to her vocal talent.

Britney is very, very bad. She really has no idea how to sing and not an iota of natural talent. She can't act either and has a horrible personality. There's not much left other than shaking her tits. And no one cares anymore.

Many of the others listed have at least interesting voices or interpretive styles, which can often make up for any lack of mainstream vocal talent. Kim Carnes and Bonnie Tyler had those throaty, Rod Stewart-like voices that were powerful and evocative but certainly not mainstream. Tremendous character and distinctive, though, which always made them interesting.

But, indeed, Janet Jackson owns this thread. Even her good songs are a struggle to listen to with that pitiful, powerless voice. The equivalent of humming with words. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are master magicians worth every penny.

The worst ever must be Dylan. Neil Young is runner up. As for the females, the worst, most annoying voices belong to Stefani and Macy Gray. When they sound their best, they're still irritating and unlistenable.

Àshley and Jessica Simpson. Remember the lip synching on SNL? Horrid.

Ashlee is so bad she makes her sister sound like Kiri Te Kanawa

Once we enter Neil Young territory then you have to add Curt Cobain and Debbie Harry and Liz Phair and Patti Smith and Tom Waits and that guy from the Smiths.

These people are very famous musicians and singers, who are not heralded for their singing. They are not good singers. Some of us like them for other reasons.

The current worst singing voices belong to Katy Perry front and centre with Rihanna and Taylor Swift anchoring the pyramid.

Gaga and Beyonce both can sing. Neither has a great voice. I agree R120. Madonna does have a few ok spots in her voice, but she can't sing brother. Not then, not later, not now.

I love Debbie Harry's voice. I don't think she had a bad voice.

"She (Mariah) has been using tracks for her trouble spots since she was about 28 years old."

What does this mean? That she sings along to pre-recorded tracks when she's singing "live"? I notice a lot of people do that now (Madonna for one) - they sing along to their own prerecorded "live" track so they can stop singing when they need/want to but the "live" voice goes on. As far as lip-synching goes, I much prefer that to lip-synching to the actual recording - that never works. Of course, I prefer actual real live singing but when you're dancing and very active on stage for long periods of time I realize it's difficult to sing well, too.

Judy Collins - It amazes me how many people don't recognize that she's singing flat. Even when she manages to hit the right note, she's lacking in upper partials (overtones, not false teeth) and it makes her sound flat.

Carly Simon - Ditto. Even worse voice than Collins.

Madonna only sounds 'okay' now due to vocal morphing.

The lead singer of fun.

R131, the singer from Fun is like a bad Freddie Mercury.

[quote] Janet Jackson was a better singer and dancer than any of them by far.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[quote]Of course, I prefer actual real live singing but when you're dancing and very active on stage for long periods of time I realize it's difficult to sing well, too.

Oh, of course, it's damn near impossible! Who could do such a difficult thing?

I hate Frank Sinatra's voice. New York New York nauseates me. He scoops up and down - it's just disgusting. Not to mention he was a psychopath.

r134, most Broadway performers have vocal training and know about things like breath control while most pop stars have no training at all.

Who are the morons in this thread professing Britney Fucking Spears to be a better singer than Janet Jackson? She's the white carbon copy of Janet dance and image-wise, for sure, but the bitch can't sing for shit. Janet, on the other hand, has a soft, sultry, versatile voice that can go hard when it's called for ("Trust a Try", "Black Cat", "Scream") or go to a deeper register ("Nasty", "If", "Love Will Never Do...", "You"), or go high ("All For You", "All Nite", "Escapade"). She doesn't have to sing like Mariah or Celine to be good.

[quote]But, indeed, Janet Jackson owns this thread.

No, but she CLEARLY owns you.

[quote]Even her good songs are a struggle to listen to with that pitiful, powerless voice. The equivalent of humming with words. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are master magicians worth every penny.

Bitch, you wouldn't know a good voice if the the person who owned it came up to you and sang an angelic rendition of "Ave Maria" in your crusty ear. Back away from that computer in the basement of your mother's dingy Section 8 row home and get a fucking life.

[quote][R134], most Broadway performers have vocal training and know about things like breath control while most pop stars have no training at all.

And?

Tell me, R136, are most pop stars incapable of working with a vocal coach? Can they not afford one? Are their record labels, managers, PR gurus and mothers unaware that this training exists and is available to anyone?

Most of them actually DO work with a vocal coach and a dance coach and a team of seasoned professionals there to help, support and train them. They still can't perform live at anywhere near the level of lowliest Broadway chorus boy.

There is NO EXCUSE for it.

Ginger Spice OWNS this thread!

"Tell me, R136, are most pop stars incapable of working with a vocal coach? Can they not afford one? Are their record labels, managers, PR gurus and mothers unaware that this training exists and is available to anyone?"

The point I was trying to make is that pop stars care more about being famous than they do about actually SINGING. They could get a vocal coach but most won't bother.

Janet Jackson, Madonna Estefan own this lousy singers thread.

[R81] I have to agree with others, Ludicrous comment about Whitneys voice being manufactured. She will have no equal for years to come, her live performances are everywhere on the web. Whitney was Spectacular.

I hate how people are talking about great singers (Whitney, Mariah and Celine) in this thread. Whether you're a fan of them or not is irrelevant, but they shouldn't be mentioned in "worst voices" thread.

Here are the horrible ones:

Miley Cyrus

Rihanna

Katy Perry

Madonna

Ke$ha

Taylor Swift

Jennifer Lopez

Paula Abdul

Janet Jackson

Florence Welch

Ellie Goulding

Lana Del Rey

NONE of those bitches can sing and they should be the topic of this thread.

Oh Florence Welch's voice is God awful, so annoying. As my uncle would say "That girl must give a mean blow job".

Florence Welch just bellows!

Mary Wilson

Awesome post by r111.

Britney Spears

JHo

Katy Perry

Taylor Swift

Janet Jackson

Alicia Keys

BEYONCE

Rihanna

I like Mary J. Blige but she has terrible technique. Her live voice might fit here.

Shakira sounds exactly like a bleating goat. Truly the worst singer out there, worse than Bieber. When Eminem tries to sing instead of rap that is also hideous.

Mary J. Blige often sings out of tune. It's a fact so obvious but so few are willing to mention, I don't know why.

R126, it's Kurt Cobain. And don't bring him up here. He's a legend. Rock isn't pop. It's all about the lyrics and the turn of a phrase for rock stars. Plus, he could scream in key.

Marco, loved your post! We really do think alike1

r147, Beyonce and especially Alicia are not as bad as all the other singers you listed. Alicia could sing circles around Janet, Britney, and co.

Britney COULD sing, but was trained in a style her voice is ill-suited for to make her more pop friendly when Jive got a hold of her. Rihanna has taken up her mantle as 'girl with distinctive vocals suite for electronic mapping and heavy production'.

Katy Perry can sing, but she sings out of genre. Her voice doesn't work for sweeping pop ballads and high notes. Same goes for Miley.

Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Kesha and J.Lo can't sing.

Shakira is gorgeous in Spanish but awful in English.

Demi Lovato and Christina Aguilera have the same overbelting issue.

Adele is lovely but has problem areas she needs to work on.

Beyonce's tone is awful.

[quote] Alicia could sing circles around Janet, Britney, and co.

Key's damaged voice makes her a good fit for this list.

There are just so many horrible singers I forgot to add the Kween of HORRIBLE voices, Shitney Spears.

R142, ITA with your post. Though I like some on the horrible list... I still recognize that their voices are bad.

Selena Gomez' voice is pretty awful. She sounds just so fragile live and she quickly gets out of breath.

Funny because I think the recorded song is beautiful and the kid is adorable... but I once accidently heard Jesse McCartney singing at a rodeo or something and it was painful. Like, not even close. Kim Zolziak territory.

I've never really followed Enrique Iglesias, but wasn't there a viral video of his offkey singing a couple of years ago?

R159 we don't even need live footage to tell his voice is horrible. Iglesias has a paper-thin, weak-ass voice. No doubt that if he weren't so fucking gorgeous, he would never have a recording career.

If anyone watches him live, he points the mic towards the crowd on all of the "difficult" notes in his songs aka he's afraid he won't do them justice live.

Along with Iglesias, other sucky male "singers" are Adam Levine, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Drake (he raps but also tries "singing" in several songs), Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, and plenty others.

Enrique Iglesias was sooooo bad. I almost forgot about him.

R88 needs anti-psychotics, stat.

It's a thread about fucking pop stars. Not a political debate, and you sound seriously unhinged when you tell people who don't like Janet Jackson to kill themselves.

Pathetic (as are your opinions).

And you bumped this two-day-old thread just to say that, R162? You're taking my comments (and yourself) WAY too seriously. Unclench.

The whole point of that, R119, is that you're not paying twice to hear the same thing. She went over and beyond the call of duty performing live, which surely is what you'd expect to see. If you wanted to hear the studio version, you could just stay home and listen to it. Lip-synching is an insult.

I actually like Drake's singing voice compared to his rapping. He has a distinct tone which i find more grating when he raps.

I'm glad people are finally calling out Beyonce and her voice. Out of every iteration of Destiny's Child she was the worst. She's just a an excellent singer. I find Kelly Rowland to have a much better full bodied voice and a a very good singer.

Frank Sinatra had pitch problems. I much prefer the likes of Nat King Cole.

Justin Beiber.

Pitbull:

He has a terrible voice that accompanies terrible tunes. His music would kill orphans in Africa if they heard it.

Gotta add Adam Lambert to the sucky list. his high pitched caterwauling combined with unnecessary screeching in every song destroys any shot at being considered even a competent singer.

"Gotta add Adam Lambert to the sucky list. his high pitched caterwauling combined with unnecessary screeching in every song destroys any shot at being considered even a competent singer."

Well, he was talented enough to make a living doing musical theater (which Britney, Janet, etc. couldn't do). Just because you don't like his STYLE of singing doesn't mean he can't sing. A lot of people on this site hate anyone who is openly gay.

The key to being a successful pop singer isn't having an incredible voice, it's having an instantly recognizable voice. Most successful pop stars (Stevie Nicks, Janet, Gwen Stefani, Belinda Carlisle, Debbie Harry, Kylie, Olivia Newton John, Madonna come to mind) have contestable voices, but you know who is singing.

That said, Boy George has the worst voice in my opinion. Totally, consistently flat and zero range.

I'm not a fan of Adam Lambert's rock "wail". However, he has vocal chops.

Someone's singing style is not the same thing as their voice.

[all posts by tedious troll removed.]

Janet Jackson.

Shitney Spears

Dude at 171, I am not a big George troll -- but, man, listen to him on "Crying Game". AND he is the best part of that "Do They Know it's Christmas" song too. Voice of an angel. Too bad the rest of him is so fucked up (though I kind of like that too, actually... today's pop stars are so damn dull).

R170 Well, he was talented enough to make a living doing musical theater"

He was in the chorus of third rate touring companies and off off Broadway. You can get that job as long as you have a pulse.

R174, Janet Jackson has a lovely voice. You don't know a thing, you fucking cunt. Bash Janet again and see what happens to your pasty, lame ass. I ought to slap the bitch right out of you. Did I call you a cunt yet? Love me some Janet.

We're in sync, R178

Why are Janet Jackson fans like r178 so unhinged and violent? As if your existence depends on her legitimacy?

She can't sing. Possibly one of the worst ever to be such a success. Yet you dispute this with a fervor normally deserved for defending the life of your family.

Look inward to see why defending Janet Jackson to anonymous, faceless strangers causes you to suggest violent remedies to this "problem."

lol R178 isn't the real Janbot. It's someone doing a funny and exaggerated parody of him.

Shitney Spears is the worst.

Janet's voice is horrible.

Beyonce's voice can be pitchy and uneven when she sings. Same with Taylor Swift. Her duet with Stevie Nicks at the Grammys a few years ago still burns my ears and tenses up my anus.

Most of the names mentioned can actually sing to one degree or another. It appears more a matter of taste.

Janet Jackson and Britney Spears are a level of sonic horror that most of those being criticized are nowhere near.

Off pitch and occasionally overwrought are minuscule criticisms compared to these two vocal charlatans, both notorious for their "lip synching" in live performances.

Both of them are no talents.

Oh dear God, how could I forget Taylor Swift? I literally have to leave the room if someone is playing her.

Added to the fact that I am so sick of stupid little girls in general. Those lyrics! That bray! Just fuckin' kill me.

Jonas brothers

The fuckwad at R183 can catch a brick and get bent. Janet Jackson, compared to the Janet 2.0 wannabe Shitney Spears, the Janet imitator (and former employee) Jennifer Lopez, the Janet-in-training Ciara, and even HAGdonna (who couldn't harmonize if her life depended on it and sounds HORRIBLE live), has the voice of an angel. Soft, melodious, and able to change from hard to gentle on a whim, she rarely gets credit for her vocal abilities. Not everyone has to be a wailer to be able to "sing". Janet's voice is perfect for the pop music she makes. Another thing she rarely gets credit for are her harmonies, which are ALWAYS on point. Prick up your ears, motherfucker!

Janet Jackson is exquisite, bitches.

Y'all need to watch Got2BeReal...it's a dozen or so glorious web episodes of singers calling each other out....(a parody of course)

Janet Jackson really isn't a very good singer, and I don't really give a fuck if Janbot agrees with me or not.

Shitney Spears is in a (bad) singing category of her own.

Almost none of the current pop divas can really sing that well.

[quote]Janet Jackson really isn't a very good singer, and I don't really give a fuck if Janbot agrees with me or not.

Who gives a shit about your worthless, pitiful, non-factor of an opinion?

michael bolton

michael mcdonald (doobie wrecker)

ed roland

glenn anzalone (danzig)

maria carey

whitless houston

seanaid oconnor

Katy Perry's voice is quite weak. I've often tnought the writer of "Firework" was fucking with her becaus she CANNOT sing that song--she just squeaks it out.

Rihanna has no range. I swear she only sings three notes in every song.

What's wrong with that, R192?

Bill Cosby

For the people saying that Whitney Houston has a bad voice, can you please explain yourself? She had (at one point) one of the clearest voices on the planet, with loads of range. She was raised on gospel, so the technical ability was there, too. Sure she used too much melisma sometimes, but (prior to the drugs) I just don't get your gripe with her actual voice.

And if she had a bad voice, who has (or had) a good voice? Are you assuming that having a good voice means singing for the stage alone?

I'm betting that if you think that Whitney had a bad voice, then you probably feel the same way about most gospel/soul/R&B singers.

OMG I had to look up the Taylor Swift doing Silent Night. Oh. My. Fucking. God. She's even worse than Jabalah Jackson.

This just makes me depressed.

It's not just the pop girls who run around using autotune, voice enhancers and canned vocals. Even "rock" bands are doing it now.

Can somebody please post this link and start a thread of singers and bands who still play LIVE with no preprogramed shit and real singing,

I go to a live show to see a live show, i don;t give a shit if the vocals aren't perfect.

Look at Gaga and Beyonce who can sing yet still do most of their shows with canned vocals. It's lazy and boring to be perfect.

I saw Queen and Roger Taylor made a point out of saying everything on stage was live and real without even using click tracts.

They had a huge sound with just a 5 piece band. And say what you will about Adam Lambert but he was running all over the place and nailed every note of a very tough catalogue for over 2 hours. Did not sound screechy.

The old school bands still sell so well cause they actually learned to play and sing live.

Rod Stewart

Kate Bush has always been awful with her shrill shit. Her voice is just odd and unpleasant.

Ethel Merman had an interesting voice and knew how to sing, but "pretty" it ain't.

Britney Spears and dare I say it...Janet Jackson.

Estefan by a mile Keyes and Madge in a tie Perry and Jackson Swift, who?

R 80 remarks are not even coherent about Whitney Houston. Her live performances are iconic and breathtakingly beautiful. Her medley "Porgy, And I am Telling You, I have nothing" will stand alone as one of the most beautiful LIVE performances in music history.

Bob Dylan won this thread 50 years ago.

When Katie Perry songs come on the radio I have to change the channel, she's horrid.

This would be a short thread if we listed who is good.

Now that Idina Menzel is famous, well, Idina Menzel.

Selena Gomez is offensively bad live

Michael McDonald sounds like he needs to drink a quart of Vick's Cough Syrup.

[quote]OMG I had to look up the Taylor Swift doing Silent Night. Oh. My. Fucking. God.

It's no wonder that so many musicians won't work with her.

Creed, Nickelback. I don't know their names but the voices are horrible.

And yet, Taylor outsang Idina the other night. Obviously, she's working on her technique and improving, unlike some people.

Don't ever disrespect bad boy icon Chris Brown. He may be a tool but has the sexiest male voice in r&b since Smokey Robinson.

Jane Jackson

R210, that was just Idina having a bad night

Mary J Blige - probably THE most overrated singer of modern times.

Live she's pretty much constantly flat and has no clue where her limitations are - flatter notes when she belts out notes to the point where her voice breaks up and timing is not her strong point either.

In the studio she reins it in a little but she seems to sing without paying any attention to the backing track. The only time I ever heard anything good from her was on an early song that's a cover where her voice is shredded (probably from multiple takes until she got it right).

She was marketed as an amazing singer before she even recorded a note and some people seem to be taken in by this ridiculous 'Queen of hip hop soul' marketing.

R214, god, yeah. Blige is absolutely horrible.

But I still say Adam Levine is the worst - so nasal, so whiny, so abhorrent.

Even Blige fans admit she's frequently horrible live. But they appreciate the feeling. I like some of her old stuff.

r210, Taylor outsinging Idina? Right. Taylor outsinging anybody but Kermit the Frog is pushing it.

[quote]Taylor outsang Idina the other night. Obviously, she's working on her technique and improving,

There's no technique to improve. It's Autotune that is improving. Swifty doesn't sing a note that hasn't been Autotuned.

Mark McGrath, lead singer of Sugar Ray. Possibly the worst pop voice I've ever heard, and that's saying something. I wanted to link to "Fly," but I kept getting an error.

John Legend is awful. I don't get why people think he can sing.

People don`t know how to sing.

Liza makes me want to claw my eyes out. Barbra makes me want to commit murder.

Swift easily runs away with the top award for worst voice.

I've saw Whitney live and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

What a voice-- it sounded even better live than on records. Her recorded songs were made for the pop-loving public so were bland in comparison to how she sang them live--more soulful.

Sure, as she aged, her voice got deeper so she couldn't hit all the high notes anymore-- but she's still the greatest vocalist I've ever seen.

Paul McCartney.

Mark McGrath.-God Awful!

Rod Stewart.

Neil Sedaka

Tom Waits. The man is trying very hard to sound like shit filtered through a used cigarette butt someone found in a sewage drain and then kept up their ass to smoke later on. He succeeds at his mission.

Shakira...all that horrendous yodeling will only bring the dogs out.

Madonna sounded screechy in "Papa Don't Preach" (especially when she sings PLEASE just before the chorus).

Diana Krall sounds breathy and monotonous, and seems to speak her songs rather than actually sing them.

H

Rihanna

R222 was voted "Most Likely to Face Hate Crimes Charges" in high school.

Shakira

Katy Perry

Adam Levine

The Weekened

Tom Waits

Bob Dylan

Adele