I feel like a line needs to be drawn in the sand here; are we discussing artists who experienced decline as vocalists, or artists who simply weren't born with vocal talent in the first place?

 

 

 

Taylor can sing. She just can't sing well.

 

 

3 minutes ago, LikeATattoo said:

I feel like a line needs to be drawn in the sand here; are we discussing artists who experienced decline as vocalists, or artists who simply weren't born with vocal talent in the first place?

 

 

 

singers who always sucked at signing! 

7 minutes ago, TayDuaStan said:

 

7 minutes ago, Harrier said:

Madge sounds lovely on her albums between Evita and maybe like... Hard Candy.

I feel like Madonna is an example of the theory that anyone can be trained to carry a (non-challenging) tune tbh. I actually think that it'd be interesting to hear the results of Taylor undergoing the same vocal training that Madonna did for Evita.

3 minutes ago, Yanko said:

singers who always sucked at signing! 

OK so that validates my initial answer to the question then:

 

rihanna

1 hour ago, HardBambi said:

I would say Mariah can't sing anymore, I think she's the worst (performer) even though she was once the best which is shocking

 

Yeah I'm a Mariah fan but I find it funny how people act like she still has an amazing voice like no let's be real. Her current voice wouldn't even get her past the auditions on American Idol 

 

Whitney's voice was pretty much gone too before she died and it's a cautionary tale. Some voices are just more fragile than others, which is why I'm never mad when an artist wants to lipsync while on tour it's important if you want to preserve your voice.

in this day and age naming the ones who can is faster than naming those who can't 

Madonna, Taylor, Britney, Selena. 
 

even "singers" like Christina Aguilera who have no control or technique. You would think Lotus was recorded in one afternoon start to finish. 

Edited December 1, 2025Dec 1 by WhateverYouWant

Selena Gomez is simply not a singer. If you picked a random person off of the street, there's a 90% chance they naturally sing better 

20 minutes ago, Bacardo Royale said:

Yeah I'm a Mariah fan but I find it funny how people act like she still has an amazing voice like no let's be real. Her current voice wouldn't even get her past the auditions on American Idol 

 

Whitney's voice was pretty much gone too before she died and it's a cautionary tale. Some voices are just more fragile than others, which is why I'm never mad when an artist wants to lipsync while on tour it's important if you want to preserve your voice.

Well Whitney's vocal decline was directly the result of lifestyle choices (the robustness of her instrument is actually why it didn't break down sooner), and Mariah's vocal decline was the result of lifestyle choices and unaddressed medical problems (nodules on her vocal chords stemming from childhood).

Gaga

1 hour ago, LikeATattoo said:

OK so that validates my initial answer to the question then:

 

Madonna is so much better: Imagine Tay doing Evita

4 minutes ago, iliketaylorsmusic said:

Gaga

4 minutes ago, HardBambi said:

Madonna is so much better: Imagine Tay doing Evita

Madonna rigorously trained for Evita. Tay has never put any kind of concentrated effort into her singing (and likely never will lol).

Just now, LikeATattoo said:

Madonna rigorously trained for Evita. Tay has never put any kind of concentrated effort into her singing (and likely never will lol).

Just because you train in doesn't guarantee results if you don't have some good pipes to work with 

 

Taylor doesn't really change anything in her music style so it's ok not to train, she sounds good

You can tell not a lot of people have mentioned RIhanna because her stans haven't yet terrorised us with that one BBMA performance of LOTB that they always trot out as evidence of her "vocals"  

Edited December 1, 2025Dec 1 by Khal

I know country music isn't something a lot of people like around here but I do and I have to say that Megan Moroney always sounds bad live. Every award show performance she has ever done has been off-pitch and her voice is just so monotone.

Katy Perry, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Addison Rae, Avril Lavigne, Cheryl Cole, Hilary Duff, Charli XCX. You can love their music as I also do, but these objectively range from meh to dogshit vocalists. 

Katy Perry, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Addison Rae, Avril Lavigne, Cheryl Cole, Hilary Duff, Charli XCX. You can love their music as I also do, but these objectively range from meh to dogshit vocalists. 

19 minutes ago, HardBambi said:

Just because you train in doesn't guarantee results if you don't have some good pipes to work with 

Which is why I said in another comment that a professionally trained Taylor would be "interesting", not a guarantee of anything.

 

Madonna has basic pipes, not good ones. She's an example of someone with textbook average ability who, with dedication and training, can be taught to carry a tune. But she's not a born singer. It's kind of like how the average young, able-bodied person today can train for a marathon but is by no means a natural athlete. It is what it is.

Edited December 2, 2025Dec 2 by LikeATattoo

3 hours ago, LikeATattoo said:

Well, there isn't a silver of vocal talent in this picture:

 

and they went on to become the 2 biggest female singers ever