Even if an artist has numerous hit singles or a trophy case full of Grammy Awards, it doesn’t mean they’re anything special outside of gaining critics’ approval. In fact, many artists like Dave Matthews and Axl Rose are a bit overrated.
From doing nothing more than swinging hair around a la 1980s to stretching into a microphone, here are some of the most overhyped artists ever.
Dave Matthews
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This might be hard for some people to hear, especially those who live in New Jersey and New York, but Dave Matthews is nothing more than a tri-state icon who made waves in the music scene for wearing tight jeans and strumming a guitar.
When it comes to his vocals, Matthews is really is nothing special.
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Justin Timberlake
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Sadly, after Justin Timberlake released his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, he went totally mainstream. His range plateaued, and he didn’t release anything spectacular that caught not only critics’ attention but the fans that have been with him since N*SYNC.
Alas, Timberlake has been doing something right all of these years to have won ten Grammy Awards.
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Prince
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Prince is one of those performers who wows the crowd. The problem with that is the artist had a solid fanbase and a lot of followers who really didn’t know more than two of his songs.
With a diverse range and style, Prince never settled on a specific sound. Whether that makes him overrated and hard to follow or incredibly gifted is up for debate.
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Ariana Grande
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Ariana Grande might have numerous accolades to her name, including two Grammy Awards, but that doesn’t mean the singer isn’t a bit overhyped by her die-hard fans.
With vocal skills measuring up to that of Whitney Huston and Jennifer Hudson, one would think Grande would sing more heartfelt songs with more depth and range instead of something that is literally in the same key for three minutes straight.
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Anthony Kiedis
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Anthony Kiedis is the lead singer of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. And while a lot of people can’t imagine the six-time Grammy Award-winning band without their frontman, he really isn’t anything special.
Kiedis made a career off making lyrics out of strange metaphors and pretending he knows how to rap.
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Neil Young
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Grammy Award-winning singer Neil Young might have a few of the prestigious accolades to his name and many more, but that doesn’t deter from the fact that many people think the Canadian artist is overrated.
The reason is his voice sounds whiny at times, which doesn’t make his music over appealing to listen to regularly.
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Jimi Hendrix
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There is a reason Jimi Hendrix s considered “the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music” and not the greatest singer. The man could play the guitar and bring people to their knees.
But when it came to his singing, it really wasn’t anything special, especially at a time when so many great artists were popping up.
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Bon Jovi
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Starting his career in the 1980s with a band, Jon Bon Jovi should have called it quits when Richie Sambora opted to leave. And that was 2013! The issue with Jovi is all of his songs sound similar, a stereotypical arena rock anthem.
One reviewer summed this particular musical artist up perfectly, saying, “Bon Jovi is rock for people who don’t like rock.”
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Axl Rose
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The lead singer of Guns N’ Roses, Axl Rose, made a name for himself by screaming into a microphone and swinging his hair back in forth in a way that would make Willow Smith proud.
But, as far as frontmen for 1980s hair bands go, Rose is a bit overrated in the fact that all of his songs sound the same, with a minimal range that starts blending together.
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Taylor Swift
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Taylor Swift has been honored with awards left and right, including 11 Grammy Awards, but there is something a lot of people can’t shake off (pun intended). One reviewer of Swift’s music wrote, “It’s one thing to be a musician, but be a little creative.”
“And creative is one thing she’s NOT. It seems like all she ever sings about are breakups and constantly comparing herself to popular people, and nothing else, which gets kinda boring after a while.”
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Elvis Presley
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The King, Elvis Presley, was one of a kind when he came onto the music scene in the 1950s. He was swinging his hips and singing in a sultry blues voice no one had really heard before.