Beyonce Songwriting Criticism Addressed by Linda Perry
Beyonce's songwriting credits may be questionable, according to famed songwriter Linda Perry.
Perry, the songwriter who has famously written and produced music for the likes of Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Pink and Gwen Stefani, now has her own VH1 reality television series called "Make or Break." Ahead of her series debut, Perry answered fan questions on a Reddit Ask Me Anything session.
One fan decided to question Perry about her thoughts on 32-year-old singer Beyonce being named a songwriter on her songs where reports surfaced that she only tweaked a few words, melodies or instruments.
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"Linda, how do you feel about Beyonce changing one word on a song and getting writing credit. Does that bother you as a songwriter?" one person asked.
The songwriter did not shy away from being candid in her response.
"Well hahaha um thats not songwriting but some of these artists believe if it wasn't for them your song would never get out there so they take a cut just because they are who they are," Perry responded. "But everyone knows the real truth even Beyonce. She is talented but in a completely different way."
Ne-Yo, the singer-songwriter, who created the song Beyonce "Irreplaceable," which was featured on her 2006, "B'Day" album explained why she was given songwriting credits for the song he wrote.
While previously appearing on Power 105.1 FM's "The Breakfast Club" in 2012, Ne-Yo said Beyonce changed some harmonies on the original song that he wrote, which transformed it.
"So yeah, I gave her writer's credit, because that counts," he said on the radio show. "That's writing. "
Whether Beyonce wrote most of her self-titled album or not, Forbes recently placed her atop Forbes magazine's list of the world's 100 most powerful celebrities. While her endorsements and world tour have helped earn her an estimated $115 million since last year, Forbes believes her self-titled surprise album put her ahead of the pack.
The 15th annual Celebrity 100 list measures what celebrities earned over the course of the last 12 months, social media presence, and the amount of times they appeared on print, TV and radio.
