'The Voice' Judges and Contestants Criticized by Elton John: 'It's Not Fair'
Famous musician Elton John recently spoke out against NBC's hit singing competition show "The Voice," stating that the show gives judges too much attention and rockets people to stardom before they are ready for it.
Elton John believes that the American version of the show exists mostly to draw attention to the judges.
"'The Voice' is all about watching the judges," he said in a BBC Radio 4 interview. The judges on the competition show include the already very famous musicians, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, and Cee-Lo Green.
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Elton John went on to further criticize the show, pointing out that, "nobody on 'The Voice' in America has had a hit record." John went so far as to call "Voice" contestants "non-entities" who are "only as good as the next song."
However, he does not blame the contestants themselves, but rather the show.
"Television and video have done a lot of damage to music. They've propelled people into stardom that aren't ready for it, you know, and can't sustain it," he explained.
John compared the fate of "The Voice" winners to that of "Pop Star Idol."
"I hate people being cast aside. It breaks my heart to see people like Michelle McManus who won 'Pop Star' (Pop Idol), whatever it was, but it's not fair," the musician said.
John has a theory as to why shows like "The Voice" and "Pop Star Idol" cannot produce sustainable talent.
"Unless you have got real gravitas and you have earned your corn, it is going to be hard for you to stay sane, it is going to be hard for you to maintain your career and you may end up being a bitter non-entity," he said as an explanation to his criticism.
