Katy Perry

There’s no denying that Katy Perry is one of the biggest music superstars of the 21st century. She’s amassed a massive amount of hits – including “Teenage Dream”, “Firework”, “Roar”, and “I Kissed a Girl” – and has a library of iconic music videos and concert tours. However, as good of an overall performer as Perry is, her voice isn’t her strong suit.

Ozzy Osbourne

There’s no doubt that Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most iconic and successful metal singers of all time. His work with Black Sabbath and later solo career went a long way in defining the genre, and his later reality TV antics endeared him to a whole new demographic of fans. However, all that said, Ozzy doesn’t have the vocal range of some of his hard rock peers.

Camila Cabello

Camila Cabello, of Fifth Harmony and “Havana” fame, is another example of an artist whose a better overall performer than a vocalist. Both in her girl group and solo careers, Cabello has shown to be a talented dancer and charismatic presence, but she’s not wowing anyone with just her singing.

Axl Rose

When Guns N’ Roses exploded out of the Southern California rock scene in the late 1980s, their catchy songs, bad-boy image, and hedonistic antics made them one of the era’s most beloved acts. Part of their distant sound inarguably came from the vocals of lead singer Axl Rose. However, distinct doesn’t necessarily mean skilled, because while Rose’s voice is certainly recognizable, it’s certainly not one of a classically trained vocalist. This has been especially true in live performances in recent years.

Britney Spears

Beloved Pop Star: Check

Fashion Icon for a Generation: Check

Fantastic Stage Performer: Check

Great Vocal Talent: … Not so much.

Again, we’re not taking anything away from the overall talent as a performer that Britney Spears possesses. However, her vocals alone are far, far from her strong suit.

Dave Matthews

Dave Mathews and the band that bears his name have become one of the most successful touring jam artists of all time, largely despite the singer’s less than stellar, mumbled vocals. Now, that’s not to take away from Matthews’s outstanding songwriting ability, which is arguably the band’s real draw.

Rihanna

Bahamian bombshell Rihanna has had an inarguably massive music carer in the last decade-plus, with sales of over 250 million records, 14 number-ones, and 31 top-ten singles in the U.S. In other words, it hasn’t mattered in the slightest that she doesn’t have a great voice.

Lou Reed

Lou Reed, the singer and principal songwriter for avant-garde 1960s band the Velvet Underground, arguably made an entire career out of his lack of vocal talent. Instead of singing, Reed was known for deadpan, almost spoken-word performances.

Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne burst onto the music scene in 2002 ad a pop-punk princess with spunky hits including “Sk8er Boi” and “Complicated.” She’s continued to be successful for almost two decades, slowly moving her image away from angry teen to full-fledged pop star. However, It could be argued that her image and catchy songs have masked vocal abilities that aren’t quite up to snuff.

Liam Gallagher

While Liam Gallagher undoubtedly has rock-star swagger, his vocals often sounded more like someone doing a John Lennon impression than singing. This, combined with the fact that his brother guitarist Noel Gallagher wrote almost all of the band’s biggest hits, is likely why Oasis imploded in sibling bickering in 2009.

Selena Gomez

Former Disney star Selena Gomez has had a lot of hits during her music career. However, it’s probably not a stretch to say that their success is more to do with studio production and catchy melodies than her singing voice, which tends to sound very auto-tuned.

Adam Levine

Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine doesn’t necessarily have the worst voice we’ve ever heard, but listening to all of Maroon 5’s hits in a row can become a bit monotonous, as Levine doesn’t seem to alter his vocal style much – if at all – no matter what type of track he’s performing on. Again, not terrible, but we’d expect more from a longtime judge of The Voice.

Janet Jackson

Calm down Jackson fans, we’re not saying Janet has a terrible voice or anything. Just her vocals are probably the least impressive of her gamut of performing skills.

Jon Bon Jovi

During the 1980s and early 1990s, Jon Bon Jovi had one of the best voices in rock, with a dynamic range. However, in the 1990s JBJ took up smoking – allegedly to further his acting career – and his voice went through a quick and precipitous decline. These days, Jon is vocally a shell of his former self, to the point where even his band’s live show can’t hide the deficiencies.

Miley Cyrus

Another cause of an uber-talented overall stage performer with a voice that doesn’t reach greatness by itself, Miley Cyrus has made a post-Disney star career out of being shocking. However, her vocals are often unimpressive, especially when she strayed from the musical style that best suits her voice.

Bono

Much like Jon Bon Jovi, U2’s Bono is on our list because of his modern vocals. Back in the 80s, Bono’s operatic vocals propelled U2 to international superstardom, however, the singer clearly can’t hit the high notes of his Joshua Tree heyday on tour anymore, and no amount of expensive stage set-ups can hide that.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is the biggest pop star in the world right now, churning out hit after hit and stadium tour after stadium tour. However, all that star-power does a good job of masking the fact that Swift has a relatively mediocre vocal range.

Johnny Rotten

While some punk rock “purists” may not want to hear it, the Sex Pistols were as prefabricated as any boy band. None of them had any definable musical skills, including singer Johnny Rotten who snarled his way through every song in the band’s small catalog.

Lady Gaga

Hear us out, Lady Gaga does have a very good voice and compared to many modern pop stars, she has a tremendous voice. However, there seems to be a recency bias that attempts to elevate Gaga to the likes of all-time-great singers, a standard against which she falls short.

Kurt Cobain

Nirvana’s grunge sound and Cobain’s excellent songwriting exploded in the music industry in the early 90s and fundamentally changed how the public viewed alternative rock. However, from a purely vocal perspective, Cobain wasn’t the best singer. His voice often came off raspy and unintelligible.

Madonna

Madonna is a massive influence on many of the artists who’ve come after, including several on our lists like Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus. And like them, Madonna’s career has been more defined by her overall skills as a performer and provocateur than it has her vocals.

Chris Martin

Coldplay is one of the biggest “modern” rock bands in the world, thanks to their grandiose epic songs. However, vocalist Chris Martin is simply fine. Not a terrible singer by any means, but his voice certainly doesn’t match the epic quality reached by his band’s music.

Gwen Stefani

Both with No Doubt and in her solo career, Gwen Stefani has been a genre-defining pop star for 25 years now. Her fashions have been copied, and her attitude toward female empowerment has influenced a generation. Vocally though, she’s just kind of there. Not bad, but certainly not great.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is one of the most iconic musicians of all time, widely decorated for his songwriting. His voice? Not so much. It’s grainy and mumbly, though some love it that way.

Beyonce

Let’s be clear: Beyonce has a great voice, maybe one of the best on our list. However, because she has a fandom that treats her like a queen they call her Queen B – it’s worth noting that her vocals don’t quite reach the heights of the R&B pantheon.

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is a solid songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist. However, his talent level doesn’t quite match up to his massive, stadium-filling popularity, leading to him being a bit overrated.

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber became famous thanks to his vocal prowess, but these days the Canadian singer-songwriter seems to be resting on his laurels a bit. He famously doesn’t even know the lyrics to his hit appearance on “Despactio.”

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez is a multimedia icon, with massive success in films, television, and music. However, just because said music career has been successful doesn’t mean J-lo has a great voice. Sure, songs like “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and “Jenny From The Block” are fun, but would anyone argue they’re vocal masterpieces?

Bret Michaels

Poison lead singer Bret Michaels has made a three-decade career out of fronting his glam metal band – as well as appearing on numerous reality television shows – all while not having the vocal chops of many of his peers from that decade.

Shania Twain

Shania Twain doesn’t have a bad voice by any means. However, there are many women in country music with voices much more dynamic than hers who haven’t had a fraction of the “Still the One” singer’s success.

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson has been one of America’s biggest pop stars since she won the inaugural season of American Idol way back in 2002. Thanks to belted-out hits like “My Life Would Suck Without You” Clarkson has gained a reputation as a premier vocalist. However, like other entries on our list, that seems to be more due to recency bias than overall ability.

David Lee Roth

“Diamond” Dave inarguably brought a ton of charisma to the first 6 Van Halen records. His bawdy-yet-poetic lyrics and bombastic stage presence had nearly as much to do with bringing in fans as Eddie Van Halen’s “guitar god” skills. However, that said, Roth’s voice did not have a dynamic range, nor was he the most naturally talented vocalist.

Cher

Cher is undoubtedly a music icon, however, her voice and trademark warble is more recognizable than it is great.

Eddie Vedder

Like his grunge-bed fellow Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder is one of the most influential songwriters of the last 30 years. However, while his trademark mumble works for Pearl Jam’s style, it’s certainly not a classically “good” voice.

Adele

Again, another controversial choice, but hear us out: Adele is a very good singer. There’s no disputing that fact. However, once again, recency bias comes into play here. Is she great compared to a vast majority of singers on the pop charts today? Yes. Does she still rank that highly when compared to the all-time greats? We think that’s up for debate.

Billie Eilish

This one is likely to spark an argument, especially with a younger generation. Nevertheless, Billie Eilish undoubtedly cuts our list of overrated singers. On the rare occasion when Billie uses her voice in a more traditional sense, it’s obvious that she has some serious pipes. However, her music is whispery and moody, which masks any real talent as a sacrifice to stand out. Somehow she still conjures up hoards of fans who’ve completely fallen in love with her style and carefree attitude.

James Hetfield

Metallica lead singer/rhythm guitarist James Hatfield has been lauded as a metal god for nearly four decades at this point, mostly because his band is easily the biggest and most popular metal band of all time. However, there’s no doubt that his voice has deteriorated significantly since the 1980s, most noticeable on current live recordings of their 80s classics.

Michael Jackson

After breaking away from his brothers in the Jackson 5 in the late 1970s, Michael Jackson became the unquestioned king of pop. Between his catchy songs, unparalleled music videos, and his spectacular dance moves, there’s no denying Jackson’s other-worldly talent. However, his vocals, while not bad by any means, are defining the weakest part of the overall package.

Gerard Way

My Chemical romances were the kings of mid-00s emo and alternative rock, led by immensely artistic lead singer Gerard Way. Way crafted the band’s image and the elaborate backstories for their concept albums, as well as created the successful non-MCR-related comic book The Umbrella Academy. However, Way’s vocal ability doesn’t quite match up with his other artistic pursuits.

Bruce Springsteen

At the risk of enraging the majority of New Jersey’s residents, we have to talk about Bruce Springsteen. Yes, he is The Boss. Yes, he’s writing about the struggle of common Americans has been a defining artistic achievement of the last five decades. Yes, his epic live shows are rightfully legendary. However his voice, by itself absolutely would not merit the acclaim he gets.

Billy Joel

There’s a reason they call Billy Joel the “Piano Man” as opposed to the “Singing Man” and it’s not just because of the song. Joel’s vocals have never matched his instrumental talent, and it’s only gotten worse in recent decades as many songs have to be slowed down and dropped in key in concert just so he can vocally keep up.

Billie Joe Armstrong

Believe it or not, Green Day has been dominating the music world for well over 25 years at this point. However from their Dookie days as snotty punks to their American Idiot and beyond reign as stadium rick superstars, one of the constants has been the vocals of singer Billie Joe Armstrong. Sure, the faux English accent has a certain appeal to it, but let’s face it, a tremendous vocalist he’s not.

Lemmy Kilmister

Motorhead lead singer Lemmy Kilmister is a legend in the hard rock and heavy metal community thanks to his hard-partying lifestyle (including living above a bar in Hollywood for many years), odd off-stage quirks (like collecting WWII memorabilia), and touring schedule relentless touring schedules that included thousands of shows over the years. However, all of that covered the fact that his vocals were often incomprehensible, especially live.

Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl has gone from Nirvana drummer to Foo Fighters singer to all-around elder statesmen of rock, becoming one of the genre’s most respected figures. All of which has made Grohl a two-time Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fam inductee even though his vocals are often relatively “generic” sounding.

Patrick Stump

There’s no denying that Patrick Stump is a musical genius, as evidenced by his instrumental and production work both with his band Fall Out Boy and alone on various soundtracks as well as a solo album. However, Stump’s actual vocals can be a bit repetitive. He has an impressive range but essentially sounds the same on most songs in the band’s catalogue, especially on the albums following their 2013 return from hiatus.

Louis Tomlinson

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Louis Tomlinson is one of the five former members of boy band One Direction. The fact of the matter is that the five boys were placed into a group back when they were formed on The X Factor because none of them could hack it alone. Other band members such as Zayn Malik and Harry Styles have become successful in their own right, but Louis hasn’t managed it in quite the same way – and hearing Louis’ voice next to the other band members’, it does make sense.

Jason Derulo

Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images

Derulo’s skills and vocal technique are incredibly hit or miss. Though some of his songs are undeniably catchy, there are some songs where Derulo is off key and just does not sound as good as a singer that famous should. If you can afford the training, why aren’t you getting it? It’s not Derulo’s songwriting that is in question, but his skill as a performer is not up there.

Future

Photo by Roy Rochlin/2018 Getty Images

Future is in a lucky spot when it comes to not being the greatest singer. This is because he himself knows that singing is not his strongest suit. His musical style lends itself just fine to his own voice, paired with overexaggerated auto-tune to the point of his voice sounding utterly unnatural. Not being able to sing doesn’t matter that much at that point.

Carly Rae Jepsen

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You probably remember Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit song Call Me Maybe, which nobody could get out of their head for a while. Her success has not reached that level since, though, and her vocals are just one reason for that. Her voice isn’t even that good, let alone great. She’s not made a huge splash on the music industry for a reason.

Lana Del Rey

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

It’s not that Lana Del Rey’s voice is bad. It’s not. She was part of a whole surge of whisper-singers in the 2010s and her songs are worth a listen. However, when you hear Lana Del Rey perform properly live, the shaky imperfect quality of her vocals isn’t on par with the greats of her genre.