The music industry is full of sell-out artists. They put out a great debut album, top every chart, and then they don't know what to do next. Stars like Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, and Ed Sheeran make this list, because, well... they just don't exactly live up to the hype anymore. See what other artists you know and love are not quite as talented as they appear...
Katy Perry
Despite taking over the mid 2000's with her bubblegum pop persona and hit songs like "I Kissed a Girl" and "Teenage Dream," there's something about Katy Perry that's just a little too kitschy. Despite her powerful catalog of songs, her voice isn't up to industry standards in the way that it could be.
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne's illustrious career with Black Sabbath and his later solo work is outshined by his ridiculous television persona. He's gone on to have several reality television shows and they manage to discredit his work as a successful performer. He doesn't have what it takes to grace the stage these days.
Camila Cabello
Many people don't really get the hype about Camila Cabello. She was great as a member of Fifth Harmony, but her solo career lacks a certain star power. Her music is fine. It's not great. The only media attention she really seems to get is when she and boyfriend Shawn Mendes go overboard on the PDA.
Axl Rose
Fans would agree that it's time for Guns n' Roses to pack it up. Frontman Axl Rose is just too old for this act, to put it bluntly. He's lost his rockstar quality, is aging out of the music industry, and is a little embarrasing to watch these days. The same can be said for any band who earned most of their fame in the 1980s.
Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews is a guy that most music fans love to make fun of. He's got some great hits, is savvy on the guitar, and can sell out stadiums, but there's something about liking his music that makes you a total joke. A lot of non-fans have an issue with his musical style — the spoken lyrics and shouted choruses and unique intonation just aren't for everyone.
Lou Reed
Lou Reed's music isn't for everyone. His style leans more toward spoken word than actual music, and his songs have been described as dry and boring by listeners unless they're die-hard fans. Even though he had widespread success, his music isn't going to brighten up the party.
Liam Gallagher
The former Oasis singer has gone on to have a pretty cool solo career. However, don't even try to talk to him about "Wonderwall." His stage presence while playing on his own was never that exciting, and his songs were never as successful as the few major hits he wrote with his brother. Also, the constant feuding between him and Noel gets pretty old.
Britney Spears
Critics have some harsh words for Britney. Though a plethora of pop fans love and respect her work, others feel that her nasal-pitched, childlike voice and blatant sex appeal served more as an industry plant than a form of artistry. She had huge financial success until her pretty predictable breakdown in 2007.
Adam Levine
Everyone loves early Maroon 5. "She Will Be Loved" is one of their biggest hits of all time, and Levine even earned some Grammys back in the day. However, pretty much all of their recent releases sound the same. Sure, he's an industry titan, but he's also a little annoying.
Rihanna
Rihanna is an industry mogul who knows how to merchandise fashion and cosmetics, but where she falls flat, ironically enough, is in her music career. Though she had early hits like "Umbrella," she hasn't put out music in several years and nobody has seemed to really notice.
Avril Lavigne
After Avril Lavigne released hits like "Girlfriend," "Sk8r Boi," and "What the Hell," her career kind of plateaued. She hasn't released much impressive music lately, and the hype around punk bands goes up and down. She's also known to be a terrible live performer, so there's that.
Bono
No one can seem to forgive Bono after U2 mysteriouly downloaded one of their albums into every Apple user's iTunes library. Also — U2 kinda sucks. Sure, Bono is a very philanthropic guy, but his performances just aren't impressive anymore.
Sid Vicious
Everything about the Sex Pistols' singer was just a mess. He literally did not know how to play the guitar, he was a terrible singer, and he was also charged with murdering his girlfriend while the band was at its peak. He also had some problematic racial and political opinions, but fans glorify him as the original King of Punk for who knows what reason.
Selena Gomez
Disney doesn't need to turn every single actor into a performer. Selena Gomez was fine on "Wizards of Waverly Place," but that didn't mean she needed to become a pop star after the show ended. Her music with Selena Gomez and the Scene was downright boring.
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson released her first self-titled album in 1982 and went on to perform at the Super Bowl and sell-out stadium tours. However, most of her fame is because of her family. Her late brother is Michael Jackson, and you'd better believe the familial connection is what got her foot in the door.
Kurt Cobain
People have a lot of mixed opinions about the late Nirvana singer. Some say he was the founder of the grunge rock movement, and others say he was a whiny, talentless guitar player who let his career get too politicized. Either way, he's iconic for his untimely death and his musical legacy. Like him or not, he changed the way we hear grunge.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus is one of Disney's most successful stars, but she's taken her music in some questionable directions as she's gotten older. Her "Wrecking Ball" phase was a hard one for some people to swallow, and now she's pushed through to hard rock and roll. She's take it or leave it for a lot of fans.
Chris Martin
Coldplay is old news, whether you like it or not. "Fix You" and "Yellow" are tired hits, and Chris Martin can't seem to write a new tune. He's influenced by the likes of Oasis and U2, other washed-up acts, but he just doesn't have the range or skill of great musicians that came before him.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is a gifted songwriter, there's no doubt about that. He also paved the way for other grassroots musicians that followed in his footsteps. However, his vocals are downright awful. They always were and they only got worse with age.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is pop's biggest success story, and she likely always will be. With countless hit studio albums under her belt and no signs of stopping, she's enamored fans for over a decade. However, her vocal work can be a little shaky at times.
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran's songwriting is incredible, but his vocals and his overall look are... not. He knows how to write a hit, and thankfully his marketing team knows how to execute it. If he was still on his own, he'd probably never make it out of local open mic nights.
Madonna
Madonna didn't build her empire based on her musicality. She knew how to market her fashion and her brand, but her vocal skills are kind of boring. She still tours today, and it's a little hard to watch.
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber is one of the youngest pop stars to ever make it big, writing hit after hit when he was just a preteen. After several years of spiraling out, he's reigned in his career and is now writing songs about his newfound religion and the traumas of child stardom. His story is more sad than it is overrated.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez likes to think she's got more pull in the music world than she actually does. Her songs like "Jenny From the Block" and "Love Don't Cost a Thing" are good, but they're not great. She might have played Selena in the biopic, but her skills aren't comparable.
Jim Morrison
The former Doors singer led a pretty complicated life, and much of his fame was based on his looks. He's one of the greatest rock legends of all time, but he also never considered himself to be a good singer. Spoiler alert: he wasn't.
Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a titan in the indie genre, and his sound is based on weird chord progressions, intense vocal filters, and puzzling lyrics. Also, despite being a band for a long time, the sound never seems to change. Lately, Bon Iver has been working on writing and production with other artists like Taylor Swift.
Journey
Journey is one of the catchiest bands ever, but they're also the most annoying for the same reason. Despite being such a popular band from the 1980s, how many songs of theirs can you actually name? Most people just know "Don't Stop Believin'," which is a shame.
Asia
The song "Heat of the Moment" is pretty much Asia's only hit, and no one really plays that song unless you're at a party or building a 1980s-specific playlist. What happened to Asia after that song? No one really knows, or cares.
Boston
Boston wrote "More Than a Feelin'" but can you name any other songs? The worst part about this hair metal band is that they sound just like so many others from that era. How are we supposed to tell them apart from the band Kansas? Nearly impossible.
AC/DC
AC/DC thrives on repititon. For that, audiences can't seem to stand them. The vocal stylings are pretty much just shouting the same word over and over with some pretentious guitar riffs overtop. We'll pass on AC/DC, thanks.
Oasis
Aside from the songs off What's the Story, Morning Glory?, what other Oasis songs do you know? "Don't Look Back in Anger," "Champagne Supernova," and of course the meme-able "Wonderwall" are fan favorites, but they get overshadowed by the constant feuding between brothers Noel and Liam.
Motley Crüe
Motley Crüe's reputation is built solely on their hard partying days and eccentric appearances. The epitome of hair metal, despite their outrageous backstory, it's difficult to remember the names of any of their songs. Recently, they had a Netflix documentary made about them called Dirt.
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are one of the most successful rock and roll bands, and they've been touring for over 50 years. Though they have an iconic reputation, the songs themselves are a little lackluster. And can someone please tell Mick Jagger he doesn't have to dance on stage anymore? It's hard to watch.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
For a band that's probably been mediocre for its entire career, CCR has done a great job of polarizing its fanbase. Some people really love John Fogerty's voice, and some people can't stand it.
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac's album Rumours is regarded as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Most people would agree with that statement. Songs like "Go Your Own Way" have reached enormous success, but when you widen out and look at the rest of their catalog, it leaves the listener wanting more.
Deep Purple
It's a shame that Deep Purple's most popular song is the reason why so many people can't stand their work. Learning "Smoke on the Water" is a guitarist's rite of passage, but that opening riff really hits a nerve when you inevitably listen to it too many times.
Bruce Springsteen
The Boss is one of New Jersey's proudest accomplishments. His hits like "Born in the USA" and "Born to Run" are some of his career's biggest highlights. He even has his own Broadway show that uses all his songs. However, a lot of his catalog — much like Fleetwood Mac — sounds completely the same.
Kiss
Despite having some popular songs, Kiss should have expected to become a very meme-able rock band. Just look at those outfits and that face paint. What did they think would happen? Nobody takes this group seriously anymoe.
Iron Maiden
One positive thing about Iron Maiden is that they knew how to put on a great show. Their album Powerslave also garnered critical success. However, they fell victim to the same fate as Kiss and are somewhat of a music industry joke these days.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
This band was the epitome of the wave of self-righteous 1960's transcendentalism that hit the music industry. Despite writing some pretty good songs, fans couldn't stand how these guys thought they were the biggest thing to grace the stage since... ever. It was an annoying complex that went on to affect their career.
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor is best known for his eccentric playing style and outlandish musicality. No one really gets this band, but select people definitely like them. Though critics have praised this band a lot over the years, there are also critics who just don't understand the appeal.
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is like the epitome of dad rock. They were huge in the early 1990s and established themselves as an iconic grunge rock band from Seattle. However, people have some major issues with Eddie Vedder's voice and his lyrical composition. Both too much and also not enough at the same time.
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters came about after Dave Grohl's Nirvana bandmate died, and this time around, he was the frontman. He knew how to sing, drum, and play the guitar. However, even though he's multi-talented, his stage presence always seems a little forced.
The Eagles
The Eagles are a great summer driving band. They have all the carefree, easy listening songs you could hope for like "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "Lyin' Eyes," and "Take It Easy." But if you step back, that's all they have, and the lack of excitement definitely isn't for everyone.
Mumford & Sons
When Mumford & Sons hit the scene, fans had never heard anything like their impactful harmonies and intense guitar and banjo riff-offs. However, as they continued on as a band, they were just playing the same types of songs over and over again. "The Cave" was some variant of every album.
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi has some classic hits that everyone in the bar can sing along to, but beyond that, there's no depth to their catalog. "You Give Love a Bad Name" is so catchy that surely Bon Jovi himself can't stand it himself.
Joy Division
Rolling Stone calls Joy Divison's 1979 album Unknown Pleasures 34 of their 40 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time. However, if you actually ask anyone if they listen to Joy Divison, the answer is probably no. Though they were talented, they always sounded like they were trying so hard to sound edgy.
Rush
Rush has proven to be music's most polarizing band. They have a cult following of loyal fans as well as people who can't stand even one second of their music. The lead singer Geddy Lee has some pretty insane vocals that just don't bode well with people. Despite being expert musicians, they're just one of those bands that you either love or you hate.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Though Jimi Hendrix has been hailed as the greatest guitar player of all time, many people argue that he's actually pretty overrated. He wasn't really a songwriter, he just knew how to solo over fills in between verses.
Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin is remembered for her intense energy and passion, but that's about it. Her songs are hard to listen to, her vocals are way too rough, and the songs themselves are kind of boring.
Metallica
Metallica is one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time, there's no disregarding that. However, the genre itself is so hard for people to understand who aren't inherently drawn to it. Sometimes, it can be downright scary. However, Metallica does do a pretty good job of making sure their songs tell some sort of narrative.
Yes
Yes's songs are pretentious and complex just for the sake of being different. They're also not good, which would have helped their case. They're just a longstanding band from the 1970s and unfortunately that's enough to keep them relevant.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd's The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon albums are regarded as some of rock's best. However, its their complexity that's also their undoing. Pink Floyd's albums always tell a story, but for some listeners that's just too much work.
Green Day
Though they're early punk rock legends, the poser-energy that Green Day gives off is palpable. They sing with fake British accents and pull melodies from other (better) bands. However, they've just been around so long and released their best album when it mattered most that loyal fans have stayed loyal.
The Beatles
Here's the thing. Though The Beatles are undoubtedly "the best band of all time," they also don't sound ... great. Their songwriting is fantastic, and that's not disputable. But the production is so thin and leaves the listener begging for a re-mastered album.
Radiohead
Some people wish Radiohead had just stopped after they released "Creep" and been a successful one-hit-wonder. However, they went on to release music for two decades, and the "best" album they have to show for it, OK Computer is literally just fine.
Queen
Queen is hard to listen to these days. Aside from their fantastic "Bohemian Rhapsondy," the rest of their catalog is messy and avant-garde to the point of annoyance. Though Freddie Mercury truly did have some pipes, he overdid it with Queen.
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar is who people say they like when they want to sound way cooler than you. His lyrics aren't actually that deep, and his voice is mediocre. His musicality is amateur at best, and if you're looking for a rap GOAT, you should be looking elsewhere.
Weezer
Weezer is one of the greatest sell-out stories. After releasing their incredible Pinkerton album, the rest of their discography morphed into something that blended pop, indie, and rock in the worst way. Singer Rivers Cuomo peaked after their first album and didn't know how to top that effort.
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend has been hilariously dubbed "Ivy League Rock." Their music appeals to frat guys and sorority girls who want to seem cooler than they are. Though they rebranded their image with their most recent album, you can't come back from an early song like "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," whatever that means.