There was a time in pop culture history when singing competitions ruled television and helped unknown acts become global superstars. Shows like American Idol, X Factor, America's Got Talent and others have catapulted the careers of dozens of artists including Jennifer Hudson, Harry Styles, and Kehlani. While many shows are still running, the influence that they once had on the industry isn't as strong as those days of yesteryear, but their singers who blossomed out of that era have apparently been criticized by Oasis icon, Noel Gallagher.
More specifically, during a recent interview, Gallagher had some pointed comments about Styles who became an international phenomenon after his boy band, One Direction, was a hit on X Factor. Gallagher suggested that Styles isn't a "real" musician who is writing his own tunes, and it is a criticism that didn't sit well with Kehlani.
“That person – whoever that is – can kiss my ass,” Kehlani reportedly told NME. “They might as well call me inauthentic and I’m about as authentic as it gets. [Styles] worked his ass off to make people fall in love with him on national TV and be lumped in with a group of boys and still had to stand out from an entire group of people. That’s as authentic as it gets!"
“I’m a Harry Styles fan, clearly, but watching the transformation that he’s taken to find his own songs and his own voice, own persona, own fluidity and image – I think he’s been brave and epic. He’s f*cking tight.”
In other Kehlani news, the California singer released their latest album, Blue Water Road, today (April 29). Check out their NME cover and listen to their new album below.
[via]