As one of the most successful artists of her generation, Taylor Swift has been criticized many times by the big names in the music industry.

“Taylor is a pretty girl… but she is just a temporary phenomenon.”, Keith Richards affirmed in an interview with GQ magazine. Keith Richards is one of the great legends who has contributed to shaping the popular music industry in the world.

And that is not the only time the legends have made sarcastic comments about Taylor Swift, who is believed by the media and audience to be the successor to Queen Madonna in the future.

Times of being humiliated by idols

In less than a month at the beginning of 2018, Taylor Swift has twice received harsh criticism from two music masters.

First up is Quincy Jones, the 84-year-old producer with nearly seven decades of experience behind him who has produced a string of classic albums for generations of stars, from 1950s titans like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan to 1980s and 1990s pop kings like Michael Jackson and Prince.

When asked in a recent in-depth interview what Jones thought of Swift, the best-selling singer of all time, his expression was somewhere between disapproval and disdain.

Taylor Swift doesn’t score points with Quincy Jones. Photo: Hollywood Life

He disagrees with the idea that Taylor is a talented songwriter. “We need more songs. Fucking songs, not gimmicks,” Jones insisted.

He added: “A great song can make the worst singer in the world a star, but a bad song can’t be saved by three of the best singers in the world.”

Shortly after, Keith Richards – the “god” guitarist of The Rolling Stones – continued to add fuel to the heated debate about Taylor Swift’s true talent.

The British music icon believes that Taylor Swift’s career will die young. He sent the young star a sarcastic wish: “Good luck girl – I wish you all the best while it’s still not over.”

Richards is certainly an authority on the longevity of a star, as he himself has never lost his popularity over the past few decades. Keith Richards is one of the founders of The Rolling Stones, the greatest rock band of all time.

Although the current members are in their seventies, they are still the artists who earn the most money from world tours every year. It is normal for a Rolling Stones concert to reach several million spectators.

Not as harsh as Quincy Jones, Keith Richards added that he has been in the industry long enough and “doesn’t need to fight with the kids”, and because he is not interested in pop, he considers himself a one-sided guy.

What is special is that Taylor Swift once had the opportunity to stand on stage with The Rolling Stones and she described it as “the best moment”. She also called them her heroes.

Previously, Taylor Swift was also openly despised by the golden voice Aretha Franklin. The greatest voice of the 20th century commented on a series of young singers, she called Adele “a good singer”, Alicia Keys “a good musician”.

Taylor Swift once performed with members of The Rolling Stones. In the photo, Taylor is next to Mick Jagger, who co-founded the band with Keith Richards. Photo: Billboard

But when it comes to Taylor Swift, she only commented “great coat, beautiful coat”, meaning that Taylor Swift only has a beautiful appearance, trendy style but lacks talent.

Another legend, Noel Gallagher – a former member of Oasis, a big British band in the 80s, which caused a fever no less than The Beatles – also has a similar opinion.

With a straightforward personality, Gallagher reacted to the view that Taylor Swift is a talented musician: “Who said that? Her parents? This girl seems like a nice person, but no one said she was talented, and you know that.”

But the most bitter criticism of the singer born in 1989 was probably the time she was ridiculed by her idol – Joni Mitchell. Taylor Swift once expressed her desire to play Joni Mitchell in a biopic about her life.

Mitchell later recalled: “I shot it down. I told the producers, ‘All you have is a girl with high cheekbones.’”

Taylor Swift looks a lot like Joni Mitchell. Photo: TIME

Taylor Swift looks a lot like Joni Mitchell. Photo: TIME

Joni Mitchell is one of the greatest and most successful female artists of all time. Swift calls her her idol. But sadly for Swift, Mitchell doesn’t care about her music.

She said: “I’ve never heard Taylor’s music. I’ve seen her. Physically, she’s a lot like me with her small hips and high cheekbones. I understand why they picked her. I don’t know what her music sounds like, but I do know this – if she’s going to sing and act me, good luck.”

Although she hasn’t heard Taylor Swift sing, Joni Mitchell has implicitly said that she’s not in the same musical class as her.

Why the legends don’t like her

Taylor Swift is beautiful, stylish, knows how to compose music, sells millions of records every year, and is always in the media spotlight. So why isn’t the pop princess liked by many legends?

Perhaps the clearest answer lies in Quincy Jones’s comments. He thinks Swift is too much of a showbiz act instead of focusing solely on music. For him, Taylor Swift simply isn’t hard-working enough, that’s what she lacks. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always heard about people who don’t want to work. Work, man,” he said.

Many people say that Taylor Swift can be called a marketing genius, she creates a perfect image that every girl desires. But the way Swift does it is not the same as the music legends of the past often did.

In the days of Joni Mitchell or The Rolling Stones, the prerequisite to becoming a star was extraordinary talent. Showbiz acts didn’t play much of a role in creating a music icon.

Nowadays, with the power of media and science and technology, people can make an imperfect voice perfect, and can also blow an artist up many times more than what they actually have.

Taylor Swift is considered to not have a truly outstanding voice. Photo: TIME

Taylor Swift is considered to not have a truly outstanding voice. Photo: TIME

Of course, Taylor Swift is very talented. But what makes many legends not really impressed with Taylor is that her talent is greatly assisted by technology.

For example, Taylor Swift often uses autotune to make her voice more standard, using autotune as a lifeline for her voice. But for those who have lived and died for music for decades, that is unacceptable.

For them, music should just be pure music.