Kelly Clarkson Slams Taylor Swift's Label Boss for Dizzing 'AI'

Thu, 04 February 2010 23:58:41 ET

As Big Machine Records' Scott Borchetta criticizes 'American Idol' in defense of Taylor Swift's Grammy performance, the singing competition's first winner tells him to 'take a lesson'.

The defensive statement made by Big Machine Records' Scott Borchetta over Taylor Swift's much-maligned performance at 2010 Grammy Awards has drawn a strong reaction from Kelly Clarkson. On Thursday, February 4, the first "American Idol" winner posted a message on her blog in response to the label boss comment that attacked the singing competition.

"I understand defending your artist obviously because I have done the same in the past for artists I like, including Taylor, so you might see why its upsetting to read you attacking American Idol for producing simply vocalists that hit 'the high notes'," the 27-year-old opened her letter. "Thank you for that 'Captain Obvious' sense of humor because you know what, we not only hit the high notes, you forgot to mention we generally hit the 'right' notes as well."

"Every artist has a bad performance or two and that is understandable, but throwing blame will not make the situation at hand any better," the two-time Grammy-winning singer went on saying. "I have been criticized left and right for having shaky performances before (and they were shaky) and what my manager or label executives say to me and the public is 'I'll kick butt next time' or 'every performance isn't going to be perfect'."

"I bring this up because you should take a lesson from these people and instead of lashing out at other artists (that in your 'humble' opinion lack true artistry), you should simply take a breath and realize that sometimes things won't go according to plan or work out and that's okay," Clarkson at the end wrote. She signed the letter with "One of those contestants from American Idol who only made it because of her high notes".

Borchetta earlier came in Swift's defense in a phone interview with the Associated Press. "She is the voice of this generation. She speaks directly to (her fans), and they speak directly back to her," he stated. "This is not 'American Idol.' This is not a competition of getting up and seeing who can sing the highest note. This is about a true artist and writer and communicator. It's not about that technically perfect performance."

Taylor Swift herself has come under fire following her "off-key" medley of Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" with Stevie Nicks at the Grammys on Sunday night, January 31. Criticizing the performance, The Washington Post quipped, "To borrow a phrase from Montgomery Burns, it was more 'off-key caterwauling.' " The New York Times also pounded Swift for being "painfully out of tune".

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