John Legend and Kelly Clarkson are famous singers that come as unique as possible. When the television series The Voice launched in 2011, judges were needed to determine the winner of many different singing talents. Singers ages 13 or overcome from all over to perform on The Voice. When John Legend and Kelly Clarkson were hired from The Voice to coach their singers, they were advised not to make political statements. The two have faced scrutiny when they shared their views with fans on Twitter and with other followers about a particular song called “God Bless the USA” written by Lee Greenwood. Legend and Clarkson struck down singer Gyth for the performance on “God Bless The USA” stating it was a poor choice during such a controversial time especially given how the country is divided around politics. Gyth sang “God Bless The USA” on stage surrounded with red, white, and blue scarves. The singer tried to make it difficult for the judges to criticize using America as a defense, however, this was not the case. The singer felt that if you criticize the song, “I feel like you can’t critique this song or you’re going to hell or something” he said.
Kelly Clarkson did criticize the song “God Bless The USA” by telling the singer it was not their best vocal voice. Clarkson continues to talk about how the song is more meaningful when people are surrounded together singing in a large group, not singing individually. Kelly Clarkson mentions how she enjoyed how meaningful the song is to Gyth but didn’t feel it was appropriate to sing on The Voice. John Legend agreed with Clarkson’s statement reporting it was not the best vocal performance but it was strong and meaningful with energy and emotion.
Many followers would consider John Legend and Kelly Clarkson unpatriotic for criticizing the song. “God Bless the USA” has become a popular song that is played during a time of crisis in America. It has several meanings to the song such as life, hope, unity, rebuilding. The negative backlash of the song is most likely a result of the current times and how politically divided the country has become. Fans have accused Kelly Clarkson and John Legend of being unpatriotic, but this is not necessarily the case. It’s important for singers to have unbiased songs that are clear from political and patriotic views to avoid a divide from judges. The judges should take into consideration the uniqueness of the singer and how well they can perform. Clarkson and Legend were hired to coach the singers, the best outcome would be to steer clear of political views and best focus on the beautiful singing of the individual.
