Kelly Clarkson Slams Taylor Swift Label CEO For His 'American Idol' Comment

Kelly Clarkson
Photo: MTV News

On Thursday (February 4), "American Idol" season-one winner Kelly Clarkson, who has never been afraid to voice her opinion, took to her blog to fire back at Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta's recent defense of Taylor Swift's Grammy performance. Borchetta told The Associated Press, "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."

In response, Clarkson wrote on her blog: " Wow ..... Dear Scott Borchetta,

"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 it's upsetting to read you attacking 'American Idol' for producing simply vocalists that hit 'the high notes.' 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."

Clarkson acknowledged the reality of lackluster performances and suggested that Borchetta avoid placing the blame on others.

"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,' " the post continues. "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."

The singer closed her letter with: "Sincerely, One of those contestants from 'American Idol' who only made it because of her high notes ;)."

On Wednesday, Borchetta defended Swift's Grammy performance, citing technical issues as the reason for her shaky performance. "We had a volume problem in the ear," he said. "So, she was concerned that she wasn't able to hear everything in the mix. That's just part of live TV. ... So you're going to have difficulties on occasion. Unfortunately, on one of the biggest stages, we did have a technical issue. She couldn't hear herself like she had in rehearsal."

Along with the media, Taylor Swift fans and non-fans have been engaging in a debate all week in the comments section of MTV News over the singer's performance at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night.

What do you think of Kelly Clarkson's comments? What did you think of Taylor Swift's performance? Sound off in the comments section below!