Remember When Eric Church Accidentally Started A Feud With Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton After His Comments On Reality Singing Competition Shows?

I mean, it seems like he was right?

I remember when reality singing competitions first burst onto the scene back in the early 2000s. Believe it or not, back then American Idol was the biggest show on TV. The first few seasons of the competition, Idol was a certified cultural phenomenon and gave us some massive superstars like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. It also inspired spinoffs like Nashville Star, which launched the careers of artists like Miranda Lambert, Chris Young and Kacey Musgraves, and of course, The Voice.

These days though, these shows are largely irrelevant when it comes to launching music careers. I couldn’t tell you a single winner from the past decade of any of these shows, and winning is far from the guarantee of success that it once was.

But even back when these shows were still semi-relevant, Eric Church made it clear that he wasn’t a fan.

Church is a guy who built his career playing bars and dirty clubs, back before going viral on TikTok or winning a singing competition provided a shortcut to stardom. And after he became one of the biggest stars in country music on the back of his 2011 album Chief and mega-hit “Springsteen,” Church ruffled feathers with his comments on reality singing competitions during an interview with Rolling Stone:

“Honestly, if Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green turn around in a red chair, you got a deal? That’s crazy. I don’t know what would make an art­ist do that. You’re not an artist.

Once your career becomes about some­thing other than the music, then that’s what it is. I’ll never make that mistake. I don’t care if I starve.”

The comments didn’t sit well with artists like Miranda Lambert, who not only got her start on a TV singing competition but had also taken Church on tour as an opener back in 2010, something that she reminded Church of when she fired back:

And Blake Shelton also expressed his disappointment with the comments from Church:

“I wish I misunderstood this…

Why? Just why?”

All the backlash forced Church to go into damage control, clarifying that his comments weren’t directed at any of the artists who got their start on those shows, but were simply an observation that the shows present themselves as a shortcut to stardom that, in reality, doesn’t exist:

“The comment I made to Rolling Stone was part of a larger commentary on these types of reality television shows and the perception they create, not the artists involved with the shows themselves. The shows make it appear that artists can shortcut their way to success.

There are a lot of artists due to their own perseverance that have gone on to be successful after appearing on these shows, but the real obstacles come after the cameras stop rolling. Every artist has to follow up television appearances with dedication towards their craft, but these shows tend to gloss over that part and make it seem like you can be ordained into stardom.

I have a lot of respect for what artists like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and my friend Miranda Lambert have gone on to accomplish. This piece was never intended to tear down any individual and I apologize to anybody I offended in trying to shed light on this issue. I am grateful for all of the artists and fans that have supported me along my journey and certainly did not mean for my comments to undermine their talent and achievements.”

The feud didn’t last long, with Miranda later coming out and saying that she understands artists sometimes say things during interviews that come out wrong:

“I think that anybody can get roped into a really bad interview situation, and I’ve had things printed about me that sounded way worse than they were. I know he said what he said, but it died off just like anything else that happens. Everybody loves to call it a feud. It’s not really a feud, it’s just, ‘Dude, you totally messed up, and you know it,’ and you move on.”

And the two have even gone on to write together in recent years, penning the Jon Pardi & Lauren Alaina duet “Don’t Blame It On Whiskey” a couple years ago.

Looking back at his comments now, it seems like he was on to something. I mean sure, there were a few artists who appeared on those shows who got famous, but I would venture to guess that most people don’t even realize Miranda Lambert or Chris Young were on a reality show.

They didn’t become stars because they finished third on Nashville Star. They did it because they put in all the work afterwards that was required to get to where they are today – which is something that no reality show can replace, especially today.The post Remember When Eric Church Accidentally Started A Feud With Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton After His Comments On Reality Singing Competition Shows? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.