There are quite a few artists/singers out there that you cannot simply ignore. There is something about them, in their music, the way they sing. It is usually artists that make it big, and in such cases, the fact that they did clearly show that there are people out there who love them.
Yet, at the same time, there is an opposing group that, for various reasons, hates them. Usually, there is no middle ground; such artists/singers do not create indifference. While the reasons for love often do not need explaining, the reasons for hate may vary - from the simple fact that they made it big creates a backlash, with a comment often being that they are overrated.
Or, their music, and more often their voices (in some cases, both) are either unconventional or challenging. And, there might be cases that they have controversial personalities - their style, personal views can create strong opinions.
The below 15 certainly fall in that love/hate category, sometimes for all of the above.
These 15 artists are both loved and hated at the same time (in huge quantities)
Bob Dylan
When you consider Bob Dylan's complete decades-long output, many would wonder - what is the real Bob Dylan’s singing voice? Add to that another question - what is his true musical style? You see, Dylan has done it all from an acoustic protest bard to electric rock inventor to a country singer, a gospel singer a crooner, with his musical style and cryptic or not so cryptic lyrics shifting along the way. Not controversial enough?
Van Morrison
When Van the man is brought up, fans immediately bring up a series of his absolutely classical albums - Astral Weeks, Moondance, Tupelo Honey and quite a few others. Oh and they love his emotive vocal delivery that they think never disappoints. On the other hand, it is exactly that vocal delivery that irritates his haters, particularly that he would push his vocals to the limit. Oh. his negative stance towards COVID vaccines didn't help him with many.
Neil Young
Neil Young has two musical faces - on his more quiet, fragile songs and when he goes on full electric, and his very specific, quivering, high-pitched voice can dominate both, and it is a voice you either love or hate, whatever you think about the music at the same time. His experimental or not-so-experimental excursions into electronics (the use of vocoder) or doo-wop just add to the controversy.
Robert Plant
Plant’s primal scream and vocal range were one of the Led Zeppelin staples, a sort of a signature sound and so many fans love him for that reason. On the other hand, his haters thing he takes thing too far, that his vocals are overblown and excessive. And while as a solo artist he seems to have toned everything down, the polarization remains.
Tom Waits
From a beat poet with a deep but still melodious voice to a jazz and what not else experimentation with vocals that can howl and growl, Waits was never everybody’s cup of tea, with his fans never giving up on him and his haters never really wanting to know if there was something in there for them.
Björk
If there is an unusual female vocalist out it is Iceland’s Björk. You can easily call her vocals shapeshifting as she moves from a little girl voice to grown-up wails in a split second. Combine that with some intricate, often not so usual songwriting, and you get instant polarization among listeners. At the same time, some of her social and political views can create strong sentiments on both sides.
David Byrne
Another distinctive songwriter, another distinctive vocalists. From the moment Byrne and Talking Heads hit the seventies airwaves with ‘Psycho Killer” and his distinctive, often nervy vocals you had split opinions. The shifting musical style often added to the controversy as did Byrne’s direct and clear social stance.
Patti Smith
Being a poet usually means having passion, but when you are a singer/poet with an intriguing, unusual singing voice, some listeners might consider your stance and vocals excessive and contrived. On the other hand, it is exactly that intensity and passion, as well as her lyrics, that Patti Smith fans simply love.
Geddy Lee
Another vocalist with a clearly distinctive high-pitched voice that is coupled with Rush’s all-time complex prog rock. And that is often where the polarizing element comes in with Lee and Rush - those not favoring prog rock hate them both, prog rock fans in most cases love them both dearly.
Captain Beefheart
If there ever was an artist that combined a deep growling voice with some deeply complex, angular music and strange, vivid lyrics it was late Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart. Not exactly a big star but an artist with a staunchly strong cult following that loved him dearly and a staunch set of haters, both of his vocals and his music, with quite a few listeners not even daring to take that trip.
Yoko Ono
For many rock fans, Yoko On vocals (they usually don’t consider them that) and her truly avant-garde music are just a bridge too far. On the other hand, there are quite a few of her fans out there, that just love her shifting musical style and truly unconventional vocals and consider it rock experimentation at its best.
Marilyn Manson
His fans consider him the king of gothic rock, a true purveyor of the genre, with his vocals adding to that effect. On the other hand, it is exactly those vocals, his theatrics and recently quite a few personal controversies that have put Manson on so many fans’ hate list.
Billie Eilish
Here’s a true artist of (and for) modern times - her vocals, songwriting, her looks (particularly her aesthetic) are both loved and hated at the same time. Her hushed vocals and sometimes dark lyrics are particularly polarizing for many.
Taylor Swift
Being good looking, working her audiences to perfection and being one of the most popular artists ever, does have its big rewards, but it also creates a huge hate crowd that will criticize - everything from your music to your looks to simply being so big.