14 Times Iconic Musicians Insulted Newer Artists COMPLETELY Out Of The Blue

    After Noel Gallagher said that "Little Mix, with the greatest respect, are not in the same league as Oasis," member Jade Thirlwall responded, "We are definitely the most successful girl group in the country, but he's not even the most successful performer in his family."

    Kristen Harris
    by Kristen Harris

    BuzzFeed Staff

    • It's heartwarming when iconic musicians lift up the next generation of performers, like how Paul McCartney has shown his support for Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. Unfortunately, not every seasoned artist is so kind to the next generation of artists.

    Here are 14 times iconic musicians insulted newer artists completely out of the blue:

    1. During a 2024 Foo Fighters concert, Dave Grohl seemingly insinuated Taylor Swift doesn't play live. He said, "So we like to call our tour the 'Errors Tour.' We've had more than a few eras and more than a few fucking errors as well. Just a couple. That's because we actually play live."

    Dave Grohl performs energetically on stage with his guitar, wearing a button up shirt and pants. He smiles broadly against a backdrop of abstract designs
    Kevin Mazur / Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Foo Fighters

    "What? Just saying. You guys like raw, live rock ‘n’ roll music, right? You came to the right fucking place," he said.

    The following day, Taylor appeared to respond subtly. Onstage in London, she said, "Every one of my band members, every single one of our crew, my band — who's gonna be playing live for you for three and a half hours tonight — they deserve this so much."

    Taylor Swift performing on stage in a crop top and shorts outfit, holding a microphone and gesturing to the audience
    Shirlaine Forrest / Shirlaine Forrest / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

    "And so does every one of my fellow performers. And you just gave that to us so generously. We will never forget it," she said.

    2. During a 2023 appearance on The Joe Pags Show podcast, Ted Nugent said, "So I'm afraid to say in this world that's gone down the toilet in all aspects, I'm afraid the success of Taylor Swift — and again, God bless her work ethic, God bless her musical dreams — but that's cartoon music."

    Scott Legato / Getty Images, Gareth Cattermole / Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

    "I mean, it doesn't have any piss and vinegar. There's no fire. There's no sensuality in that. It's all poppy nonsense, as far as I'm concerned. And it's the most popular stuff in the world, which is an indictment to the music industry and music fans," he said. "They're not looking for that fire from a ZZ Top or from a Mitch Ryder in the Detroit Wheels, or from a Brownsville Station or an Amboy Dukes. And I miss that. Thank God I’m still around..."

    Here's the full clip:

    View this video on YouTube
    Joe Pags / Via youtube.com

    3. In 2022, Damon Albarn told the LA Times that Taylor Swift "doesn't write her own songs."

    Scott Dudelson / Getty Images for Coachella, Jo Hale / Redferns / Via Getty

    He said, "[Co-writing] doesn't count. I know what co-writing is. Co-writing is very different to writing. I'm not hating on anybody; I'm just saying there's a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who co-writes. Doesn't mean that the outcome can't be really great. And some of the greatest singers — I mean, Ella Fitzgerald never wrote a song in her life. When I sing, I have to close my eyes and just be in there. I suppose I'm a traditionalist in that sense. A really interesting songwriter is Billie Eilish and her brother. I'm more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift. It's just darker — less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd. I think she's exceptional."

    In response, Taylor quote tweeted the LA Times' post, tagged Damon, and said, "I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this. I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging."

    Taylor Swift performs on stage, wearing a sparkling bodysuit with fringe details and fishnet tights, illuminated by bright lights behind her
    Shirlaine Forrest / Shirlaine Forrest / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

    "You don’t have to like my songs but it’s really fucked up to try and discredit my writing. WOW," she said.

    4. On a 2023 episode of her podcast Miss Me?, Lily Allen criticized Beyoncé's foray into country music — specifically her cover of "Jolene" by Dolly Parton. Lily said, "It's quite an interesting thing to do when you're trying to tackle a new genre, and you just choose the biggest song in that genre to cover. I mean, you do you, Beyoncé. And she literally is doing her — or is she doing Dolly?"

    Nicky J Sims / Getty Images for Live Nation, Kevin Mazur / WireImage for Parkwood / Via Getty

    She also said, "When Jay-Z got up and said that thing [calling out the Grammys for never awarding Beyoncé Album of the Year], that was part of this campaign. It was before the album had come out or even been announced, and she was wearing the blonde wig and a cowboy hat...It's a bit about challenging these institutions that have thus far rejected Beyoncé as the icon and institution that she is of herself. Now she’s the most played woman on country radio. I guess she's coming for that market. Who am I to question it?"

    Her cohost, Miquita Oliver, brought up that Lily was working on a country album. The singer said, "But I'm not, like, trying to conquer the country market. I'm here because I've loved country music and always have loved country music — not saying Beyoncé doesn't — but I tell stories in my songs, and quite a lot of country music does the same thing. I think it's well-suited to what it is that I do."


    5. In 2017, Carlos Santana told the Australian Associated Press, "I think that Adele won [Album of the Year at the Grammys] because she can sing sing. With all respect to our sister Beyoncé, Beyoncé is very beautiful to look at, and it's more like modeling kind of music — music to model a dress — she's not a singer singer, with all respect to her."

    Beyoncé performs on stage with Carlos Santana and other musicians during a live concert at a stadium
    Kmazur / WireImage / Via Getty

    "[Adele] doesn't bring all the dancers and props. She can just stand there, and she just stood there and sang the song, and that's it, and this is why she wins," he said.

    Following backlash, he apologized via Facebook, writing, "My intent was to congratulate Adele on her amazing night at the Grammies. My comment about Beyoncé was regretfully taken out of context. I have the utmost respect for her as an artist and a person."

    Carlos Santana playing guitar next to Beyoncé, who is singing, at a live outdoor concert
    Kmazur / WireImage / Via Getty

    He continued, "She deserves all the accolades that come her way. I wish Beyoncé and her family all the best."

    6. On her BBC Radio 6 Music show Courtney Love's Women in 2024, Courtney Love shaded several of her peers. Per the Standard, she said, "It's great that there are so many successful women in the music industry, but lots of them are becoming a cliché. Now, every successful woman is cloned, so there is just too much music. They're all the same."

    Courtney Love DJing at an event, wearing a dress with a sheer sleeve. She stands behind a mixing console, engaging with the crowd
    Dave Benett / Dave Benett / Getty Images for National Portrait Gallery

    She specifically singled out Beyoncé. She said, "I mean, I like the idea of Beyoncé doing a country record because it's about Black women going into spaces where previously only white women have been allowed. As a concept, I love it. I just don't like her music."

    Beyoncé, wearing a leather jacket and hat, holds a trophy while speaking at a music awards event
    Michael Buckner / Billboard via Getty Images

    At a later point in the series, Courtney criticized Taylor Swift. She said, "Taylor is not important. She might be a safe space for girls, and she's probably the Madonna of now, but she's not interesting as an artist."

    Taylor Swift on stage in an elegant dress, mid-performance with a surprised expression on her face
    Gareth Cattermole / Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

    And she shaded Lana Del Rey. She said, "I haven't liked Lana since she covered a John Denver song, and I think she should really take seven years off. Up until 'Take Me Home, Country Roads,' I thought she was great. When I was recording my new album, I had to stop listening to her, as she was influencing me too much."

    Lana Del Rey performs on stage in a short, flowy dress, holding a microphone
    Xavi Torrent / Redferns / Via Getty

    7. In a since-deleted 2021 Instagram post, Courtney Love accused Oliva Rodrigo of copying Hole's Live Through This cover for her virtual concert SOUR Prom. Sharing Olivia's promo image, Courtney added the caption, "Spot the difference! #twinning!"

    Dave Benett / Dave Benett/Getty Images for National Portrait Gallery, Nicky J Sims / Getty Images for Live Nation

    On the Live Through This cover, model Leilani Bishop posed in a tiara, makeup running down her face and a bouquet in her arms.

    In her SOUR Prom promo shot, Olivia wore a tiara, had makeup running down her face, and cradled flowers.

    Olivia commented, "love u and live through this sooooo much."

    Olivia Rodrigo performs on stage, holding a megaphone, wearing a tank top and glitter shorts
    Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for Live Nation

    Courtney replied, "Olivia — you're welcome. My favorite florist is in Notting Hill, London! Dm me for deets! I look forward to reading your note. 😉"

    Additionally, in a Facebook comment, Courtney said, "It's on GEFFEN. I've informed her I await her flowers [and] note. Does Disney teach kids reading and writing? God knows. Let's see. Yes this is rude. Rage inducing? Honey if I had a dollar for every[time] this happens? I'd be real rich!"

    8. In 2010, Mark E. Smith of The Fall insulted Mumford & Sons. He told Braag magazine, "We were playing a festival in Dublin the other week. There was this other group, like, warming up in the next sort of chalet, and they were terrible. I said, 'Shut them cunts up!' And they were still warming up, so I threw a bottle at them. The bands said, 'That's the Sons of Mumford' or something. 'They're number five in charts!'"

    Kevin Cummins / Getty Images, Kevin Kane / Getty Images for Robin Hood

    "I just thought they were a load of [slur] Irish folk singers," he said.

    9. In 1991, Cher told CBS's Steve Kmetko, "There are lots of things that I respect about [Madonna]. I think that she knows how to work the business like nobody I've ever seen before…And there's something about her that I don't like. She's mean. I don't like that."

    Madonna and Cher seated together, Madonna in a coat and hat with bright pants, Cher in a white knit hat and scarf with a coat
    Kevin Mazur / WireImage / Via Getty

    She continued, "I remember having her over at my house a couple of times because Sean [Penn, Madonna's then-partner] were friends, and she just was so rude to everybody. It seems to me that she's got so much that she doesn't have to act the way that she acts. She acts like a spoiled brat all the time, and it seems to me when you reach the kind of acclaim that she's reached and can do whatever you want to do, you should be a little bit more magnanimous."

    In 2023, Cher reflected on the infamous interview. She told the NY Post, "Yeah, but I've called her much worse...You know, she's had her moments, babe. One thing that I cannot ever take away from her … this chick had her ear to the ground like no other woman I ever knew. She was ahead of all of us every moment, every time — the look, the song, the feeling … I mean, no one is like her in that way."

    Here's the full clip:

    View this video on YouTube
    CBS / Via youtube.com

    10. In 2012, Madonna criticized Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," insinuating it was too similar to her song "Express Yourself." She told ABC News, "It feels reductive."

    Lady Gaga and Madonna pose together. Lady Gaga wears an embellished dress with a trench coat and unique headpiece. Madonna wears a leather jacket and lace dress
    Patrick Mcmullan / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

    A year prior, Madonna's reps denied Lady Gaga's claim that she had an email from Madonna and her team approving "Born This Way."

    However, Madonna and Lady Gaga have since seemingly buried the hatchet and publicly supported each other.

    11. In 2008, Noel Gallagher told Time Out Chicago, "The worst thing about [the Kaiser Chiefs] is that they're not very good. They play dress-up and sit on top an apex of meaninglessness. They don’t mean anything to anybody apart from their fucking ugly girlfriends."

    Mark Holloway / Redferns / Via Getty, Steve Thorne / Redferns / Via Getty

    During a 2009 press stop, guitarist Andrew White reportedly said, "We have no time for him. Music is an art but he doesn't appreciate music for what it is. He started it. It shows what a bitter old man he has become."

    Ricky Wilson of Kaiser Chiefs, in a patterned shirt and sunglasses, playing guitar on stage with bandmates on drums and keyboard
    Chris Mckay / Getty Images

    12. In 2015, Noel Gallagher negatively reacted to Ed Sheeran playing three shows at London’s Wembley Stadium. He told NME, "I don't think I can live in a world where that's even possible. When you hear that kind of polished pop, and then there's a ginger guy with a fucking guitar, it seems subversive, but it's fucking not.”

    Mark Holloway / Redferns / Via Getty, Jim Bennett / Getty Images

    In a since-deleted tweet, Ed responded, "I can live in it, it's really enjoyable."

    Ed Sheeran performs passionately on stage with a guitar in hand, wearing a casual t-shirt, during a live concert
    Simone Joyner / Getty Images

    He also told the Daily Star, "I texted him because I have his number and asked him if he'd like some tickets. He wrote back, 'You cheeky so and so. My daughter would love some.' He's always going to be the guy who's outspoken. I wasn't offended. I found it quite cool to be in his interview."


    13. During a 2020 appearance on The Matt Morgan Podcast, Noel Gallagher insulted Taylor Swift and her popularity. He said, "Music now is style over substance. I find that these young ­people in the music game – they fucking look great, they've all got tattoos and the image and all that fucking bollocks, but really they're just shit, they're not saying anything. The biggest-selling acts are shit, whereas when I was growing up, the biggest-selling acts were the best acts. The biggest band in the world was usually the best band in the world. Now the biggest thing in the world is fucking Taylor Swift. What?! Fuck off."

    Gus Stewart / Redferns / Via Getty, Gareth Cattermole / Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

    Noel also insulted Ed Sheeran once again. He said, "There'll never be another David Bowie, there'll never be another Marc Bolan, there'll never be another Freddie ­Mercury, proper rock stars. I don't consider myself a rock star; I'm more of a songwriter/grafter; I mean proper ­flamboyant rock stars. There'll never be people like that because musicians will never make that kind of money, and the ones that do, like Ed Sheeran, fucking whatever. There'll be no more private jets or David Bowie rocking into King's Cross Station dressed as a Nazi. They'll be none of that anymore because ­people will be cowed by social media."

    Matthew Baker / Getty Images, Jerritt Clark / Getty Images for Amazon Music

    Regardless, Ed continued to show Noel nothing but kindness.

    In 2022, Noel told The Matt Morgan Podcast, "I work for The Teenage Cancer Trust, and I get to call up the bands and say, 'Do you want to do it this year?' To cut a long story short, I spoke to Ed Sheeran, and he said, 'I can't do it because I'm going to Australia...but I'll do it next year.' I was like, 'Whatever.' Anyway, he actually called me back a year later and said, 'Right, this gig, let's do it.' He's a good lad, but his music… nah."


    14. And finally, after Little Mix won Best Group at the 2021 BRIT Awards, Noel Gallagher reportedly told the Sun, "Little Mix, with the greatest respect, are not in the same league as Oasis. Not even in the same fucking sport."

    Jim Dyson / Getty Images, Jmenternational / JMEnternational for BRIT Awards/Getty Images

    "It's a symptom of the music business chasing the numbers – and there not being any bands or songwriters in those bands. Record company guys constantly say, 'Oh, these guys are the real deal.' And I think, 'You wouldn't know the real deal if it fucking bit you on the ass, mate.' I don't know what happened — I think it's because bands are hard work," he said.

    Responding on an episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Little Mix member Jade Thirlwall said, "[Noel said] something about that we were undeserving of the Brit Award because we're women and don't...well, we do write music, but he thinks we don't write music. Yeah, shame, really. Because you know, we are definitely the most successful girl group in the country, but he's not even the most successful performer in his family."

    Jade Thirlwall on the red carpet for 'Tina - The Tina Turner Musical', wearing a blouse and leather pants
    Dave Benett / Dave Benett / WireImage / Via Getty