Bette Midler has never been one to mince words. She drops big ones, and makes her criticism of anything crystal clear. Bette is not a fan of Ariana Grande’s performance style.
According to The Divine Miss M, (Bette’s nickname for you youngsters), Ariane’s stage act is too sexual. Hypersexual, if you will. Bette doesn’t understand who is telling her to do the things she’s doing, but she does wish they’d stop. There are more than a few people who likely agree with Bette, but it is a bit suspect, considering Bette was a bit of a sexpot herself, back in the 1960s, 70s and even early 80s.
In Bette’s own words: “It’s terrible! It’s always surprising to see someone like Ariana Grande with that silly high voice, slithering around on a couch, looking so ridiculous.”
Sure, there is no real comparison to vocal talent of Bette and Ariana, but Ariana took exception to Bette’s criticism of performance styles, and offered a jab courtesy of the media, stating, “If I’m the kettle, you’re the pot.”
Fair enough, Ariana.
Sadly, there’s probably a little bit of hurt stemming from Ariana’s reaction. It’s not everyday a living, entertainment legend–someone Ariana admires–offers harsh criticism of what they’re seeing on stages, and gets so specific that they call out a young performer by name. Bette could have made a blanket statement, or dropped several names into the mix, but Ariana drew her ire. Odd.
The 68 year old Bette admitted to being “too old” to be of much influence or consequence, but she does offer some valuable insight for these young performers. When you’re so overtly sexual early in your career, where can you go from there? I guess we’ll all find out.
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