14 Singers Whose Careers Were A LIE

Once upon a time, it was tough to make a living as a singer - you had to have a great voice and be able to deliver live, performance after performance. Sure, there was enough technology to make recordings, but there weren't nearly as many effects and crazy gadgets to incorporate into the recording process. As a result, singers had to actually have insane vocal ability.

That's not necessarily the case today.

Nowadays, while you still need to have the chops if you plan to be an opera singer or something like that, many pop stars don't really have the greatest voices in the world. That's because their voices can be polished in the recording studio courtesy of autotune and other effects, and when they're performing live, well, many of them just opt to lip sync. And, if they decide to be brave and actually perform live, the audience generally noticed that their vocals are not quite up to snuff.

There are some cases of lip syncing that are more cringe-worthy than others, and there are some pop stars who just really never claimed to be masterful singers and instead make their money off the insane performances they give rather than their vocals, but nonetheless - given that a singers main job should be to sing well, it's a little surprising how average these 'professional' singers are.

Here are 15 singers who, well, can't really sing very well at all.

15 Lana Del Rey

There's no doubt that Lana Del Rey is absolutely gorgeous, and her particular brand of hipster pop has earned many, many fans out there. And while her whole vibe is definitely interesting, one thing is for sure - she's not exactly known for her singing ability, despite the fact that she's a singer. Del Rey herself has admitted it, saying that “I think like, the people who have been listening to my music for a little while know that I'm more of a writer and, like, a studio singer… .you can't expect much from my show.” Ouch! Well, we do have to give her props for actually admitting her less than stellar vocal abilities, but if you're fully aware that your live performances are a bit of a let down and likely to disappoint your fans, why bother? Why not just put out those albums and keep your singing to the studio?

14 Victoria Beckham

Back when she was in the Spice Girls, Victoria Beckham - Posh Spice, at the time - was definitely not the group member getting the most solos. In an interview she gave at the Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition, she actually spilled the beans about her previous career as a pop star, saying that her microphone literally was turned off during the majority of Spice Girls concerts. “They used to turn it off and just let the other sing” Beckham confessed. People went crazy over her confession because it's so refreshing to see a pop star actually revealing some of the smoke and mirrors that are involved in live performances. To her credit, Beckham eventually realized that singing wasn't going to be her path to lasting stardom - while being a part of the Spice Girls made her a household name, she's made a career out of fashion, something that she has a real knack for.

13 Milli Vanilli

You can't create a list of pop stars whose careers were a lie without discussing the infamous Milli Vanilli. The duo was making waves in the pop world back in the '80s when a lip syncing scandal essentially black-listed them from the music industry. During a live MTV performance, the duo was performing their hit song “Girl You Know It's True” when, all of a sudden, part of the song started to repeat in a technical glitch. The tried to play it off, but after all the rumors started swirling that they weren't really singing, one of the real singers who was actually providing the vocals that the duo in the spotlight were lipsyncing came forward. The group's founder confessed to his dishonesty, the group lost their Grammy awards, they were sued, and it all ended in tragedy. Since then, any time a star opts to lip sync during a live performance, they at least can feel better about the fact that they're lip syncing to their own previously recorded vocal, not some other guy's.

12 Britney Spears

Okay, before you start screaming “leave Britney alone!” just take a moment. As a performer, Britney Spears is the undisputed queen of pop. From her infamous “I'm A Slave 4 U” performance with the live snake to her many, many other insane performances, she's continually been one of the best performers in the business. However, she's certainly not challenging the likes of Adele when it comes to vocal ability - and she's never claimed to. Britney's distinctive, somewhat raspy voice has gotten a little worse for the wear over the years, but it doesn't even matter - most of her fans come to watch her live to see the crazy choreography and amazing production, they don't come expecting her standing in a single spotlight with just the microphone. Honestly, she has about a thousand hits under her belt, she has a Vegas residency, and people continue to go nuts over every new song she releases - if she wants to lip sync, that's her prerogative.

11 Cassie

Travel back in your memory over a decade ago, all the way back to the mid 2000s, when Cassie first hit the scene. The young pop star quickly gained a lot of exposure because she's insanely gorgeous, and her smash hit “Me And You” was blowing up the radio. However, the rising pop star went on 106 & Park (a show that no longer exists - man, time flies!) to perform her hit, and it was… awful, to say the least. Her career since then has been a lot more diverse, as she's taken on acting gigs and modeling gigs in addition to her singing career. There's no doubt that she looks fantastic on camera, but when it comes to live vocals, that's just not her strong suit. Over the years, she's transitioned from a singer to a model/actress/dancer who also sometimes sings, which is a pretty smart idea on her part (whether intentional or not).

10 Ashlee Simpson

Since her big sister Jessica was a successful pop star, when little sis Ashlee decided to test the waters in the music industry, many were initially receptive. After all, Jessica had decent vocals, so it would likely run in the family, right? Well, not quite. To her credit, Ashlee kicked her career off with a decent pop hit, “Pieces Of Me,” a song that people started playing on repeat. Eventually, her fame got big enough that Saturday Night Live asked her to be the musical guest in an episode, and she happily agreed to the gig - after all, it's great exposure to an entirely different audience. She probably wished she had turned the gig down afte what happened, though. Most people will remember it - she started off with “Pieces of Me,” which went well, and then when it was time for her second song, she sang… “Pieces of Me” again. You see, she had been lip syncing, and whoever was controlling things backstage accidentally re-played the song. Instead of pausing and saying it was a technical difficulty, she started doing some weird country dance. Whoops.

9 Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan got her start at a very young age as a child star in The Parent Trap, and then went on to star in teen flicks like Freaky Friday and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. However, she wasn't content to limit herself to the world of acting. Back when she was a rising teen starlet, she did what many teen starlets do - tried to head over to the music industry to forge a successful career as a singer as well. Her debut album, Speak, actually had a few hits, but it soon became evident that she just didn't have enough vocal ability. Her voice sounded fine on the songs, but anyone's voice can sound fine when they're in the recording studio getting effects layered over, and having the best bits taken out and glued together. Unfortunately, soon after starting her music career, her entire career started to unravel due to her substance addiction issues - and she hasn't tried to re-enter the music sphere yet.

8 Jennifer Lopez

There's no doubt that Jennifer Lopez is an absolutely incredible performer. She's without question a triple threat - she can act, she can dance, and she can sing. Well, sort of. You see, Jenny from the Block got her start as a dancer, and eventually moved into the music industry. She's had countless smash hits and has built an insanely successful career, but if you ever stop to hear her live vocals, they're just not that incredible. It's kind of a Britney Spears situation - she can put on an incredible show, complete with impeccably choreographed numbers and glittery, amazing costumes, but you wouldn't get too excited about seeing a performance of Jennifer Lopez raw, with just a microphone, her vocals, and not much else. It just goes to prove that there's no one way to become a success in the music industry - while for some, having incredible vocals is enough, for others, being gorgeous with other skills can lead to massive success.

7 Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff is an absolutely lovely person, but at the end of the day, her vocals just don't compare to other successful pop stars. She rose to fame as the beloved Lizzie McGuire on the Disney channel, which means she essentially had a built in audience when she decided to dabble in the pop world. Plus, given how many Disney channel stars ended up going on to have somewhat successful music careers, it seems it must have been almost a requirement to try your hand at a singing career as well. Duff did, and she had several hit songs, but a lot of her success came from the fact that the songs were catchy and she was already a household name. If she had just been recording average songs, and was a fresh face that no one knew, audiences likely wouldn't have given her the time of day, because her voice is fairly unremarkable.

6 Jason Derulo

This pop/R&B star has churned out several hits over the last few years, and there's no doubt that his career is red hot. However, a lot of his success comes down to his energy on stage and the fact that he's definitely easy on the eyes. When it comes to the actual music, there's a lot of auto-tune going on in his songs, and that seems to be for a reason. Unlike some other singers on this list, who confess that singing isn't their strong suit, Derulo has been outspoken about the fact that he does have solid vocals - but many individuals who have seen him perform live disagree. Fans of his music who aren't die-hard fans have admitted that, without the auto-tune smoothing out his vocals, it often seems like he's trying a bit too hard and just isn't able to sound as stellar as he does on his recordings.

5 Adam Levine

Adam Levine has been the lead singer of Maroon 5 for quite awhile, but he's receiving more and more attention lately as he gets involved in other aspects of the entertainment industry - most notably, as a coach/judge on The Voice. While his vocal range may initially make it seem like he has some crazy skills - after all, it's tough to nail those falsettos - more and more people are suggesting that he might not be all that when it comes to live performances. Even edited on studio recordings, his voice can sometimes have a bit of a nasal quality that may turn some people off, but apparently it's even worse live. Given how popular he is, we don't anticipate Levine hanging up his microphone just yet, but we can't help but wonder if any of the contestants on The Voice have questioned why he's such a superstar and they're just unknown aspiring singers.

4 Selena Gomez

Ah, the Disney star curse. Like Hilary Duff, Selena Gomez doesn't exactly have an awful voice - her voice is pleasant enough, it's just not really anything special. Her successful singing career is pretty much entirely based on the fact that she made it big as a Disney star, and then managed to parlay that fame into a singing career. It also doesn't hurt that she's totally gorgeous and looks the part of a pop starlet. When it comes to this generation of Disney stars, it seems that just being a child/teen actor isn't enough - you also need to be able to sing and dance and do just about everything in the entertainment industry, even if those things aren't necessarily your strong points. Gomez is lucky enough to work with talented producers and songwriters, and has released a few hits, but she seems to be turning her attention to acting and producing a bit more recently - so hopefully she'll continue to go down that path.

3 Miley Cyrus

We told you - Disney star curse. Miley Cyrus got her start playing secret pop star Hannah Montana, and quickly earned a legion of die-hard, devoted fans who would be willing to buy just about anything she released. She eventually grew tired of the squeaky clean image and opted to strike out on her own as a more risqué pop star who performed in skimpy outfits and twerked against people. She earned a ton of publicity thanks to her antics, both on and off stage, but at the end of the day, there was one thing that not many people were commenting on - her vocal ability. That's because, when it comes down to cold, hard talent, Miley just comes in a little short. Her voice is decent enough, but it's certainly not pop star quality - and she definitely seems to struggle live. Perhaps she should have just taken on more meaty, risqué acting roles if she wanted to shed her squeaky clean Disney image.

2 Pitbull

No one really expects rappers to be masterful singers, but the majority of them have at least a bit of vocal ability, so that they're able to sing hooks or choruses on their songs. Pitbull didn't really get the memo. He's managed to carve out a really successful career in the music industry, despite essentially rap-talking throughout every song. Mr. Worldwide isn't really a masterful rapper, he certainly isn't really a masterful singer, and he also isn't a model-turned-musician who looks insanely sexy in every photo shoot. Frankly, we're a little bit impressed by the career he's managed to build, considering he's not exactly a one in a million talent. It just goes to show that, in the music industry nowadays, talent isn't everything - sometimes, if you're able to put together a decent package and create catchy hits, that's enough for fickle audiences to download a few of your biggest hits.

1 Taylor Swift

Okay, okay - Swift fans, take a deep breath. This is a slightly more controversial pick, considering that Taylor Swift is arguably one of the biggest pop stars today. She's raking in millions and millions of dollars, and has managed to successfully transition from a country star to a straight up pop artist. And we'll hand it to her, she definitely has some crazy songwriting skills, and has penned her fair share of mega-hits over the years. However, if you've ever seen her perform live, you know that her live vocals are not exactly going to give you goosebumps. She's not dreadful live, but without the effects that go into studio recordings, she just sounds a little bit flat and slightly off. She looks like a model, she pens fantastic songs, and her voice is decent enough that it can sound good in the studio - so she's managed to build an insanely successful career, despite the fact that pop stars like Adele could sing circles around her.