Just a few hours after Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert took to Twitter to blast Eric Church, the ‘Springsteen’ singer has released a statement apologizing for his comments in a Rolling Stone magazine article.
Church ripped reality shows like American Idol and The Voice and appeared to be taking direct shots at Shelton and his wife, who got her break as a finalist on Nashville Star.
“Honestly, if Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green f—ing turn around in a red chair, you got a deal?” Church said in the Rolling Stone story. “That’s crazy. I don’t know what would make an artist do that. You’re not an artist.” He also stated in the article that he’d “f–ing starve” before taking a job on a singing competition reality show.”
Both Shelton and Lambert caught wind of Church’s comments and took to Twitter to respond.
“Thanks Eric Church for saying I’m not a real artist. Or @kelly_clarkson, @carrieunderwood & @KeithUrban. You’re welcome for the tour in 2010,” Lambert tweeted yesterday. And Shelton tweeted; “I wish I misunderstood this…” yesterday and “why, just why?” late last night.
In a statement issued Monday night, Church hoped to clear the air, stating that he has “a lot of respect for what artists like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and my friend Miranda Lambert” have achieved, even though they got their start competing on reality television. Shelton wasn’t mentioned in the release.
Read the full press release from Eric Church below:
“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 problem with those perceived shortcuts, not just in the music industry. Many people have come to think they can just wake up and have things handed to them. 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.”
What Church DOESN’T acknowledge, is that out of all the genres of music on these reality shows, the most successful acts that have come from them have been COUNTRY. Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Scotty McCreery, Miranda Lambert, George Canyon, Kellie Pickler, face it, people who like country, generally like reality TV!! So taking a shot at these shows and the artists that come from them, is also taking a shot at the fans who watch them. Way to bite the hand that feeds you, Eric.
However, as much as Church is creating controversy and ticking off fans of the country couple, there could be a silver lining in this for him. His song ‘Springsteen’ from his album CHIEF is number one on the iTunes country singles chart – both in the United States and in Canada. And its number 11 on the iTunes main chart – higher than any other country artist.
CHIEF is currently in the top 10 country albums chart in both Canada and the United States – ranking #7 on both the US and Canadian iTunes charts. Blake Shelton‘s Red River Blue is currently number nine on the American iTunes country charts. Miranda Lambert‘s single ‘Over You,’ which is a co-write with her husband, is number seven on the US iTunes Country Singles Charts, and number eight on the Canadian iTunes Country Singles Charts.
Hmmm so, is Eric Church actually a marketing genius? Or is it just fan curiosity? Do you think he’d be at #1 otherwise? And do you think he still owes Blake Shelton an apology?
