Calling on Nashville

Just days after the Grammys, the internet blew up with critiques of Taylor Swift's Grammy performance. I want to post the entire article that came out of it - and the resulting controversy that the article sparked. The coolest moment came this past Wednesday during a Sony music ladies-only event when Kellie Pickler and Sara Evans brought up the article and were discussing it right in front of me! (They didn't know I wrote it.) Label chief defends Swift's Grammy performance

By CAITLIN R. KING, Associated Press Writer Caitlin R. King, Associated Press Writer – Thu Feb 4, 1:06 pm ET

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The head of Taylor Swift's record label is fired up and defending his superstar against critical comments about her Grammy-night performance.

"She is the voice of this generation. She speaks directly to (her fans), and they speak directly back to her," said Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta in a phone interview. "This is not `American Idol.' This is not a competition of getting up and seeing who can sing the highest note. This is about a true artist and writer and communicator. It's not about that technically perfect performance."

Borchetta first responded to the backlash in an interview with The Tennessean. Asked by The Associated Press why he felt the need to defend Swift, he said because the criticism was "just over the top."

"It's that classic thing that critics do of building something up and then wanting to tear it down," he said.

Swift rehearsed her performance and duet with Stevie Nicks two different times at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in front of an audience. Entertainment Weekly wrote of the rehearsal, "The two women's voices complemented each other nicely on the harmonies of `Rhiannon.'"

But on Sunday night's Grammy show, Borchetta said Swift had a technical issue that made her worry about her performance. (Attempts to reach The Recording Academy for comment went unanswered.)

"We had a volume problem in the ear. So, she was concerned that she wasn't able to hear everything in the mix," Borchetta said. "That's just part of live TV. ... So you're going to have difficulties on occasion. Unfortunately, on one of the biggest stages, we did have a technical issue. She couldn't hear herself like she had in rehearsal."

As quickly as you could say "Fearless," bloggers and media outlets pounced on Swift's performance. The Washington Post quipped: "To borrow a phrase from Montgomery Burns, it was more 'off-key caterwauling.'" EW.com said: "There's no doubt that someone was badly off-key. ... I'm afraid my money's on Taylor."

The chatter at times overshadowed the four Grammys Swift had won, including album of the year.

It's doubtful her fans will abandon Swift anytime soon, judging by positive comments on her Facebook and MySpace pages, or shun the second leg of her sold-out "Fearless" tour, which resumes March 4 in Tampa, Florida.

And with that, Borchetta has a message to all of her critics.

"If you haven't seen her live performance, you're welcome to come out as my guest to a Taylor Swift show and experience the whole thing, because it's amazing," he said. "There's a reason tickets are selling like they are."

Swift's "Fearless" album has sold over 5 million copies and was last year's top-selling album.

Kelly Clarkson Wades Into Taylor Swift Controversy

From PEOPLE.COM

Four days after what critics described as Taylor Swift's "pitch-challenged" performance at the Grammy Awards, Kelly Clarkson has weighed in on the controversy after Swift’s record label CEO criticized American Idol.

In a blog post, Clarkson responded to recent comments by Big Machine Records’s Scott Borchetta, who told the Associated Press that the four-time Grammy winner "is the voice of this generation. She speaks directly to [her fans], and they speak directly back to her." He added, "This is not American Idol. This is not a competition of getting up and seeing who can sing the highest note. This is about a true artist and writer and communicator." In a letter addressed to Borchetta, Clarkson wrote that she understood why he would defend Swift – he said, "We had a volume problem in the ear ... She couldn't hear herself like she had in rehearsal" – but said she found it "upsetting" that he attacked the star-making TV show. "We not only hit the high notes, you forgot to mention we generally hit the 'right' notes as well," the American Idol winner wrote. Clarkson admitted that she, too, has had "shaky" performances, "and what my manager or label executives say to me and the public is 'I'll kick butt next time' or 'every performance isn't going to be perfect.' … I bring this up because you should take a lesson from these people and instead of lashing out at other artists (that in your 'humble' opinion lack true artistry), you should simply take a breath and realize that sometimes things won't go according to plan or work out and that's okay." She signed the post, "One of those contestants from American Idol who only made it because of her high notes" – and added a winking smiley face. Clarkson later Tweeted an assurance that she wasn't "dissing Taylor," and noted, "I buy her albums and cover her songs, obviously I'm a fan." (Her rendition of Swift's "White Horse" can be heard on YouTube. She's also covered her song "Cold As You.") Swift, who is currently on tour in Australia, has yet to join the public discussion, but Clarkson's fellow Idol winner David Cook seemed to appreciate the sentiments. He Tweeted, "Kudos, @kelly_clarkson. Love it."