Some pop artists have tried their hand at singing country, per ranker.com. I admire their pluckiness and willingness to experiment. Nevertheless, their efforts have not always yielded positive results. I guess that could lead us to an existential debate over exactly what constitutes a country singer. Let it suffice to say that most people can tell if an artist has true country singing chops or not. For these vocalists, it just wasn't happening quite the way they envisioned. At least Tiffany, Steven Tyler, Jessica Simpson, and Cyndi Lauper gave it their best shot. Just don't expect them to stand onstage at the Grand Ole Opry anytime soon.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Tiffany
Tiffany Darwish, better known as 1980s pop sensation Tiffany, found the pull of country irresistible. In 2011, she issued a country disc titled Rose Tattoo. It barely made a ripple with the public. She shared with Taste Of Country, "To me, the biggest compliment is when somebody comes up and says, 'I really connected with that song. That song was speaking to me.' Or, 'I'm down in the dumps but I put that song on and it lifts me a little bit. It gives me hope.'" Unfortunately, if Tiffany hoped to land a career in country, that did not happen.
Steven Tyler
With his trademark growly voice and raucous onstage antics, the wild longtime frontman of Aerosmith doesn't appear to be a good fit for country. Still, Tyler gamely gave it a go. In 2016, he dropped an album titled We're All Somebody From Somewhere. He was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly about it, when he said, "Eric Church is defining the new country. [But] bro country? I don't like it. I like when someone takes a [expletive] risk." That comment probably did not endear Tyler to die-hard country fans. He ultimately stayed with his day job as a legendary rocker.
Jessica Simpson
Simpson entered into the country arena in 2008 with an album titled Do You Know. It crashed and burned fast. She did not seem to have the mettle for country. According to ranker.com via Us Weekly, "Working the country market is very different. You really have to work it at country. You have to spend your life on the road building an audience and she didn't really put the work in," was the dour opinion of music editor Ian Drew. Sorry, Jessica. Stick with being a pop artist.
Cyndi Lauper
The exuberant "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" singer is among those who wanted to go full-country, at least for a time. Her 2016 album, Detour, had impeccable genes to get her there. Lauper had help on it from starry standouts like Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Jewel, Alison Krauss, and Vince Gill. Detour was recorded in Music City and produced by the legendary Tony Brown, who was just announced as an inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Detour featured songs like "Walkin' After Midnight" and "I Fall To Pieces." Per the outlet, "The album was fairly successful with Lauper fans, though mainstream country didn't seem particularly welcoming." It also generated some appreciative reviews who recognized Lauper for her bold foray into a new genre. But as Lauper discovered, the gates don't swing wide open just because you want admission to the elite inner sanctum. The reaction was respectable but not great. Lauper is a better pop artist than country music vocalist.
