Why is Alexandra Burke hated so much?

[TeenIdle]

Alexandra probably knows she has little to no room to mess up. The same could probably be what drove an artist like Beyonce to be as "on-point" as she is, to where she can come off as robotic or media-trained. Due to the color of their skin, they're starting off their careers with people already having negative assumptions about them, so they have to work harder than others just to break those assumptions. Like someone else said, Alexandra probably has to work ten times harder just to get what many artists are handed.

[LoveLockdown]

^My thoughts exactly. Her mum would've drilled that into her. I got it as a child too. You have no choice in life. But it seems that others want her to fail by David's tweets. And the poor guy knows what's really going on, hence his frustration.

[LoveLockdown]

It annoys me that Cheryl Cole can do what she did on The Voice and get so much praise yet Alexandra busts her ass off and does at least twice the amount of performing and gets sweet fuck all.

Now I'm really not trying to pit artists together or start some off topic Cheryl drama but why even is that, it's ludicrous.

Well...some are born with it easy ;) Same way Beyonce was amazing at the start of her solo career, but only recently has been given the praise due. People used to say she was crap etc. Also Cheryl has the public on side, because she's Cheryl, but it's a one way system. Same for britney et al.

[Baby Clyde]

Of course there are many reasons that an artist can be disliked but the vehemence against Alex is totally disproportionate to anything she has ever done wrong and any reasons people have ever articulated for their dislike, that it begins to look like something else is at play

Nobody is for one minute suggesting that people consciously think 'she black, therefore i don't like her' but i truly believe that her race does have an impact on how she's perceived and judged. It is pervasive throughout our society, the most obvious example is the negative way women of colour have ben portrayed (and have portrayed themselves on Big Brother practically every year).

A black woman who is confident is labelled, cocky or arrogant, if she's stands up for herself she's aggressive and if you can't think of anything else she's ugly or looks like a man.

The fact is that the UK record industry have absolutely no idea what to do with black women and you can count on 1 hand those that have had sustained careers (Gabrielle, Sade er) while there are absolutely loads that have false starts and gone nowhere once the industry grows bored. There is no plan, no A&R, no will to make anyone succeed. It is only with Emilie Sande that i can think of a black uk female who has had the same sustained push as Adele, Amy, Jesse,Ellie etc and please don't tell me that there is no one who can sing as well.

It's strange that there is a totally different standard when it comes to US acts, Beyonce, Rihanna etc can act however they like and we love them for it. But UK women have to know there place and no get above themselves.

I'm not suggesting this is the only factor in plat, I can fully understand that Alex hasn't always come across as well as she could in interviews etc but i've never seen any malice in it just excitement and eagerness and i've never once hear a decent reason for the venom that is spewed at her not only on message boards but from people at Radio 1 for example. It's an old cliche but she has to fight 10 times as hard to achieve what many other acts have given to them on a plate.

This era is a train wreck, i have no idea what they were thinking releasing a whole album of cheap sounding, auto tuned, dance music, a year too late. NOBODY buys albums by dance acts anyway. The record company and management are an omnishambles (why hasn't this airplay problem, whatever it is ,been sported by now) as always. In the middle we have Alex as usually rising above all the shit and performing her heart out, looking like the best popstar this country has ever had.

Rant over

AMEN!!!

To all of this.

[jamesterrancewest]

I don't dislike Alexandra Burke, and accusing others of racism because they do dislike her is pretty sad. I do think all the Americanisms she uses are pretty embarrassing. I distinctly remember her being a lot more British before she won the X Factor.

[LoveLockdown]

No one is being called a racist. We're on about the way society expects black females to be in the UK. She only uses 'boo' and that's it. They're not really americanisms at all. Listen to Kelly Rowland talk or Fantasia, and Alex sounds nothing alike.Well she did spend a lot of time around americans, and black americans at that, you really do pick up the lingo.

[SunshineConcubine]

As a nation though we do seem to have a very extreme reaction to perceived 'Americanisation'. Joss Stone is only remembered now for the fact she picked up a weird mid-Atlantic accent. Some people pick up accents/slang and the like really easily, but people act as if that's 'being fake'.

[borrowed time]

I can't believe race has even come up as an issue in this discussion.
I simply think that it's that she's not as likeable as some other popstars. And the music isn't good enough for people to ignore her personality.
And as for her having to work harder than other popstars, I think that's rubbish too. I think blanket statements like that cheapen the hard graft which other (either successful or not) artists put into their output.
Don't get me wrong, on the whole I like her - and I like her music. Although from time to she irritates me and her newer stuff isn't as good as her first album. However, I'm surprised at the direction that this thread has taken.

[swinginglondontown]

At least she invokes an opinion in people.

Most of her contemporaries are just sort of 'there' aren't they - not saying anything mildly interesting.

[LoveLockdown]

But it's a very negative one, or just silence. That's not good.

[swinginglondontown]

It's negative for some, whereas other (like me) see it as a refreshing change from the normal dullards.

I'm still to hear of any concrete examples that could be seen as arrogance or a sign of being fake.

Annoying maybe, but not arrogant or fake.

Dislike her music all you like (Start Without You was godawful, and this second album isn't promising), but all the abuse I read seems to directed towards her as a person. Which is pretty shitty, and says more about the people doing it than Alexandra Burke herself.

[kyle17]

When people call her 'fake' I can sympathies. I think that largely comes down to her appearance. The long fake nails, the ever changing (and worsening) weaves etc. also the excessive use of 'babe' which may look like it's done because she doesn't remember peoples names.

[swinginglondontown]

Fake nails and different wigs? Yes - because everyone hates every popstar who changes their appearance by dressing up a bit.

Calling everyone babe? I call everyone 'mate'. Just because that's what I do.

[kyle17]

Fake nails and different wigs? Yes - because everyone hates every popstar who changes their appearance by dressing up a bit.

Calling everyone babe? I call everyone 'mate'. Just because that's what I do.

People are fickle.

[miklc]

I don't hate her cuz she's black. She's black because I hate her.

[jamesterrancewest]

I do think shes being fake with the Americanisms (like Jose Stone). You'll only start using Americanisms if you're trying to. I'm British but have lived in the States since 2004 and am still VERY British. I use the occasional American word but don't do all that Jerry Springer type stuff and "OK.com" stuff she was doing... OK.com

[Mvnl]

I do think shes being fake with the Americanisms (like Jose Stone). You'll only start using Americanisms if you're trying to. I'm British but have lived in the States since 2004 and am still VERY British. I use the occasional American word but don't do all that Jerry Springer type stuff and "OK.com" stuff she was doing... OK.com

I guess that comes down to how much it appeals to someone/how 'cool' or funny they consider it to be.
People use lots of 'Tumblrisms' and for example Mean Girls quotes on here (see 2 posts back!). Lots of people pick up little sayings or jokes from others if they like them. Now if she puts on a phony accent, that's 'faking it'. But using expressions she picked up somewhere else is just that, no pretense in it, I'd say.

[Alphableat]

If only she'd said ok.co.uk, this whole mess could have been avoided.

[LoveLockdown]

I do think shes being fake with the Americanisms (like Jose Stone). You'll only start using Americanisms if you're trying to. I'm British but have lived in the States since 2004 and am still VERY British. I use the occasional American word but don't do all that Jerry Springer type stuff and "OK.com" stuff she was doing... OK.com

I wouldn't slate her that way. She is from London and the amount of people that speak in Jamaican patois there is incredible, and quite a fair few are white. She said ok.com and boo. It's not like she said 'put it down/girl bye/oh GURL/aww hell naw' is it? She was very british in her accent otherwise she'd talk like an american if she wanted to be one. Sometimes, there's no other way to say what you're saying. I use 'true tea' a fair bit, because there's no equivalent in UK english. People pick up lingo all the time.

[invertedbutterfly]

If only she'd said ok.co.uk, this whole mess could have been avoided.

This is definitely my post of the day. Thanks Alphableat!

[mump boy]

And that was totally ridiculous as well. The poor girl had lived and recorded in America with Betty Wright for years from the age of 14 of course she would pick up some affectation

[mump boy]

I can't believe race has even come up as an issue in this discussion.
I simply think that it's that she's not as likeable as some other popstars. And the music isn't good enough for people to ignore her personality.
And as for her having to work harder than other popstars, I think that's rubbish too. I think blanket statements like that cheapen the hard graft which other (either successful or not) artists put into their output.
Don't get me wrong, on the whole I like her - and I like her music. Although from time to she irritates me and her newer stuff isn't as good as her first album. However, I'm surprised at the direction that this thread has taken.

but no one is talking about you and your mild dislike, there are many reasons to not be a fan of someone. It is the level of vitriol that is totally disproportionate and in many ways systematic that is being questioned here, way and above what is usually dealt out to someone for being a bit irritating

[Kris]

Certainly the people over at the Daily Mail seem to have it in for her. Both the stories they've put online recently and a lot of the comments they attract are just downright bullying imo

[Someboy]

If only she'd said ok.co.uk, this whole mess could have been avoided.

This is so brilliant it might have to be my new signature.

It's true though. The worse thing about it is she was talking at Louis the way every single person who has ever watched X-Factor has wanted to, yet somehow she's made out to be shallow and entitled for it.

[mump boy]

And she had more experience of competing in and right to comment on The X Factor than anyone on the panel !!