"Paying critics has just reached a whole new level."
I feel that paying critics is one thing we overlook in the music industry, one thing that isn't always easy to notice or just something we pass off as promotion. But in reality it's a cry, a plea, a beg for people to listen to your album, and this time none other than Self Esteem has showcased how not to pay off critics without others knowing. In fact, I would bet good money she paid off the critics to rate her new album high.
This whole story started when I was flicking through the new albums on AOTY, and one hated album (user score: 38/100) spotted my eye, that being 'A Complicated Woman' by Self Esteem, where SEVEN critics gave this a one hundred and equalled its critic song to 81. I've never seen such a big user and critic clash in my life. This album had more one hundreds than some of the most prized albums of 2024, and in case you're wondering, "How bad can it be?" Listen to the song "69" from the album; that was the second single released, and no, I'm not nitpicking the worst song because this was literally a single. For anyone who can't be bothered to hear the song, just take my word, the user's word and, basically, nearly everyone who wasn't paid off's word for it. Oh no, but this wasn't over, no, no, no. Let's look at the user score for Self Esteem's last album, shall we? Critic score (91/100) – user score (65/100) – and NINE critics gave it a 100; this album has the same amount of hundreds as the critics' number one album of 2024. Self Esteem is a pretty damn ironic artist name, don't you think? At least have some respect for yourself, or maybe just admit that you knew your music was going to get dumped on by everyone. But one I want to show you just really proves how absolutely fake these reviews are:
Laura Dean - God Is In The TV - Score: 100
"With A Complicated Woman, Self Esteem proves once again that nobody else is doing what she’s doing right now – and perhaps nobody ever has."
Yeah… Dude, to rate this album high was already a huge leap, BUT TO SAY NOBODY HAS EVER DONE THIS?! WHAT?! Laura has either just had too many drinks at the pub or is getting paid mountains of cash; nobody is taking a critic seriously after saying that. Once again, hearing "69", don't dare tell me nobody has even attempted anything like that. Damn, Laura, if you're reading this, then it's a reminder to get sober before you write your reviews. ?
Now, I'm a strong believer in letting people choose their music taste and all, but it could not be any clearer what is happening here. Laura is either becoming more mentally insane than Kanye or self-esteem is paying for her college tuition to ruin her name in one review.
You thought this was all over, didn't you? Nope. Because I've now got to reveal how this contradicts Self Esteem's whole character, she claims to all be about self-worth and pushing this whole feminist movement of mental health of how powerful and self-accepting people could be. Dude, you look at your lyrics of self-love and think you need to pay a few critics to get this noticed; that's not self-acceptance and makes her look more desperate.
Now, I'm not some huge Self Esteem hater; don't get me wrong. But this is INSANE.
I feel that paying critics is one thing we overlook in the music industry, one thing that isn't always easy to notice or just something we pass off as promotion. But in reality it's a cry, a plea, a beg for people to listen to your album, and this time none other than Self Esteem has showcased how not to pay off critics without others knowing. In fact, I would bet good money she paid off the critics to rate her new album high.
This whole story started when I was flicking through the new albums on AOTY, and one hated album (user score: 38/100) spotted my eye, that being 'A Complicated Woman' by Self Esteem, where SEVEN critics gave this a one hundred and equalled its critic song to 81. I've never seen such a big user and critic clash in my life. This album had more one hundreds than some of the most prized albums of 2024, and in case you're wondering, "How bad can it be?" Listen to the song "69" from the album; that was the second single released, and no, I'm not nitpicking the worst song because this was literally a single. For anyone who can't be bothered to hear the song, just take my word, the user's word and, basically, nearly everyone who wasn't paid off's word for it. Oh no, but this wasn't over, no, no, no. Let's look at the user score for Self Esteem's last album, shall we? Critic score (91/100) – user score (65/100) – and NINE critics gave it a 100; this album has the same amount of hundreds as the critics' number one album of 2024. Self Esteem is a pretty damn ironic artist name, don't you think? At least have some respect for yourself, or maybe just admit that you knew your music was going to get dumped on by everyone. But one I want to show you just really proves how absolutely fake these reviews are:
Laura Dean - God Is In The TV - Score: 100
"With A Complicated Woman, Self Esteem proves once again that nobody else is doing what she’s doing right now – and perhaps nobody ever has."
Yeah… Dude, to rate this album high was already a huge leap, BUT TO SAY NOBODY HAS EVER DONE THIS?! WHAT?! Laura has either just had too many drinks at the pub or is getting paid mountains of cash; nobody is taking a critic seriously after saying that. Once again, hearing "69", don't dare tell me nobody has even attempted anything like that. Damn, Laura, if you're reading this, then it's a reminder to get sober before you write your reviews. ?
Now, I'm a strong believer in letting people choose their music taste and all, but it could not be any clearer what is happening here. Laura is either becoming more mentally insane than Kanye or self-esteem is paying for her college tuition to ruin her name in one review.
You thought this was all over, didn't you? Nope. Because I've now got to reveal how this contradicts Self Esteem's whole character, she claims to all be about self-worth and pushing this whole feminist movement of mental health of how powerful and self-accepting people could be. Dude, you look at your lyrics of self-love and think you need to pay a few critics to get this noticed; that's not self-acceptance and makes her look more desperate.
Now, I'm not some huge Self Esteem hater; don't get me wrong. But this is INSANE.