Richard Marx has been slammed by viewers of The Voice Australia after he essentially told a young singer not to quit her day job.
The American crooner, who is a judge on the Aussie installment of the singing competition, made harsh comments about contestant Mikayla Durrant, after she failed to turn any chairs.
Mikayla launched into a beautiful version of Have You Ever Seen The Rain, but didn’t progress on the show.
When asked if she was dedicated to music or if she wrote her own songs, Mikayla admitted that she was actually eyeing a career in science – a reply that had Richard raging.
‘I’m a bit out of my element. I actually study ecology and conservation university so I want to be a wildlife scientist,’ she confessed.
Richard, 62, then launched into a passionate diatribe, insisting that dedication to one’s craft was vital to surviving in the brutal music biz.
Richard Marx (left) has been slammed by viewers of The Voice Australia after he essentially told a young singer not to quit her day job. Pictured right: Contestant Mikayla Durrant
‘You know what, then you should be a wildlife scientist. Because the people who end up having music careers, there is no backup plan,’ he said.
‘If you’re gonna do this for a living, you have to be so passionate about it. And the answer to every question should be, “Yes”.
‘You’re in a business where “no” won’t really cut it, because there are a lot of people who want it so badly that they say “yes” to everything. They will do everything in their power to have a career.’
He continued to rant: ‘Unless you are that committed, this is not for you. Despite that beautiful voice.’
Richard then raved angrily that if someone auditions for the show, they should not ‘waste our f***ing time’.
He had some backup from Australian singer and fellow judge Tones and I, who agreed that music takes sacrifice.
‘I agree passion is everything, coming from someone that lived in their van and played music on the street. It is everything, there is no backup plan,’ she said.
There was an overwhelmingly negative response to Richard’s comments, with many chiming in on social media to slam him for being overly harsh towards the young singer.
Richard raved angrily that if someone auditions for the show, they should not ‘waste our f***ing time’
There was an overwhelmingly negative response to Richard’s comments, with many chiming in on social media to slam him for being overly harsh towards the young singer
‘Brian May of Queen has a PhD in astrophysics… I wonder what would have happened if one-hit wonder Richard had told Brian, “Go back to university and don’t write songs for Queen”,’ one social media user wrote.
Another person commented: ‘Used to want to be on a show like this but this has changed my mind. Pretty disgusting.’
‘Smart musicians have a backup plan, like him being a coach,’ wrote someone else.
One more said: ‘Who is this guy? No one knows you, bro,’ with someone else agreeing, ‘Who the hell even is Richard?’
‘Well, I’ve never heard of him. Not sure he should be on such a high horse,’ someone else commented.
Several people called Richard ‘rude’ and one even suggested he should ‘go back to America’.
‘Can we get him off the show?’ said one viewer, and another called him ‘washed up’.
‘Unnecessarily brutal. Ask anyone auditioning for the show and they will tell you they have a day job,’ wrote one fan.
American singer Richard is best known for his 1980s and 1990s hits, including Right Here Waiting and Endless Summer Nights.
