Veteran singer Bette Midler has shared her two cents about the current state of pop music and how female pop stars appear to be peddling sex in an interview with The Telegraph.
Speaking about her decades-spanning career in the music industry, Midler noted how many modern songs and acts lack meaning.
"I couldn't think of a girl group that was modern who had a song as meaningful as [the one by] TLC," Midler shared. "I couldn't find one. I mean, who are you talking about? The Spice Girls? I like Destiny's Child. I think that was the last great girl band there was."
She also pointed out how "terrible" it is how pop music is marketed and cited singer Ariana Grande as an example.
"It's terrible!" she exclaimed. "It's always surprising to see someone like Ariana Grande with that silly high voice, a very wholesome voice, slithering around on a couch looking so ridiculous."
She added, "I mean, it's silly beyond belief and I don't know who's telling her to do it. I wish they'd stop. But it's none of my business, I'm not her mother. Or her manager. Maybe they tell them that's what you've got to do. Sex sells. Sex has always sold."
Midler, who has made her mark both in music and acting, gave an advice to young women hoping to break into any industry. "Trust your talent," she said. "You don't have to make a whore out of yourself to get ahead. You really don't."
The legendary singer has recently released her first album in six years called "It Girls." The record made Midler the second artist, next to Barbra Streisand, to score a top 10 album in each of the last five decades, according to Billboard.
Midler is set to go on a 22-day tour in support of her latest album starting May 8, 2015.