The series has divided opinion among music legends. Paul McCartney called it "not a bad thing" which "gives some people an opportunity, it gives them confidence, it gives them work". However, Elton John, despite appearing on it in 2013, described it as "a cruise ship show" which is "cruel" and "no way to find talent". Similarly, Sting called it a "soap opera which has nothing to do with music" and had "put music back decades".