i think strained notes actually sound amazing and powerful in performances with heavy emotional context
as long as the note is actually hit right of course
straining to get the note right often gives a sense of pain and yearning which can really add to the impact of a performance
of course technical experts ( not akp pundits ) would know better than me about how bad the technique is. And honestly, I dont want singers to strain hard to hit notes too often and hurt their voice. But if they hit the note right, and it fits in the context of the song, it can truly elevate a song to its max.
a lot of "strong belters" take away the value of a performance by focusing too much on getting the technique right every time
