At what point did singers start referring to themselves as artists?

Like on shows like American Idol, where some of the contestants, after completing their songs and being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest, will refer to themselves as “artists.” This always makes me snicker, especially the ones who only sing and not play an instrument and seem so full of themselves, like Thia Magia of this current season. I’m not saying it’s not a skill, or especially not a talent, and Thia could easily be considered the best ‘singer‘ of this season. But ‘artist’? That seems a bit much, especially for someone so young and inexperienced and not a touch of professional singing in their lives.

I play music and do some singing at a hotel bar on weekends, so I realize how difficult it can be and the time it takes to perfect a song and all that, but artist? Nah. I would never refer to myself as an artist. Musician? Sure. Vocalist? Possibly. Artist? Not in this lifetime.

Also, music is not only considered an art, but it is also a science. Yep, it sure is. And I swear, I would stay up for the three or four extra hours and vote until my fingers fall off for any contestant who would ever stand there, post-performance, and while talking to Ryan say something like “Well, Ryan, as a scientist I try to put my best formula out for every performance.”