The haters are annoying, although thankfully it's dying down now.
The thing is, as you said, she does have a HUGE fanbase. At a lot of gigs she has been recieved well. And on Twitter, a lot of followers.
I really think she could potentially shock everyone and do something big.
I mean even if she's not signed. If she did something independantly or on an indie label and released it before it's too late she could still get some attention imo.
I'm looking forward to seeing what she does after the tour. I know she has lots of good contacts from her days in America, with Red One etc.
Also, the tour should be good too. I wonder what she'll sing?