Tuesday, June 18, 2013 6:11am ET by  
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will.i.am: "Somebody should get slapped for Voice winner's album flop"

The Voice UK judge will.i.am has slammed record bosses for ruining the chances of success for last year's winner.

Leanne Mitchell triumphed during last year's series, but her album was only released in May by Universal Music.

Her debut self-titled record sold less than 900 copies in its first week and gained a hugely disappointing chart position of 134.

Esteemed music producer will.i.am fumed: “The record company should be freakin’ embarrassed. Somebody should be held accountable. These singers are on television every week. So you’ve already accomplished things stars don’t accomplish. Do you wait a year later?

He added: “Somebody should get slapped because you waited too long. If you’re having performers sing other people’s songs, you should have a bunch of songs ready in your arsenal. It’s hopeless to release a record so long after the series finished.”

Fellow judge Danny O'Donoghue recently blamed Mitchell for her album flop.

He explained: "That’s not my fault, that’s not the show’s fault, that’s not the BBC’s fault, that’s just her fault. You can take an artist like that and question their work ethic. I was told by Tom Jones, and by the label as well, that Leanne just did not want to work as hard as you have to work to be a pop star."

 

 

 

 

Watch a recent interview with will.i.am here: