will.i.am says ‘The Voice UK’ winners aren’t successful because they don’t have Simon Cowell behind them.
The 41-year-old coach believes the reason those who go on to win the talent show don’t go on to achieve chart success is because they don’t have someone like the music mogul, who owns his own record label Syco, to support them once the programme wraps up.
Asked why he thinks Simon’s shows ‘The X Factor’ and ‘Pop Idol’ are more popular, he told Q magazine: "OK, I can say it now – before I couldn’t, and now I can. The singing shows that have been successful are ‘The X Factor’ and ‘Pop Idol’. Who’s the consistent person working on those shows? Simon Cowell. Here’s a person that ran a record label that is attached to TV shows – of course someone is going to turn into a f***ing star … The problem with ‘The Voice’ is, the people that are on the chairs are not plugged into the record label. Our show is about celebrating awesome voices. He’s looking for ‘The X Factor’. We’re trying to get citrus out of apples."
Meanwhile, the Black Eyed Peas singer recently admitted he’s uncertain if he’ll be returning to ‘The Voice’ when it moves over to ITV from the BBC following a mega deal.
Asked whether he’ll be returning to the programme when it hits screens next year, he said: "I don’t know, I hope so, I hope to. I like it a lot, I’ve been doing it for five years. I don’t know why they’d want to switch it up."
will.i.am thinks The Voice needs Simon Cowell
