Andrea Begley wins The Voice – Will.I.Am tweets disapproval

The voice culminated this weekend in a furore of controversy (of course). Of the singers that made it down tot he final two it wasn't the favourite, Leah McFall, who came out on top, but instead partially sighted Andrea Begley, who was crowned the winner of the Voice 2013. The decision angered Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am, who went on a twitter tirade to voice his disapproval at how his act was pipped at the post. Angry rappers at award ceremonies? Sounds familiar...

The tweet simply read “You should feel the audience’s vibration in the room tonight after the public’s vote … it’s unexplainable … so sad … perplexed.” It’s not a meltdown of Kanye proportions, or better yet ODB, but it’s definitely sprung an extra caveat to the story. Anyway, it’s all a bed of roses again as Will.I.Am’s frustration has since ceded and he’s made his peace with the winner, who has jokingly said she wants to spend the million pounds prize (tied up in a recording contract) on a car, but even that “won’t buy a blind person a licence.”

It was typical of the singer’s self-deprecating manner and good humour in dealing with her disability, who was rightly heralded as an inspiration by her mentor Danny O’Donoghue. We wish Andrea all the luck in the world, and after the fate that befell last year’s finalist she may need it. Leanne Mitchell’s debut single flopped and her album sales failed to break out of three figures.

Will.I.Am will get over the disappointment with a star turn as the special guest at Wireless Festival in a couple of weeks. On Sunday 14^th July he joins the epochal meeting of minds that is the Legends of the Summer tour from Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake, with further support from a burgeoning talent list including A$AP Rocky, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest and last week’s artist of the week Jessie Ware.

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