Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am has opened up about the emotional toll of being a coach on The Voice and admits rejecting artists leaves him “devastated”.
The US musician has been on the ITV show for 14 years serving continuously since it premiered in March 2012, but it never gets any easier.
‘It’s the worst’
will said: “That dream crush is like, ‘oh, my God!’ It’s the worst. And to do that to an artist that’s already hyper emotional. It’s the reason why they are creative because their emotions are like antenna up, receiving, receiving, receiving.
“And when you get crushed, that receive is like a thousand tonnes. Just thinking about it makes me emotional. Every time I am put in that situation and put somebody in that situation.”
Personal experience of rejection
The My Humps star knows first hand how crushing rejection can be having struggled himself as a young producer.
He told Capital Breakfast: “And it’s happened to me in the past in my career. Has somebody overthought what I had to offer? Devastated. Leaving the freaking executive offices, going to the parking lot or taking the bus back home.”
New music and roots
Fortunately will's personal dreams did come true and he continues to make incredible music. The star recently returned with booming summer anthem that pays tribute to his East L.A. roots, Sick Ass Foos featuring Lil Mr. E of Foos Gone Wild alongside newcomer Toxica.
With a little bit of humour, and a lot of style, the single celebrates not just Chicano culture, but also everyone out there proudly representing where they come from.
Having grown up in Boyle Heights’ Estrada Courts housing project, the song ties that rich lineage directly to West Coast rap history with ’80s-inspired production and reference-packed bars.
He said: “I was born and raised in the ghetto, on welfare, two minutes from homeless... When someone is denying what they are, then that's when things start to spiral down.”
His latest song connects directly to his previous solo single, “EAST LA” featuring fellow Black Eyed Peas member Taboo.
