Debelle booed off stage for Take That rap song
Mercury Prize-winner Speech Debelle was booed off stage by Take That fans as she tried to rap one of their songs – at an event in honour of the chart-topping band.
Debelle was then slammed by event host, Gavin and Stacey actor James Corden for her performance of number one hit 'Pray'.
It happened just days after the rap act revealed she had parted from her record label because she was unhappy with the way the company handled stocks of her CDs in the days after her surprise Mercury win.
Debelle – real name Corynne Elliot – was performing at a London event last night to mark the release of Karaoke-style computer game PlayStation 3 SingStar Take That.
The star – who was joined by a friend – chose to rap her way through the 1993 song.
But members of the 500-strong crowd showed their disdain for her interpretation by booing the artist, who won the Mercury with debut album 'Speech Therapy' in September.
She hit back: “I’m a rapper. I don’t do Take s***.”
Corden, a self-confessed Take That fan, then came on stage adding “that was s***, anyone can rap”, before launching into a rap of his own.
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange of Take That also performed, running through hit 'Rule The World' with Corden. And Amy Winehouse’s goddaughter Dionne Bromfield impressed the audience at Notting Hill’s Tabernacle with her version of 'Patience'.
Singers Lily Allen, Paloma Faith and Rachel Stevens, model Kate Moss, and Pixie Geldof were also at the party.
The intimate bash was held in aid of Body & Soul, a charity dedicated to supporting children, teenagers and families across the UK who are living with or closely affected by HIV.
It was originally scheduled for October but was postponed following the death of Barlow’s father.
Debelle’s unpopular performance follows her announcement this week that she would be quitting her label Big Dada, blaming them for poor sales of her album following her Mercury win.
Reflecting on the week of her win, she told BBC 6 Music: “The Mercury Prize was on Tuesday, and on Friday there were no more physical albums in the shops.
“So, on the Mercury weekend, which would have been my biggest selling weekend, people couldn’t get it.
Sales of 'Speech Therapy' went from 3,000 copies to just below 10,000, despite retailers predicting a massive bounce in sales, and the album has still to make the top 40.
