Solo stardom just doesn’t seem to be on the cards for Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.
Why, you may wonder?
Well, despite boasting an all-star line-up of features, his latest solo album ‘#willpower’ has limped into the US charts with sales even a newcomer would wince at.
Find out what they are after the jump…
The LP, which features Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Nicole Scherzinger, and more, debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 29,000.
For many, the numbers will re-open the debate about the disastrous decline of record sales; on the one hand because the album has essentially tanked despite the support of major names, and on the other because its predecessor ‘Songs About Girls’ opened with sales of 21,000, which six years ago could only land it at #38. Needless to say, times have changed in some crazy ways.
In any case, despite immense success both with the Peas and as a producer, will.i.am is essentially in the same place now he was (solo) in 2007. Nowhere.
Of course, his situation isn’t totally clear-cut, given that he a) produced much of his own album (hence costs on that front are likely low), b) is still selling globally and majorly with his singles, and c) is seeing his “brand” booming via platforms such as The Voice UK.
That said, with the likes of Timbaland managing to do it all (see: “Shock Value’), there’s clearly a disconnect between will and the record-buying public..which begs the question…