The Voice isn’t rigged, says judge Kelly Rowland

Furious singing star Kelly Rowland has hit back at allegations that talent show The Voice is rigged, saying the claims were “like sh---ing on my name.”

A furious Kelly Rowland has warned naysayers to back off on claims The Voice is rigged.

“It really upsets me when I hear someone say something is rigged, or we’re being told what to do,” Rowland, a coach on Nine’s reality singing show The Voice told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“That’s like sh---ing on my name, and I don’t appreciate that.”

Rowland, a solo chart-topper and former member of supergroup Destiny’s Child, said she would not uproot life in the US, and live in Australia for three months a year, for a predetermined competition.

This year’s coaches from left; Boy George, Delta Goodrem, Guy Sebastian and Kelly Rowland. Supplied: Channel 9

“The Voice is not rigged because I don’t like being told what to do,” Rowland said. “It’s actually something I really battle with.

“You think you can tell an icon like Boy George what to do. And you can’t do that with any of us. We are artists, we’ve had great careers, and we would never do that. Absolutely not.”

Kelly Rowland and Delta Goodrem.

Rowland’s comments follow rigging claims by Thom Lion, a “helper” on an Adelaide breakfast radio show.

Lion, a professional singer, claims The Voice producers “promised” and “guaranteed” he would make it to the semi-final round if he auditioned.

Despite encouragement from his partner, who works at Channel 9, Lion declined the offer.

Rowland frowned: “You know, dude, whatever. Sorry it didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to. With all due respect, welcome to show business.”

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Pop princess Delta Goodrem, who also coaches on the show, told the Sunday Herald Sun: “I apologise, but nobody has been promised anything.

“If they had, I would’ve got my brother, who is tone deaf, or my friend, who can’t sing, and promised to get them up there. But The Voice is not rigged.

“The excitement is in the discovery of these new artists, and the fact that we don’t know what’s going to happen. That keeps us electrified.

“Also, it gets voted on by the time we hit the live rounds, so we definitely have no control.

We feel everything our artists feel, and that’s why people love the show.”

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