Speech Debelle has revealed that she is quitting her record label, blaming the company for disappointing sales of her Mercury-winning debut album.

Debelle told BBC 6 Music that sales of Speech Therapy suffered because of poor distribution from Big Dada Records.

The rapper’s LP had sold around 3,000 copies prior to her win. Sales increased to just below 10,000 in the following months.

“The Mercury Prize was on Tuesday, and on Friday there were no more physical albums in the shops,” she said.

“So, on the Mercury weekend, which would have been my biggest selling weekend, people couldn’t get it. I wasn’t disappointed that it didn’t sell well, I was disappointed in the people I was working with.”

Addressing her future, the 26-year-old claimed that negotiations with several record companies are already under way and she hopes to finalise a deal early next year.

A spokesperson for Big Dada’s parent company Ninjatune refused to comment on Debelle’s remarks.

Sorry but I just have to laugh first of all at the name of Big Dada’s parent company NINJATUNE, that is just classic!! But yes, Debelle should of really sold more albums, I just hope she has made the right decision and won’t end up having to change her style and image to fit the demands of a major labels.

Source: BBC News