Stone defends mock accent

Singer JOSS STONE has slammed the British media for regularly mocking her fake American accent - and insists she will not be upset if UK fans boycott her music.

The 20-year-old Brit - who has spent recent years working in the U.S and was a big hit at last year's DIFF - was ridiculed by the tabloid press after she stepped to the stage at the 2007 Brit Awards and debuted a new hairstyle and American accent.

But while the soul star admits she was shocked by the public's reaction, she maintains she doesn't mind if her native Britain rejects her.

She says, "At the end of the day, I don't give a f*** if people have a problem with my accent. That's all I can say about it. The words I say do not change.

"If the way that it sounds is skew-whiff and you don't like it, don't listen.

I'm not being a cruel person by sounding a different way.

"I made my album with a bunch of Americans. When people go to Australia for two weeks they come back sounding Australian - but the whole world doesn't turn round and say, 'Well, f*** you.' Which is basically what England had done.

"Obviously not everybody in England. But the big press people. They were just like, 'You know what? We've decided we don't like you anymore.'"