Lady Sovereign - Beer, barbies and Blones
Love her or hate her – She doesn’t really give a *!@$. The Dwarf chats Beer, Barbies and Blones with Lady Sovereign.
The most interesting thing the UK hip hop music scene has produced in a LONG LONG time; Lady Sovereign is a 20 year old, much needed breath of fresh air, certain to ruffle a few feathers when she tours our homeland at the end of this month.
Sounding ghetto -peppy, this once crowned ‘ Queen of Chav’ chatted excitedly about coming to Australia, and the conversation quickly took an unavoidable turn – to beer!
‘Oh Yeah! I’ll drink any kind of beer! You lot are big drinkers – it’s all barbies and beaches!’
For those who are new to the ‘ Lady Sovereign’ craze, this 20 year old got her big break in the music industry a few years ago, when big gun, Jay-Z flew her out from soggy old England to the US of A, and asked her, on the spot – to spin a rhyme for him and Usher. Unbeknownst to most, these two US Rappers, are part of ‘ Def-Jam’ records, one of the Biggest record labels in the US, who have produced acts such as Kanye West, Ludacris and Rihanna.
The pair were so impressed by the little lady’s performance; they instantly signed her, making Lady Sovereign the first non-American female ever to be signed with Def-Jam, not a bad achievement considering she was 19 at the time!
‘It was a bit weird really. It was a big thing. I wasn’t expecting it to happen. It just happened. I’m flattered to be signed, but I don’t really thing about it, I’m not so excited it’ll put me off or pressure me.’
Lady Sovereign knows a bit about pressure. In an industry frequently determined by looks and sex appeal rather than talent, this ghetto bunny has had to learn to deal with the stigma attached to the ‘ Chav’ label so many have humped to give her. Chav being the pommy equivalent of our ‘ghetto’ or ‘ homie’ cultures. Typified by baggy pants, sneakers, proudly displayed designer underwear and buried under mounds of gold ‘ bling’.
‘I think If you’re brought up a certain way. Who talk a certain way, who are so different, no one really is a Chav, and should feel bad about it. I don’t like the label. I’m not a Chav anyway, but if I was, It doesn’t bother me. Its just that you know anyone who’s got a label on them, its not nice.’
Although it seems that labels don’t affect Lady Sovereign, her lyrics speak for themselves, voicing disapproval of the ‘ bimbo’ culture prominent in today’s society.
Love me or Hate me – Public Warning (2006)
‘I'm missing my shepherd's pie
Like a high maintenance chick missing her diamonds
I'm missing my Clipper lighters
I don't like drinking fancy champi
I stick with Heineken beers
Oops, might burp in your face
A little unladylike, what can I say?
Well oh gosh I'm not posh me, I wear odd socks
I do what I'm doing yeah
So everybody's entitled to opinions
I open my mouth and sh*t I got millions’
In addition to having to deal with unattractive labels and stereotypes, Lady Sovereign also has problems with people taking her seriously due to her age, and the fact that she’s a young white girl who likes to rap.
‘I’m only just realizing this now; I’ve been living in a cave probably. It’s annoying because, I’m not bad-mouthing the girl in any way, but you look at Lilly Allen, she gets taken more seriously than me. But you know, If you make such statements, I know what kind of girl she is, I’m not saying nothing, but they make a comparison and it’s not fair. People think I’m stupid, I’m immature, But I’m not. Fuck it. But some people will look at me and think I’m.. Not worthy and don’t want to put a dime in my pocket.’
Looks are not the only issue with her music, which tends to have an ‘underground’ sound. Which led me to wonder, if she hits the ‘mainstream’ market, is she worried about a loss of fans who see this success as ‘selling out’?
‘In a way my music is a bit underground, but it ain’t. I thought I could make popular music, it is popular now, its nothing to be ashamed of, and it puts money in my pocket so I cant fucking complain, anyone who listens to my record around the world, its flattering.’
Life isn’t always serious for Lady Sov, in-between all the brow-bashing and name calling that is the music industry, she manages to laugh about something’s, including a near tragedy in which she narrowly avoided giving press and a pumping crowd a free peep show!
‘It nearly happened , it didn’t happen, I was doing a show the other month, and I wasn’t wearing a bra, There’s this part in the lyrics where I lift up my top for a second, and I forgot I wasn’t wearing a bra and there were photographers just there, and I remembered just in time that I wasn’t, I was so relieved, it would have been embarrassing but it would have been, ‘ oops’. Annnyyywaaaay,…’ (laughs)
Wanting to move on in a hurry, Its good to know that despite all the stuff that goes on around her, Lady Sov manages to keep her sense of humour.
In terms of inspiration, Lady Sovereign admits that there is a lot that inspires her, ‘Anything like, books, to things that happen to me’ But in terms of a life changing album? That’s a different story.
‘Oh I could be ruined forever! You know what, to me, I make music, but when it comes to music itself it’s not powerful enough to change my life, except for me doing it myself.’
But if the opportunity ever arose to support any artist, alive or dead, Lady Sov’s choice might surprise you.
‘See just of the top of my head I like an artist called ‘Coco Rosie’. It’s really, it’s like a hippy woman, she’s a singer, I’d like her kind of crowd, I like the music as well it’s kind of weird. Check it out yeah.’
Despite her fame and fortune in the music industry, it seems this tiny freestyler might be in for some trouble with RSPCA authorities, with her treatment of pets being fairly… questionable.
‘No I don’t own a Corgi, I had a hamster, it died coz I ignored it. Go on then, go on report me, I’m English, try and deport me.’
(Love me or hate me) The seedy underbelly of these otherwise catchy lyrics caused this dwarfer to lead a full out – investigation into the truth behind this disturbing statement.
‘Yeah I did. It was an accident though I was going away, and I forgot to give my sister the keys to my house, and I went away and I got back and it was like, dead. It was awful. I felt bad, I really felt bad. I didn’t mean for it to starve, I mean its last moments to be filled with hatred, thinking ‘you BASTARD!!’ I wouldn’t like it, I felt bad.’
Seeming genuinely disturbed, and disheartened, I decided this was an accident. An unfortunate one at that, but which ultimately led to Lady Sovereign's most catchy tune yet!
Considering her blatant dislike for ‘ ditsy’ people and ‘high maintenance, diamond wielding women’, this dwarfer chose to push the envelop a bit further daring to ask, if the Lady Sov was stranded on a deserted island, which socialite would she choose for company.. Paris Hilton, or Victoria Beckham?
‘Paris Hilton? Because Victoria Beck doesn’t look like she has any fun to be honest.’
I suggested perhaps with Ms Beckham a conversation about the art of football could pass the time? ‘Victoria Beckham, what does she know about football?, she just goes to watch her husband play, she ain’t interested, in it, if anything I’ll be the one sitting around talking about football, and she’d be like ‘ yeah’. But with Paris, its seems like she’s the kind of girl that makes the fun, Victoria Beckham’s a bit like ‘tut tut’, whereas Paris, she’ll make you laugh sometimes.’
Lady Sovereign is touring Australia this month, playing shows in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney before the tour moves on to Japan. Her Debut album ‘Public Warning’ was released in 2006.
