Lady Sovereign
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Lady Sovereign (born Louise Amanda Harman, 1985, in Wembley, London) is a British grime MC.
Biography
Lady Sovereign was raised primarily on the Chalkhill Estate (a council housing estate in North-West London) and having dropped out of school with no qualifications, she is one of the UK's very few white female MCs, often cited as part of the rising British grime scene. Lady Sovereign cites Ms. Dynamite as an influence and has supported The Streets, Dizzee Rascal and Basement Jaxx on tour.
She signed to Island Def Jam Music Group in 2005, after impressing Def Jam Recordings president and CEO, Jay-Z and The Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio L.A Reid. She is expected to release a studio album on October 3, 2006.
She first received attention when she recorded The Battle, a freestyle girls versus boys battle rap with Shystie, Suz Rock and Frost P. Each rapper who participated in the recording of The Battle has since been signed to a record deal.
Due to the commercial failure of her grime records, her label asked that she change her style of music to better suit pop/rap culture. 9 To 5 was released and stated how her record label had influenced her change. 9 To 5 entered the lower regions of the UK Top 40 - her biggest hit to date. The follow-up single Hoodie - a collaboration with dance act Basement Jaxx - failed to enter the Top 40. Lady Sovereign has since recorded with AdRock from the legendary rap group the Beastie Boys and Missy Elliot.
In May, 2006, Lady Sovereign enjoyed her biggest hit to date--as she featured on the latest The Ordinary Boys single 'Nine2Five', a remixed version of her own '9 to 5', credited as The Ordinary Boys vs Lady Sovereign. 'Nine2Five' entered #38 in the UK top 40 singles on downloads only, and jumped to #6 upon availability as a CD during the week commencing May 22, 2006.
Lady Sovereign is the first non-American female to appear on the Def Jam label. Her lack of success in the UK may be due in part to her stigma as representative of chav culture. She was featured on a Sky One documentary on chavs produced by Julie Burchill, after having been the target of a barrage of abuse and ridicule on the internet forum ChavScum. Ironically, she is well-respected in America and is coheadlining a tour with The Streets.
She also recently served as the host and spokesperson of Adult Swim and Chocolate Industries's Chocolate Swim. A remix of her single Hoodie appears on that album as well. She has recently been rumoured to be dating New Zealander Joel English, who raps under the name Hammertown.
On 2nd October 2006, her debut album Public Warning is set for release, featuring "Random", "9 to 5", "Hoodie" and her new single "Love Me or Hate Me", which is set for release in August according to her official site [link] and music website Launch/Dotmusic [link].
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | |||
| 2006 | Public Warning | TBR | Release date: 2nd October 2006 |
EPs
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Vertically Challenged EP" | U.S. only release - 8 audio tracks with bonus DVD. |
| 2006 | "Blah Blah EP" | U.K. only release - 4 audio tracks with bonus DVD. |
Singles
Full singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | |||
| 2005 | "Random" | #73 | Vertically Challenged EP Public Warning |
| 2005 | "9 to 5" | #33 | Public Warning |
| 2005 | "Hoodie" | #44 | Public Warning |
| 2006 | "Nine2Five" (Vs. The Ordinary Boys) | #6 | - |
| 2006 | "Love Me or Hate Me" | TBR | Public Warning |
Promo singles
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2004 | "Ch Ching (Cheque 1 2)" |
| 2004 | "Little Bit of Shhhh!" |
| 2006 | "Blah Blah" |
Music videos
- "[Random]"
- "9 to 5"
- "9 to 5" (The Ordinary Boys Remix)
- "Hoodie"
- "Hoodie Remix"
- "Blah Blah"
- "Nine2Five" (The Ordinary Boys Vs. Lady Sovereign)
See also
- List of female rappers
- List of grime artists
External links
- [Official website]
- [Official promo website]
- [MySpace Profile]
- [Unofficial fansite]
- [More Biography @ Jive Magazine]
- [Lady Sovereign Lyrics]
- [] at Discogs.com
- [] at MusicBrainz
- [Video for "Random"]
- [Adult Swim Collaboration album]
- [Interview with Lady Sovereign on Music Towers]
- [Lady Sovereign Fansite]
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