Lady Sovereign

Lady Sovereign is the performing name of Louise Amanda Harman, a grime and hip hop artist from Brent, United Kingdom. She is born in 1985 and is raised on the Chalkhill estate in Wembley. She later lives in North London, England.

Early life and influences

She starts rapping at 13, practising in the mirror with a hairbrush after taking an interest in Ms. Dynamite. Ms. Dynamite remains an influence on her work. She leaves school at 16 and, by 17, becomes one of the UK’s few white female MCs.

Career

Lady Sovereign first gains attention through “The Battle”, a freestyle girls-versus-boys battle rap recorded with Shystie, Suz Rock and Frost P. The artists involved in that recording each later sign record deals. She signs to Island Def Jam Music Group in 2005 after auditioning for Jay-Z and Antonio “L.A.” Reid, and she becomes the first non-American female to appear on the Def Jam label.

Her early singles include “Random”, “9 to 5” and “Hoodie”, with “9 to 5” reaching number 33 in the UK Top 40 and “Hoodie” peaking at number 44. “Hoodie” is produced by Basement Jaxx. She also records with Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys and with producer Dr. Luke.

She issues a response remix to The Ordinary Boys’ “Boys Will Be Boys”, then appears on the group’s “Nine2Five”, a version of her own “9 to 5”, credited as The Ordinary Boys vs Lady Sovereign. “Nine2Five” becomes her highest charting single, reaching number 6 in the UK after first entering on downloads alone.

Lady Sovereign is also associated with “Sad Ass Strippa”, an attack on Jentina, and with “The O.C.” soundtrack, where she covers The Sex Pistols’ “Pretty Vacant” for Music From The O.C. Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks. She serves as host and spokesperson for Adult Swim and Chocolate Industries’ Chocolate Swim, and co-headlines a tour with The Streets, also appearing on a remix of “Fit But You Know It”.

Albums and releases

Her debut album, Public Warning, is released in 2006 and includes “Random”, “9 to 5”, “Hoodie” and “Love Me or Hate Me”. “Love Me or Hate Me” is also released as a single and draws on a reference to Genesis’ “I Can’t Dance” in its harmony. The song becomes the first video by a British artist to reach number 1 on the US version of MTV’s Total Request Live, and it also appears on the soundtracks for Need for Speed: Carbon and Ugly Betty.

Her second album, Jigsaw, is released on her own label, Midget Records. Midget Records is also the label listed for her work. Another release, Straight Up Cheeky, is mentioned as an intended full-length project. She also contributes “Ch-Ching (Cheque 1, 2 Remix)” to the grime compilation Run The Road, and a 20-minute “FelineMix” circulates online.

Public profile

She is known for her small stature and sometimes refers to herself as a midget, describing herself as “the biggest midget in the game”. She also attracts attention for her association with Rupert Grint, and she is featured in a Sky One documentary on chavs produced by Julie Burchill after online abuse directed at her on ChavScum.

She performs on Late Show with David Letterman, takes part in MTV’s New Year’s Eve special at the end of 2006, and has a throat and chest infection that forces postponement of some Las Vegas shows.