Lady Sovereign
Encyclopedia
Louise Amanda Harman better known by the stage name
Lady Sovereign, is an English
rapper & grime
artist. She is noted for her professional success in performing styles of music generally dominated by males. In 2010, she appeared on the seventh series
of the UK reality show Celebrity Big Brother
, being the third housemate to be evicted from the house.
that has since been demolished — with her parents and two siblings, older sister Chloe Christie (born 1984) and younger brother Richie Colin (born 1987).
Louise was a tomboy
who played football and hated wearing dresses. She had difficulty fitting in at school and was kicked out
of Preston Manor High School
at 15 because of her abysmal attendance record and bad behavior. A number of menial jobs followed, until Louise decided to pursue rap after hearing Ms. Dynamite on the radio: "When I heard Ms. Dynamite's track 'Boooo!' in 2001 it inspired me. I hadn't heard a female MC before that... she's real... her presence... her image... the way she does everything... she opened so many doors for us girls, MCs are real, they write their own stuff, they rap about what they know, the stuff around them."
She also began uploading some of her songs and a picture to various music Web sites. She didn't meet with much success at first. She told Newsweek
in 2006 that the comments generally ran along the lines of, "You're white. You're a girl. You're British. You're crap."
Lady Sovereign signed with Universal in 2004. She released a number of solo tracks on vinyl and opened for acts like Basement Jaxx, The Streets, Dizzee Rascal, D12, and Obie Trice.
Her mother contracted a terminal
brain tumour - this has been suggested as a contributing factor in Lady Sovereign's behaviour. On 14 March (Mothering Sunday
in the UK) 2010, her mother died.
Aside from her own records, 2005 saw Lady Sovereign appear as a guest or contributor on several projects. She began 2005 by appearing on the grime compilation Run the Road, both as a solo artist and with The Streets
. When The Ordinary Boys
released the single "Boys Will Be Boys", Lady Sovereign came back with a reply remix, featuring the music and chorus of the original, but with mostly her own vocals to the tune of "girls will be girls". In May 2006, she was featured on the Ordinary Boys single, "Nine2Five", a remixed version of her own "9 to 5", credited as "The Ordinary Boys vs Lady Sovereign." "Nine2Five" entered at #39 in the UK top 40 singles on downloads only, and jumped to #6 upon availability as a CD and 7" vinyl single during the week commencing 22 May 2005. This is her highest chart position to date.
hip hop artist and CEO
of the labels Def Jam Recordings
and Roc-A-Fella Records
, Jay-Z
. This marked her foray into the American music scene. With Usher
and L.A. Reid seated next to him, Jay-Z asked for one on-the-spot freestyle
from Sovereign before offering her a contract with Def Jam. With the single "Hoodie", Lady Sovereign released her full-length debut, Public Warning
, on Def Jam in 2006. Lady Sovereign is the first non-American female to ever be signed to Def Jam Record Label.
On 31 October 2006, her debut album, Public Warning, was released, featuring "Random
", "9 to 5
", "Hoodie" and single, "Love Me or Hate Me
," which was also released on the same day. The music video for the single features Lady Sovereign mocking stereotypical ideals of femininity by satirizing popular dress and mannerisms. Some of the lyrics include I'm fat, I need a diet/No, in fact I'm just too light/I ain't got the biggest breast-ises,/but I write all the best disses/I've got hairy armpits/But I don't walk around like this/I wear a big baggy t-shirt that hides that nasty shit. With the lyrics continuing in this satirical nature, Lady Sovereign continues to comment on and express her dissonance with female lifestyles in popular culture.
She began an American tour on 23 October 2006 and soon after appeared on Late Show with David Letterman
. In addition to her own tour, she appeared as the opening act for various artists, including The Streets and Gwen Stefani
on her 2007 The Sweet Escape Tour
.
On 17 October 2006 "Love Me or Hate Me" became the first video by a British artist to reach #1 on the United States (and original) version of MTV
's Total Request Live
. "Love Me Or Hate Me" was released in the UK on 29 January 2007, with the album following on 5 February 2007.
Lady Sovereign has recorded a cover of The Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant
" for The O.C.
s new album, Music From The O.C. Mix 6 "Covering Our Tracks".
. She was nominated for both the first and second evictions. Having survived the first double eviction, she was evicted the second time around with 69.5% of the vote.
several times. She has appeared in a feature story on Cartoon Network
and in an educational movie called X-ED which can be viewed on YouTube
.
In late 2006, "Love Me or Hate Me" was played in a Verizon Wireless advertisement. It also appears on the soundtrack of the video game Need for Speed: Carbon
, and is the theme music for the show The Bad Girls Club
. "9 to 5" also appears on The Bad Girls Club
, as well as on the soundtrack of the Xbox 360
's version of EA Sports' FIFA World Cup 2006
video game, on the Ugly Betty
soundtrack and features in the 2007 film St. Trinian's
. "Random" appears on the Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix soundtrack
Some of Lady Sovereigns tracks from Public Warning, such as 9 to 5 and so human from her album Jigsaw were also used on the BBC 1 show Waterloo Road in 2009/10
"Hoodie" was used for the Mario Party Nintendo DS commercial.
On 23 October 2006, Sovereign made an appearance on American talk show The Late Show with David Letterman. During her performance of "Love Me Or Hate Me" the lyrics "If you hate me, then fuck you" were changed to "if you hate me, then I hate you".
Lady Sovereign served as the host and spokesperson for Adult Swim
and Chocolate Industries' Chocolate Swim.
Bizarre Creation's Project Gotham Racing 4
video game on the Xbox 360
features the song "Blah Blah" by Lady Sovereign.
EA's Fight Night Round 4
video game features Lady Sovereign's "Bang Bang" track.
In January 2010 Bally Total Fitness
selected Lady Sovereign and her song "I Got You Dancing" for the featured artist section on their website, the song is also being used in their television commercials..
"So Human" appears in season 2 episode 1 of the television series '90210
'.
"Jigsaw" was featured in the second episode of the fifth season of MTV-show The Hills
, called 'Everything Happens For A Reason'.
On 22 January 2010, Sovereign was due to appear on This Week
, a BBC political review show, to discuss the laws regarding self-defence for householders. Early in the programme, she was shown backstage waving to camera in anticipation of her appearance. However, when the segment began, presenter Andrew Neil
apologised to viewers and explained the rapper had "done a runner." Neil instead discussed the topic with regular contributors Michael Portillo
and Diane Abbott
and concluded by joking "Who needs Lady Sovereign? Who is Lady Sovereign?" Abbott laughed and responded "I don't know." In an interview with The Guardian
's Rich Pelley on 30 January, Lady Sovereign said of the incident: "I had a panic attack! My hands went stiff and I started hyperventilating. I didn't want to do it hours before but I went anyway, then I just changed my mind at the last minute, I guess."
She appeared on Total Wipeout
's eighth celebrity special. She made it to the second round by default but failed to advance any farther.
Andrew Bancroft
, a local MC known as "Jelly Donut", originally involved with the "random night" endeavour, attended a 7 January 2007 show in San Francisco at Club Mezzanine dressed in a donut costume and attempted to challenge her to a rap battle. She responded by throwing a drink and spitting. At her request, security escorted Jelly Donut out of the concert.
, Australia
for the Parklife Festival, Lady Sovereign was arrested for assault
and drunk and disorderly behaviour
after spitting on a nightclub bouncer, claiming a transvestite had attacked her in the club's bathroom. She had only been in the country seven hours before the assault occurred, and spent her first Australian night in jail. She was ordered to pay a fine of $
400 and $200 in compensation to the bouncer.
as a lesbian
in May 2010 in Diva
magazine, making her one of the first mainstream LGBT
rappers.
Unlike many British artists who sing or rap with American accents, Sovereign raps with a thick London accent. She often makes fun of her peers for trying to sound American in their work ("Some English MCs get it twisted / start sayin' 'cookies' instead of 'biscuits'").
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Lady Sovereign, is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rapper & grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
artist. She is noted for her professional success in performing styles of music generally dominated by males. In 2010, she appeared on the seventh series
Celebrity Big Brother 2010 (UK)
Celebrity Big Brother 2010 was the seventh and final series of Celebrity Big Brother to air on Channel 4 and E4. It began on Sunday 3 January 2010 and aired for 27 days until the final on 29 January 2010, the longest ever celebrity series in the UK...
of the UK reality show Celebrity Big Brother
Celebrity Big Brother
Celebrity Big Brother could refer to:*Any series of Celebrity Big Brother UK:** Celebrity Big Brother 2001 ** Celebrity Big Brother 2002 ** Celebrity Big Brother 2005 ** Celebrity Big Brother 2006 ** Celebrity Big Brother 2007...
, being the third housemate to be evicted from the house.
Early life and family
Lady Sovereign was born Louise Amanda Harman 1985 to Colin Adien Harman and Nicola Parsons (née Wood), in Wembley, northwest London. She grew up in the run-down Chalkhill Estate — a council estateCouncil house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
that has since been demolished — with her parents and two siblings, older sister Chloe Christie (born 1984) and younger brother Richie Colin (born 1987).
Louise was a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
who played football and hated wearing dresses. She had difficulty fitting in at school and was kicked out
Expulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
of Preston Manor High School
Preston Manor High School
Preston Manor High School is one of the largest high schools within the London Borough of Brent, located in the Preston area.-Admissions:It has 1354 students in High School and roughly 260 students in Sixth Form. Its current headteacher is Mr M. Lantos, who recently took over from Mrs. Andrea...
at 15 because of her abysmal attendance record and bad behavior. A number of menial jobs followed, until Louise decided to pursue rap after hearing Ms. Dynamite on the radio: "When I heard Ms. Dynamite's track 'Boooo!' in 2001 it inspired me. I hadn't heard a female MC before that... she's real... her presence... her image... the way she does everything... she opened so many doors for us girls, MCs are real, they write their own stuff, they rap about what they know, the stuff around them."
She also began uploading some of her songs and a picture to various music Web sites. She didn't meet with much success at first. She told Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
in 2006 that the comments generally ran along the lines of, "You're white. You're a girl. You're British. You're crap."
Lady Sovereign signed with Universal in 2004. She released a number of solo tracks on vinyl and opened for acts like Basement Jaxx, The Streets, Dizzee Rascal, D12, and Obie Trice.
Her mother contracted a terminal
Terminal illness
Terminal illness is a medical term popularized in the 20th century to describe a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient within a short period of time. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as...
brain tumour - this has been suggested as a contributing factor in Lady Sovereign's behaviour. On 14 March (Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday is a Christian festival celebrated throughout Europe that falls on the 4th Sunday in Lent. Secularly it became a celebration of motherhood. It is increasingly being called Mother's Day, although in countries other than the UK and Ireland that holiday has other origins...
in the UK) 2010, her mother died.
Early singles and EPs
"The Battle" began a string of singles that would push Lady Sovereign into the spotlight. While "A Little Bit of Shhh!", "9 to 5", and "Sad arse Stripper" were selling well, free Internet-only freestyles like "Tango" and "Cheeky" were becoming just as popular. On 15 November 2005, Chocolate Industries released the Vertically Challenged EP, which collected most of her singles recorded to date. In April 2006 she released her second EP, Blah Blah in the UK. She released yet another EP, but was limited for US radios; Size Don't Matter!Aside from her own records, 2005 saw Lady Sovereign appear as a guest or contributor on several projects. She began 2005 by appearing on the grime compilation Run the Road, both as a solo artist and with The Streets
The Streets
The Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
. When The Ordinary Boys
The Ordinary Boys
The Ordinary Boys are an English indie rock band from Worthing, in West Sussex, England. Originally named Next in Line, they were influenced by mod revival and Britpop music, as well as the bands Madness, The Specials, The Kinks and The Smiths...
released the single "Boys Will Be Boys", Lady Sovereign came back with a reply remix, featuring the music and chorus of the original, but with mostly her own vocals to the tune of "girls will be girls". In May 2006, she was featured on the Ordinary Boys single, "Nine2Five", a remixed version of her own "9 to 5", credited as "The Ordinary Boys vs Lady Sovereign." "Nine2Five" entered at #39 in the UK top 40 singles on downloads only, and jumped to #6 upon availability as a CD and 7" vinyl single during the week commencing 22 May 2005. This is her highest chart position to date.
Def Jam and Public Warning
Lady Sovereign capped off 2005 by meeting with the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip hop artist and CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the labels Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
and Roc-A-Fella Records
Roc-A-Fella Records
Roc-A-Fella Records is a record label founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Island Def Jam Motown Music Group.-Formation and Early Years:...
, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
. This marked her foray into the American music scene. With Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
and L.A. Reid seated next to him, Jay-Z asked for one on-the-spot freestyle
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
from Sovereign before offering her a contract with Def Jam. With the single "Hoodie", Lady Sovereign released her full-length debut, Public Warning
Public Warning
Public Warning is the title of the debut album from UK hip hop artist Lady Sovereign released on 31 October 2006. The album, a mix of grime and hip hop, was originally due for release in November 2005 but was pushed back after Lady Sovereign was signed by Island Def Jam.In a press release, released...
, on Def Jam in 2006. Lady Sovereign is the first non-American female to ever be signed to Def Jam Record Label.
On 31 October 2006, her debut album, Public Warning, was released, featuring "Random
Random (Lady Sovereign song)
"Random" is the first CD single from UK hip hop artist Lady Sovereign, following the release of her 12" vinyl single "Ch Ching " in 2004. It was her second and last single for Casual Records in 2005....
", "9 to 5
9 to 5 (Lady Sovereign song)
"9 to 5" is the third single from UK hip hop artist Lady Sovereign's debut album Public Warning, following the release of her first UK top 75 single "Random". It was her debut single for Island Records and was released on 8 August 2005. It contains a sample from the British movie Time Bandits.Lady...
", "Hoodie" and single, "Love Me or Hate Me
Love Me or Hate Me
"Love Me or Hate Me" is the sixth single from UK hip-hop artist Lady Sovereign and the fourth from her debut album Public Warning. The single was confirmed for release by her and was released in October 2006 in the U.S. and 29 January 2007 in the UK. The video was premiered in the last week of...
," which was also released on the same day. The music video for the single features Lady Sovereign mocking stereotypical ideals of femininity by satirizing popular dress and mannerisms. Some of the lyrics include I'm fat, I need a diet/No, in fact I'm just too light/I ain't got the biggest breast-ises,/but I write all the best disses/I've got hairy armpits/But I don't walk around like this/I wear a big baggy t-shirt that hides that nasty shit. With the lyrics continuing in this satirical nature, Lady Sovereign continues to comment on and express her dissonance with female lifestyles in popular culture.
She began an American tour on 23 October 2006 and soon after appeared on Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
. In addition to her own tour, she appeared as the opening act for various artists, including The Streets and Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
on her 2007 The Sweet Escape Tour
The Sweet Escape Tour
The Sweet Escape Tour is the second concert tour by American pop and rock singer Gwen Stefani. The tour began in April 2007 in support of her second solo album The Sweet Escape.-About the show:...
.
On 17 October 2006 "Love Me or Hate Me" became the first video by a British artist to reach #1 on the United States (and original) version of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. "Love Me Or Hate Me" was released in the UK on 29 January 2007, with the album following on 5 February 2007.
Lady Sovereign has recorded a cover of The Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant
Pretty Vacant
"Pretty Vacant" is a song by the English punk rock band The Sex Pistols. It was released on 1 July 1977 as the third single from their only album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. The song marked the band's only appearance on the British music show Top of the Pops...
" for The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
s new album, Music From The O.C. Mix 6 "Covering Our Tracks".
Jigsaw
Lady Sovereign released a second album in spring 2009. She also went on tour. After a final dispute with Island Records, it was revealed on her official webpage that she was going to release on her independent record label, "Midget Records", and that her second studio album was fully written and some songs were already recorded. She also said the album was going to be released in the United States and United Kingdom on 7 April 2009. On Monday, 8 December 2008, Lady Sovereign restated that her new album, titled Jigsaw, would be released on 6 April 2009. She also released a free single entitled "I Got You Dancing", making it available on her MySpace site and her official website. The album was released as a budget album at Sovereign's request, therefore it was ineligible for international charts.Celebrity Big Brother
Lady Sovereign was the third evicted housemate from the seventh series of Celebrity Big BrotherCelebrity Big Brother 2010 (UK)
Celebrity Big Brother 2010 was the seventh and final series of Celebrity Big Brother to air on Channel 4 and E4. It began on Sunday 3 January 2010 and aired for 27 days until the final on 29 January 2010, the longest ever celebrity series in the UK...
. She was nominated for both the first and second evictions. Having survived the first double eviction, she was evicted the second time around with 69.5% of the vote.
Television and commercial appearances
Lady Sovereign has appeared on Soccer AMSoccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
several times. She has appeared in a feature story on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
and in an educational movie called X-ED which can be viewed on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
In late 2006, "Love Me or Hate Me" was played in a Verizon Wireless advertisement. It also appears on the soundtrack of the video game Need for Speed: Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon, also known as NFS Carbon or NFSC, is an Electronic Arts video game belonging to the Need for Speed series. Released in 2006, it is the tenth installment, preceded by Need for Speed: Most Wanted, succeeded by Need for Speed: ProStreet in release order and succeeded by Need...
, and is the theme music for the show The Bad Girls Club
The Bad Girls Club
Bad Girls Club is an American reality television series created by Jonathan Murray for Oxygen. The show centers on seven mischievous and rebellious women from different backgrounds and personalities who have a number of psychological and behavioral problems. They are introduced to the show to...
. "9 to 5" also appears on The Bad Girls Club
The Bad Girls Club
Bad Girls Club is an American reality television series created by Jonathan Murray for Oxygen. The show centers on seven mischievous and rebellious women from different backgrounds and personalities who have a number of psychological and behavioral problems. They are introduced to the show to...
, as well as on the soundtrack of the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
's version of EA Sports' FIFA World Cup 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup (video game)
2006 FIFA World Cup is the official video game for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, published by EA Sports. 2006 FIFA World Cup was released simultaneously on the GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360 on April 24, 2006. In Europe it was simultaneously released on April 28, 2006...
video game, on the Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
soundtrack and features in the 2007 film St. Trinian's
St Trinian's (2007 film)
St Trinian's is the sixth in a long-running series of films based on the works of cartoonist Ronald Searle. The first five films form a series, starting with The Belles of St Trinian's in 1954, with sequels in 1957, 1960, 1966 and 1980....
. "Random" appears on the Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix soundtrack
Some of Lady Sovereigns tracks from Public Warning, such as 9 to 5 and so human from her album Jigsaw were also used on the BBC 1 show Waterloo Road in 2009/10
"Hoodie" was used for the Mario Party Nintendo DS commercial.
On 23 October 2006, Sovereign made an appearance on American talk show The Late Show with David Letterman. During her performance of "Love Me Or Hate Me" the lyrics "If you hate me, then fuck you" were changed to "if you hate me, then I hate you".
Lady Sovereign served as the host and spokesperson for Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
and Chocolate Industries' Chocolate Swim.
Bizarre Creation's Project Gotham Racing 4
Project Gotham Racing 4
Project Gotham Racing 4 is the fourth title in the main Project Gotham Racing series, developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios.-Development history:...
video game on the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
features the song "Blah Blah" by Lady Sovereign.
EA's Fight Night Round 4
Fight Night Round 4
Fight Night Round 4 garnered positive reaction from critics for its strategic gameplay and strong multiplayer component. The PlayStation 3 version received an 87.89% and an 88% from review aggregate websites GameRankings and MetaCritic respectively...
video game features Lady Sovereign's "Bang Bang" track.
In January 2010 Bally Total Fitness
Bally Total Fitness
Bally Total Fitness is an American fitness club chain which operates 100 gyms, in several U.S. states. In November of 2011, competitor L.A. Fitness took over operation of 171 former Bally locations...
selected Lady Sovereign and her song "I Got You Dancing" for the featured artist section on their website, the song is also being used in their television commercials..
"So Human" appears in season 2 episode 1 of the television series '90210
90210 (TV series)
90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
'.
"Jigsaw" was featured in the second episode of the fifth season of MTV-show The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
, called 'Everything Happens For A Reason'.
On 22 January 2010, Sovereign was due to appear on This Week
This Week (BBC One TV series)
This Week is a current affairs and politics TV programme in the United Kingdom on the BBC, screened on Thursday evenings, hosted by former Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil alongside former Conservative Member of Parliament and Minister Michael Portillo, and a left leaning guest panellist on...
, a BBC political review show, to discuss the laws regarding self-defence for householders. Early in the programme, she was shown backstage waving to camera in anticipation of her appearance. However, when the segment began, presenter Andrew Neil
Andrew Neil
Andrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.He currently works for the BBC, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics and This Week...
apologised to viewers and explained the rapper had "done a runner." Neil instead discussed the topic with regular contributors Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
and Diane Abbott
Diane Abbott
Diane Julie Abbott is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, when she became the first black woman to be elected to the House of Commons...
and concluded by joking "Who needs Lady Sovereign? Who is Lady Sovereign?" Abbott laughed and responded "I don't know." In an interview with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's Rich Pelley on 30 January, Lady Sovereign said of the incident: "I had a panic attack! My hands went stiff and I started hyperventilating. I didn't want to do it hours before but I went anyway, then I just changed my mind at the last minute, I guess."
She appeared on Total Wipeout
Total Wipeout
Total Wipeout is a British game show, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, which first aired on 3 January 2009. Each week 20 contestants compete in a series of challenges in an attempt to win £10,000. These challenges are based in large pools of water or mud and generally involve large...
's eighth celebrity special. She made it to the second round by default but failed to advance any farther.
"Random Night" and aftermath
In 2006, a San Francisco based fan named Zach Slow made an online plea to raise $10,000 for a "random" night with Lady Sovereign. The effort garnered wide media coverage, and was successful in both raising the required funds and securing the agreement of the artist to attend. The aftermath was acrimonious, with both sides exchanging insults in the San Francisco Chronicle.Andrew Bancroft
Andrew Bancroft
-Films:Bancroft wrote and starred in Evolution: The Musical! which was screened at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival. He also wrote, directed and starred in the music video "Maximum Wage".-Features in the media:...
, a local MC known as "Jelly Donut", originally involved with the "random night" endeavour, attended a 7 January 2007 show in San Francisco at Club Mezzanine dressed in a donut costume and attempted to challenge her to a rap battle. She responded by throwing a drink and spitting. At her request, security escorted Jelly Donut out of the concert.
Arrest for assault
In September 2009, whilst in BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for the Parklife Festival, Lady Sovereign was arrested for assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and drunk and disorderly behaviour
Public intoxication
Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly", is a summary offense in many countries rated to public cases or displays of drunkenness...
after spitting on a nightclub bouncer, claiming a transvestite had attacked her in the club's bathroom. She had only been in the country seven hours before the assault occurred, and spent her first Australian night in jail. She was ordered to pay a fine of $
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
400 and $200 in compensation to the bouncer.
Personal life
Lady Sovereign came outComing out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
in May 2010 in Diva
Diva (magazine)
Diva is a leading lesbian magazine in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 1994 by Millivres Prowler Group Ltd., who also produce the Gay Times. The current editor is Jane Czyzselska, who was promoted to the position in 2004. It includes many articles dedicated to lesbian and bisexual social...
magazine, making her one of the first mainstream LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
rappers.
Unlike many British artists who sing or rap with American accents, Sovereign raps with a thick London accent. She often makes fun of her peers for trying to sound American in their work ("Some English MCs get it twisted / start sayin' 'cookies' instead of 'biscuits'").
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
AU ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
||
| 2006 | Public Warning Public Warning Public Warning is the title of the debut album from UK hip hop artist Lady Sovereign released on 31 October 2006. The album, a mix of grime and hip hop, was originally due for release in November 2005 but was pushed back after Lady Sovereign was signed by Island Def Jam.In a press release, released...
|
58 | 97 | 45 |
| 2009 | Jigsaw
Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
— | — | — |
EPs
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Vertically Challenged |
| 2006 | Blah Blah |
| Size Don't Matter! (Promo EP) |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
FIN Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
AU ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 2004 | "Ch Ching (Cheque 1 2) Ch Ching (Cheque 1 2) "Ch Ching " is the debut single from UK hip hop artist Lady Sovereign. It was her first single for Casual Records in 2004. The single failed to chart, unsurprising since was only available on vinyl... " |
— | — | — | — | Vertically Challenged |
| 2005 | "Random Random (Lady Sovereign song) "Random" is the first CD single from UK hip hop artist Lady Sovereign, following the release of her 12" vinyl single "Ch Ching " in 2004. It was her second and last single for Casual Records in 2005.... " |
73 | — | — | — | Public Warning |
| "9 to 5 9 to 5 (Lady Sovereign song) "9 to 5" is the third single from UK hip hop artist Lady Sovereign's debut album Public Warning, following the release of her first UK top 75 single "Random". It was her debut single for Island Records and was released on 8 August 2005. It contains a sample from the British movie Time Bandits.Lady... " |
33 | — | — | — | ||
| "Hoodie" | 44 | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "Nine2Five" (vs. The Ordinary Boys) | 6 | — | — | — | How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted in Ten Easy Steps How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted in Ten Easy Steps How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted in Ten Easy Steps is the third album by English indie band The Ordinary Boys, released following on from lead singer Preston's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in January 2006. It was released on 23 October 2006 in the UK. It signified a transition in the... |
| "Love Me or Hate Me Love Me or Hate Me "Love Me or Hate Me" is the sixth single from UK hip-hop artist Lady Sovereign and the fourth from her debut album Public Warning. The single was confirmed for release by her and was released in October 2006 in the U.S. and 29 January 2007 in the UK. The video was premiered in the last week of... " |
26 | 10 | 48 | 45 | Public Warning | |
| 2007 | "Those Were the Days Those Were the Days (Lady Sovereign song) "Those Were the Days" is the seventh single from UK hip-hop artist Lady Sovereign, and the fifth from her debut album, Public Warning. The single was confirmed for release on her official website and was released to UK download services on 9 April, followed by the physical release on 16 April... " |
88 | — | — | — | |
| 2008 | "I Got You Dancing" | — | — | — | — | Jigsaw |
| 2009 | "So Human So Human "So Human" is a single by the English rapper Lady Sovereign. The song was the second single off her second album Jigsaw. The single was released on and has so far reached 38 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Louise Harman and Gabriel Olegavich. The song was produced by Lukasz... " |
38 | — | 36 | — | |
Promo singles
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2004 | "The Battle Wounds of Gina Seaberg" (Featuring Frost P, Shystie & Zuz Rock) |
| 2005 | "A Little Bit of Shh" |
| 2006 | "Blah Blah" (featuring Kalie Burgess) |
| 2009 | "So Human" Finland Release |
Mixtapes and promotional releases
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Chocolate Swim (EP, free download) |
| 2009 | Jig-Raw! (official mixtape, free download, mixed by Jack Beats) |