Lady Sovereign

Louise Amanda Harman (born 1985),[1] better known by the stage name Lady Sovereign, is a British rapper, best known for the songs "9 to 5" and "Love Me or Hate Me".

This article is about the rapper. For female sovereign topics, see Sovereign (disambiguation).

Lady Sovereign
A woman in a purple t-shirt and black skinny jeans with sunglasses and a baseball cap with a bobbed haircut, singing into a microphone
Lady Sovereign at Parklife 2009
Background information
Birth nameLouise Amanda Harman
Also known as
  • Lady Sovereign
  • SOV
  • Big Midget
Born1985 (age 37–38)
OriginWembley, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active2001–2009
Labels

Early life and family

Lady Sovereign grew up in Chalkhill Estate in Wembley Park, London.[2][3] In 2010, she said "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."[1]

Lady Sovereign began uploading some of her songs and a picture to various music web sites when she was 15. She told Newsweek in 2006 that comments initially ran along the lines of, "You're white. You're a girl. You're British. You're crap."[4]

Lady Sovereign signed with Universal in 2004. She released a number of solo records and opened for Basement Jaxx, the Streets, Dizzee Rascal, D12 and Obie Trice.[2]

Her mother, Nicola, was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour and died on 14 March (Mothering Sunday in the UK) 2010.[5]

Career

2005–2006: 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 Stripah" 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!

Lady Sovereign at Reading Festival, 2006

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 the UK top 40 singles at number 39 on downloads only, and jumped to number 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.

2006–2009: Public Warning
Main article: Public Warning

Lady Sovereign capped off 2005 by meeting with the American 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.[6] Lady Sovereign is the first non-American female to ever be signed to Def Jam Record Label.[7][8]

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.[9][10] 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 here lyin'/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.[11] 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 number 1 on the United States (and original) version of MTV's Total Request Live.[6][7] "Love Me or Hate Me" was released in the UK on 29 January 2007,[12] with the album following on 5 February 2007.[13]

Lady Sovereign has recorded a cover of the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" for Music from The O.C. Mix 6 – Covering Our Tracks

2009: Jigsaw
Main article: Jigsaw (Lady Sovereign album)

Lady Sovereign released a second album in spring 2009. She also went on tour.[14] After a final dispute with Island Records, it was revealed on her official website that she would release the album through her independent record label, Midget Records, and that it 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 Jigsaw would be released on 6 April 2009. She also released a free single titled "I Got You Dancing", making it available on her MySpace and official website. During her "Jigsaw" tour she teamed up with DJ Annalyze as her tour DJ.[15]

Television and commercial appearances

Lady Sovereign has appeared on Soccer AM several times. She has appeared in a feature story on Cartoon Network and in an educational movie called X-ED.

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, and features on an episode of Malcolm in The Middle, "I Got You Dancing" was featured in Need for Speed: Nitro, "Hoodie" was used for a Mario Party Nintendo DS commercial.

Some of Lady Sovereign's such as "9 to 5" and "So Human" were also used on the BBC 1 show Waterloo Road in 2009/10. 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, "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 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. 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.

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."[16] 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."[17]

Lady Sovereign appeared on the British game show Total Wipeout's eighth celebrity special. She made it to the second round by default but failed to advance any further. She was the third evicted housemate from the seventh series of Celebrity Big Brother. 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.[18]

Controversies

In September 2009, while in Brisbane, Australia for the Parklife Festival, Lady Sovereign was arrested for assault and drunk and disorderly behaviour after spitting on a nightclub bouncer.[19] She had only been in the country seven hours before the assault occurred. She was ordered to pay a fine of $400 AUD, and $200 AUD in compensation to the bouncer.[20]

Lady Sovereign was involved in a feud with fellow British rapper, Jentina.[21]

Personal life

In a 2010 interview with Diva magazine, Lady Sovereign said she came out as a lesbian[22][23] in the house during Celebrity Big Brother but that her declaration did not end up in the broadcast show.[24]

Lady Sovereign has not released any music since 2009. She previously spoke about medical issues halting her career.[25] In 2023, Lady Sovereign confirmed that she had been diagnosed with the rare disorder cyclic vomiting syndrome.[26]

Discography
Lady Sovereign discography
Lady Sovereign performing at Coachella in 2006.
Studio albums2
Music videos12
EPs2
Singles7

Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
UK
[27]		 AUS
[28]		 AUS
Urban
[29][30]		 US
[31]
Public Warning 58971048
Jigsaw
  • Released: 6 April 2009
  • Label: Midget Records, EMI
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 121—11—
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

EPs
List of EPs, with selected details
Title EP details
Vertically Challenged
  • Released: 15 November 2005
  • Format: CD, digital download
  • Label: Chocolate Industries
Blah Blah
  • Released: 17 April 2006
  • Format: CD, digital download
  • Label: Chocolate Industries

Mixtapes
List of mixtapes, with selected details
Title Mixtape details
Chocolate Swim
  • Released: June 2006
  • Format: digital download
  • Label: Chocolate Industries
Jig-Raw!
  • Released: 2009
  • Format: digital download
  • Label: Independent

Singles
List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[27]		 UK D/L
[27]		 AUS
[32]		 AUS
Urban
[33]		 DEN
[34][35]		 FIN
[36]		 GER
[37]		 IRE
[38]		 US
[31]		 US
Dance
[31]
"Random" 2005 73————————— Public Warning
"9 to 5" 33141—————44——
"Hoodie" 44——————46——
"Nine2Five"
(vs. The Ordinary Boys)		 2006 612—————25—— How to Get Everything You
Ever Wanted in Ten Easy Steps
"Love Me or Hate Me" 26—489171065—451 Public Warning
"Those Were the Days" 2007 101—————————
"So Human" 2009 38—36—26————— Jigsaw
"I Got You Dancing" ————38—————
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Promotional singles
List of promotional singles
Title Year Album
"Ch Ching (Cheque 1 2)" 2004 Vertically Challenged
"A Little Bit of Shhh" 2005 Public Warning
"Blah Blah" 2006

References
  1. Braddock, Kevin (24 February 2004). "Partners in Grime". The Independent. London: Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  2. "Lady Sovereign Biography Music and News". Ask Men. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016.
  3. "About Lady Sovereign". MTV.com. Viacom. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014.
  4. Lorraine Ali (30 October 2006). "Homegirl From London". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  5. "Twitter / ladysov: Saddest day of my life, I". Twitter.com. 14 March 2010. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  6. Catriona Mathewson (22 February 2007). "Sovereign hits her gold mine". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2007.
  7. Jasmine Dotiwala (13 February 2007). "Jasmine's Juice". The Voice. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  8. Price, Simon (11 February 2007). "Mika, Berkeley Square, London; Lady Sovereign, Scala, London". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 April 2009.
  9. "Lady Sovereign: Official Site". Def Jam. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
  10. "Lady Sovereign's Warning". Yahoo! Launch. 17 July 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
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  12. "Playlist". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 April 2007.
  13. "Lady Sovereign – Public Warning". HMV.com. 20 May 2018. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
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  18. "Big Brother". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  19. "Lady Sovereign spits on Nightclub bouncer". ABC News. 26 September 2009. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
  20. Brand, Penny (26 September 2009). "British rapper spat on Brisbane bouncer". Yahoo! 7 News. Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009.
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  23. Bark, Theo (17 May 2010). "Lady Sovereign Comes Out in Lesbian Magazine". The Boombox. Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  24. Lady Sovereign (June 2010). "Lady Sovereign, Britain's out lesbian rapper". Diva (Interview). Interviewed by Jane Czyzselska. London: Millivres Prowler Limited. Archived from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2013. I did, they just didn't show it and they showed a tapping on the surface. I said to Nicola or Katia: 'I'm gay, I like girls', but they didn't show it.
  25. "Whatever happened to pint-sized rapper and former CBB contestant Lady Sovereign?". 26 June 2016. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
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