Lady Sovereign now resides in North London, England.
Career
Lady Sovereign 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.
Lady Sovereign signed to Island Def Jam Music Group in 2005, after auditioning for Def Jam Recordings president and CEO, Jay-Z and The Island Def Jam Music Group chairman, Antonio "L.A." Reid.
Shortly afterwards, "Random" was released. This was followed by "9 to 5" which entered the UK Top 40 at number 33. The follow-up single, "Hoodie" - produced by dance act Basement Jaxx - failed to reach the top 40, peaking at number 44. Lady Sovereign has since recorded with AdRock from the American rap group the Beastie Boys and American producer Dr. Luke.
When The Ordinary Boys released the single "Boys Will Be Boys", Lady Sovereign came back with her own 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, the favor was returned when 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 number 38 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 May 22, 2006. This was her highest chart position to date and has helped to increase the media attention garnered by Lady Sovereign.
Lady Sovereign is the first non-American female to appear on the Def Jam label. Her former 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. However, she has a following in the United States and has co-headlined a tour with The Streets, with whom she appeared in a remix for his song "Fit But You Know It." Lady Sovereign's cult following was again boosted after she recorded an attack on singer Jentina with "Sad Ass Strippa," a play on words of Jentina's song "Bad Ass Strippa." Kitty Empire of The Guardian is known to be a fan of "Sad Ass Strippa" and mentioned it in an interview she wrote about Lady Sovereign.
Lady Sovereign recently served as the host and spokesperson for Adult Swim and Chocolate Industries' Chocolate Swim.
On October 31, 2006, her debut album, Public Warning, was released, featuring "Random," "9 to 5," "Hoodie" and her new single, "Love Me or Hate Me," which was also released on the same day.
On August 1, 2006, Lady Sovereign's new single "Love Me or Hate Me", a collaboration with American producer Dr. Luke, was aired on the radio for the first time in North America on Flow 93.5 in Canada. The song explains how she is almost the exact inverse of typical female rappers that sell very well, and shows some disgruntlement in pop culture. She explains she doesn't have looks, she can't sing, and can't dance, so love her or hate her. The harmony featured in this song references the Genesis track "I Can't Dance". She is also known for sometimes calling herself a midget (she stands at 5'1, or 152 cm), where she says: "This is officially the biggest midget in the game".
She began an American tour on October 23, 2006 and soon appeared live on CBS-TV's Late Show with David Letterman. On November 18, 2006, it was announced that Lady Sovereign had contracted a throat and chest infection, forcing postponement of her shows in Las Vegas.
As of late 2006, "Love Me or Hate Me" was played in a Verizon Wireless advertisement for the LG Chocolate. It also appears on the Need for Speed: Carbon and Ugly Betty soundtrack, as does "9 to 5" on the latter. On October 17, 2006 "Love Me or Hate Me" became the first video by a British artist to reach #1 on the U.S. (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.
She has recorded a track for The O.C.'s new album, Music From The O.C. Mix 6 "Covering Our Tracks", where she sings The Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant".
On December 31, 2006, Lady Sovereign helped ring in the New Year with a performance of "Love Me Or Hate Me" during the MTV Goes Gold: New Year's Eve 2007 special which aired on MTV.
Sov's full-length Straight Up Cheeky is supposedly coming out early summer, but as for other LS sightings: "Ch-Ching (Cheque 1, 2 Remix)" is on the first major-label grime comp Run The Road, and a 20-minute "FelineMix" has been floating around the p2ps for about a year now.
She returned with her new album Jigsaw which was released on April 7, 2009 on Sov's own label Midget Records.
Pennies
Lady Sovereign Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Speak my mind, I don't like them liars
Find your ride, and I'll pop your tires
Cross the line and you're fucking fired
Yeah, it's burning, I got the fire
See, the money I'm effing I'm making
Hope this goes straight into my savings
Yeah, I'm still in the game, still changing
Make you a money man [Repeat: x3]
How many pennies have you gotten from me? [Repeat: x7]
I can hear your bling when you're thinking
Ring-a-ding, I left my phone ringing
All day long
Please, don't mind me singing
Oh! but how much I hate your winding
Just because I'm a little younger
Don't mind me, duff don't make you smarter
All day long I break down with laughter
When you lose your ten brake
You're an asshole
Make you a money man
How many pennies have you gotten from me?
Yeah, there might be a bit of recession going on right now
But, I ain't going down like you suckers
Trust me
When you rip me off, I'll rip your head off
Yeah, it's lady sovereign
In the song Pennies by Lady Sovereign, the artist reflects on her experiences with people who have taken advantage of her in the music industry. She is not afraid to speak her mind and she makes it clear that she does not tolerate liars. She also warns anyone who crosses the line with her that they will be "fucking fired." Lady Sovereign is proud of her success as a musician and declares that she is "still in the game, still changing." She also acknowledges that she is generating a significant amount of income, but hopes to save her money wisely.
Lady Sovereign's frustration with those who try to exploit her is evident in the line "How many pennies have you gotten from me?" She feels like she has been taken advantage of and used for her money, as indicated by the opening lines of the song when she threatens to "pop your tires" if someone uses her for her fame and money. She seems to take pleasure in the fact that she is still going strong in her career and continues to generate income, despite others trying to bring her down. Lady Sovereign has a unique perspective on life and isn't afraid to express herself through her music.
Overall, Lady Sovereign's song Pennies is a powerful anthem about speaking one's mind and not being taken advantage of. The hard-hitting lyrics and bold attitude of the artist convey a sense of strength and individuality that is refreshing in the music industry.
Line by Line Meaning
Speak my mind, I don't like them liars
I'm not afraid to say what I think and I hate people who lie
Find your ride, and I'll pop your tires
If you mess with me, I'll get revenge and destroy your stuff
Cross the line and you're fucking fired
I have high standards and if you don't meet them, you're out
Yeah, it's burning, I got the fire
I'm on fire, I'm feeling unstoppable
See, the money I'm effing I'm making
I'm making a lot of money right now
Hope this goes straight into my savings
I'm trying to save my money for the future
Where it's fucked yeah, it's sovereign yeah
I'm the boss, I'm in control and nobody can mess with me
Yeah, I'm still in the game, still changing
I'm still here, still making music and evolving
Make you a money man [Repeat: x3]
I can help you become rich and successful
How many pennies have you gotten from me? [Repeat: x7]
I've given you so much and I wonder how much you've taken from me
I can hear your bling when you're thinking
I can tell you're trying to show off your wealth and status
Ring-a-ding, I left my phone ringing
I'm not answering your call, I'm too busy doing my own thing
All day long, please don't mind me singing
I'm just enjoying myself and having fun, don't worry about it
Oh! but how much I hate your winding
I can't stand your annoying behavior and tricks
Just because I'm a little younger
Don't underestimate me just because I'm young
Don't mind me, duff don't make you smarter
Just because you have money doesn't mean you're smart
All day long I break down with laughter
I'm having a great time, laughing all day
When you lose your ten brake, you're an asshole
If you can't control yourself, you're acting like a jerk
Yeah, there might be a bit of recession going on right now
The economy might not be great, but that's not stopping me
But, I ain't going down like you suckers
I'm not going to fail like other people, I'll succeed no matter what
Trust me, when you rip me off, I'll rip your head off
If you try to take advantage of me, I'll come after you
Yeah, it's lady sovereign
I'm Lady Sovereign, the one and only
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BENJAMIN JOSEPH LEVIN, LUKASZ GOTTWALD, LOUISE AMANDA HARMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@reecewilkinson5093
2019 throw back anyone?
@thisiswherethefunbegins
2024 hell yeah!!
@lisasilversmith
Once, i saw her LIVE! She is amazing. She possesses so much energy!
@sergejlopajev4315
paveicas...
@evanjhill1749
Still bumping this
@Cuccoswarm
God she looks so much better with her hair down. I hate it when people say shes not good looking when she is.
@FatFrog93
LOVE SOV, EssOhVeeeee
@711Troublemaker
Just because she is not played on american radio that often, does not make her a one hit wonder. I hate hearing the same twenty songs on the radio it tends to kill the song. She does not want to confirm to main stream music thats why she is her own boss. Being 24 and in charge of your career as a musician is a accomplishment even some of the top played artists cant claim.I love her music and in concert she is amazing.
@zacky077
wow she has some crazy beats
@stephc4114
I FLIPPIN LOVE THIS SONG. BEST TRACK i love lady sov!