Born Louise Amanda Harman in Wembley, Lady Sovereign was raised on the Chal… Read Full Bio ↴Born Louise Amanda Harman in Wembley, Lady Sovereign was raised on the Chalkhill estate. When she was 13, after having a liking for popular 90s artist, Ms. Dynamite, she started practicing rapping in the mirror with a hair brush. She left school when she was 16 and at the age of 17 she became one of the UK's few white female MCs. She has been cited often as part of the rising British grime scene, and has received outside appreciation from moviegoers for her relation to Rupert Grint. Lady Sovereign cites Ms. Dynamite as an influence.

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.

random
Lady Sovereign Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everybody in the club getting tipsy
Oh fuck that, just whine like a gypsy
Can't see straight, like I only got one eye (pop)
Your bottle open oh my
Let's, get started
Move ya arms 'round like fucked up karate
Ooh shit, my word plays nasty
Ooh shit, don't put it past me

Move titch get out the, way
Ah, nun of that I'm here to stay
Flow lazy, pick the pace up when I flow less hazy
Jlo's got a batty
Well you can't see mine cause I wear my trousers baggy
Anyways, yeah, let's commence

[Chorus]
Everybody get random
All gyal them, all man them
Everybody get random
Jus' do something random
Everybody get random
All gyal them all man them
Sovereign get random!
Jus' do something random

Smokin' kills and so do my lyrics,
If you're poppin' pills then trash in a-with-it
Cause I got the skills ,
And I'm over the limit
Dishin' lyrics like meals every second every
Minute
Ding! Dong! Special Delivery (hello)
Biggest midgit in the game, can't get rid of me
Give me just a minute and I'll be your facility,
My words hurt you jus' like loosin' ya virginity,
Well, I'm right there
Na' I'll tell a lie 'cause I'm
Right there,
Right here
Na' right here,
Now get off your chair! I mean Chair
Some English mc's get it twisted
Start saying cookies, instead of biscuits !

Anyways yeah lets , commence

[Chorus: x2]

1, 2 S.O.V is comin' for you,
3, 4 better lock your door
5, 6 cause I'm full of tricks.,
So everybody come and vibe with the little titch
Switch, hush

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Lady Sovereign's song "Random" are all about letting go of inhibitions and cutting loose. The first verse talks about being drunk and feeling uninhibited enough to dance like a gypsy. The language used in the verse is playful, with lines like "Move ya arms around like fucked up karate" and "Flow lazy, pick the pace up when I flow less hazy." The chorus reinforces this idea of randomness and urges everyone to just let go and do something unexpected or spontaneous.

The second verse has a harder edge, with lyrics about smoking and popping pills. Lady Sovereign compares herself to a meal delivery service, constantly dishing out clever rhymes and wordplay. There is a sense of self-assurance in these lyrics, as Lady Sovereign positions herself as a force to be reckoned with. She is unafraid to call herself the "biggest midget in the game" or declare that her words can hurt people like losing their virginity.

Line by Line Meaning

Everybody in the club getting tipsy
Everyone in the club is getting drunk

Oh fuck that, just whine like a gypsy
Forget getting drunk and just dance wildly

Can't see straight, like I only got one eye (pop)
I'm so drunk that my vision is blurred

Your bottle open oh my
Your bottle is open and may spill

Let's, get started
Let's begin the party

Move ya arms 'round like fucked up karate
Dance erratically, like in a drunken martial arts style

Ooh shit, my word plays nasty
My lyrics are aggressive and crude

Ooh shit, don't put it past me
Don't underestimate me

Move titch get out the, way
Move aside, I'm here to take over

Ah, nun of that I'm here to stay
I'm confident in my abilities and will remain in the music industry

Flow lazy, pick the pace up when I flow less hazy
My rapping is sluggish, but improves when I'm less drunk

Jlo's got a batty
Jennifer Lopez has a curvy butt

Well you can't see mine cause I wear my trousers baggy
I dress in loose clothing that hides my figure

Anyways, yeah, let's commence
Anyway, let's get back to partying

Everybody get random
Everyone should engage in unpredictable behavior

All gyal them, all man them
This applies to both women and men

Jus' do something random
Perform any unexpected action

Sovereign get random!
I'm encouraging myself to participate in the randomness

Smokin' kills and so do my lyrics
Smoking is harmful, and my lyrics can be just as destructive

If you're poppin' pills then trash in a-with-it
If you're taking drugs, I don't want to be involved

Cause I got the skills
I'm talented and capable

And I'm over the limit
I've surpassed my boundaries, likely due to being drunk

Dishin' lyrics like meals every second every
I'm constantly delivering strong lyrics

Ding! Dong! Special Delivery (hello)
I'm announcing my arrival, like a package being delivered

Biggest midgit in the game, can't get rid of me
Despite my small stature, I'm a prominent figure in the music industry

Give me just a minute and I'll be your facility
Give me a moment, and I can be your entertainment

My words hurt you jus' like loosin' ya virginity
My lyrics can be painful, like losing one's virginity

Well, I'm right there
I'm present and available to perform

Na' I'll tell a lie 'cause I'm
Actually, I'm not telling the truth

Right there,
Again, I'm present and ready to perform

Right here
I'm currently in this moment

Na' right here,
No, I'm not actually here

Now get off your chair! I mean Chair
I'm calling for action from my audience, but also acknowledging a pun on the word 'chair'

Some English mc's get it twisted
Some UK rappers use American slang incorrectly

Start saying cookies, instead of biscuits !
For example, calling biscuits 'cookies,' which is an American term

1, 2 S.O.V is comin' for you,
I'm announcing my arrival with a counting rhyme

3, 4 better lock your door
I'm warning my opponents to prepare for battle

5, 6 cause I'm full of tricks.,
I have many skills and strategies to use in a rap battle

So everybody come and vibe with the little titch
I'm inviting everyone to enjoy my music, despite my short stature

Switch, hush
This is a transition to the chorus, and a command for silence

[Chorus]
This is the repeated chorus calling for everyone to do something unpredictable and fun

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANNY HARRISON, LOUISE AMANDA HARMAN, GABRIEL OLEGAVICH, ARTHUR JAMES GORDAN SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS