Lady Sovereign, hailing from Chalkhill Estate (a notoriously rough part of London), has become the next big thing in female MCs in 2006/2007, having recently being signed by Jay-Z to Def Jam after she impressed him with an impromptu performance and became the first non – US woman to be signed to the label. Add to this that she has recorded for Chocolate Industries, has appeared on the ‘Fit But You Know It’ album by the Streets, and has supported Basement Jaxx, Obie Trice, Dizzee Rascal, D12 and The Streets on tour, all before she turned 21. ‘Sov’, as she likes to be called, has incited quite a bit of controversy with her success. She has been called everything from ‘Chav Superstar’ to ‘Grime Midget’, but even the harshest critics have to admit that part of that success is because of her unique angle on hip hop and MC’ing. With lyrics like, “Never had my nails done. Bite them down until they’re numb, I’m the one with the nonexistent bum” she presents a very different perspective from the average female lyrics in hip hop. No recommendations for a pedicure or getting your ‘nails did’, like Missy Elliot, or being hotter than your girlfriend like the Pussycat Dolls, Sov sings about hairy armpits, missing shepherd’s pie, being a tomboy, wearing odd socks, spray tan… “Now washing you will be like washing a goth, All that black lipstick around their gobs, How the fuck do we get it off?”

Her lyrics are at the same time ungainly and endearingly funny, reminding us uncannily of conversations we’ve had with good friends, having a beer and a few laughs. She doesn’t fetish glamour or sex, Sov is a refreshing and highly eccentric lyricist, redefining the role of women in hip hop in an age where Pink gets passed off as a riot grrrl.

In an ironic twist, Sov dislikes interviews and the grind of media responsibilities and has a reputation of being a terror to engage, and a quick survey of the ‘net shows a swag of one word answer interviews as irrefutable proof. So the challenge of interviewing Sov is one I sidle up to hesitantly. But in the end, either I have caught her on a very good day or she’s getting used to this whole rigmarole. She is candid and amusing and, thankfully, quite cooperative.

When asked how she is feeling, having just returned from a US tour, Sov says “I’m back in London at the moment… I’m a bitch at night time, and I only got back from the US yesterday and I’m tired. I’m jetlagged, but it’s crazy – I don’t mind the travelling. I like Americans, I was a bit worried about whether I would – the way they are on TV they’re stupid and intimidating, now I’ve been there so many times and I think they’re ok.”

I’m suitably warned… but luckily her bark is worse than her bite. Sov is actually pretty happy to be coming to Australia to tour, although she doesn’t really know much about what she’s in for, except for what she might have seen on Australia’s worst export, Neighbours. “All I know about Australia is Madge Bishop and Harold Bishop, and the lifestyle of Ramsay Street…. and kangaroos and spiders. But I go on myspace a lot, and I get a lot of messages from Australian fans. I find that exciting and I’m looking forward to coming out there. Most places I’ve been to have been so like clones of other places: there’s nothing different to do and it’s all the same. That’s why I’m so excited to go to Australia – it’s going to be different: a different culture, and you’ve got open land and I’m bored of seeing buildings everywhere. I know I’m going to get a tan while I’m out there, natural tans are great.”

I comment that she has a reputation for resisting the whole media circus, and ask whether she’s had a particular bad experience, otherwise how can it be that an MC doesn’t actually like to talk? “Most of the time I hate it. It’s nice when I get a break from it all, but I’ve had a whole year of doing lots of talking. I didn’t expect to get this big this soon in my lifetime. Or to be thrown in the deep end – this is way beyond my original ambition, not that I’ve stopped my ambitions, but I didn’t expect it this soon.”

So what are the best things about having become famous so fast and touring the world? For Sov when on tour or when she’s back at home, it’s all about the music. “The best thing about being on tour all year is getting on stage and playing to people. Talking to people all the time is “pfft” but being on stage is great. The Lollapalooza gig in Chicago was a massive festival that was crazy! The Times Square NYE thing was great – there were a million people outside and I was up in the Tower performing with all those people watching outside!”

So what’s Sov going to do now she’s got some downtime before her Australian shows? Write some more music? What does a Sov do when she wants to relax? “Well I’ve only got a few weeks, it’s not enough time for me to settle down and to go out and socialise as well as getting new stuff done. I need to take a holiday it’s crazy. I can do anything I want to do but at the end of the day when people say time is precious and time taken off is holding you back that’s bullshit. Not having any time off holds you back! I’m bored of talking to people, I like making music and experimenting, I’m getting my little studio at home together so I can stay at home and make my own beats. I work a lot with a guy called Medasyn, and how we write is I say my ideas and he does his thing. But I want to start doing it myself. I know how to use logic, I taught myself. I started off using Fruity Loops which is really easy to use. I’ve written beats already – I never show anyone my beats, I don’t know if they’re good or not, but I like them.”

Will she be writing grime beats or something else? Is she looking to move out of that whole ‘grime’ category she’s labelled with? “I just make music! I make whatever I feel like making, you can label me as this or that, it doesn’t matter – I make just my own thing. I want to experimnet with punk rock, I want to try everything and anything there is to do.”

Have her experiences on tour given her some new ideas ? How does she come up with new lyrics and ideas? “I sit down and use my brain to write songs!” she says, (the cheeky sausage!). “It is hard. I’m not going to lie because that would be stupid, it is difficult because I don’t have the time on my hands I used to, and I’m not surrounded by the same old people. I’ve grown up a bit and it’s hard to be unnoticed and go out and do things I usually do. Give me a personal life you bastards, I’m serious! I’ve got so much moaning to do on this next album! I don’t care what people think of me! The things I’ll be talking about will be different. It will be me but how I write lyrics is that I just think about my life and whether I’m having a good day a bad day, people who come and go out of my life and things I’ve got to say, it’s all personal. So I don’t know yet what I will say and whether it will be all moaning – it depends what I feel like when I start to write. Maybe I’ll feel better then.”

And finally, will we see the trademark Lady Sovereign tomboy, or some might say ‘Chav’, style – the tracksuits and bling, on this tour? Is it a gimmick that’s essential to her show?
“I don’t really wear tracksuits anymore. I’ve strayed away from it – I’m just more open minded to certain things. I wouldn’t wear anything I don’t like. I’m into colours at the moment, t-shirts with colours on them. I used to wear blue tracksuits – , it was all I used to wear, blue. Now I wear a lot of fluoro orange – I love it! Recently I’ve had all these t-shirts made for me with my slogans on them and I really like wearing those.”

Lady Sovereign’s album ‘Public Warning’ is available now through DefJam/Universal. She’s touring Australia this month for the first time ever, presented by inthemix. Don’t miss out!

Tuesday Mar 20 at The Capitol, Perth
Thursday Mar 22 at the Prince Bandroom, Melbourne
Saturday Mar 24 at The Forum, Sydney