Featured Artist: Lady Chann

Lady Chann is making waves in the UK music spectrum right now.

And she's also bloody lovely.

After tearing up Trouble Vision last month at the launch of Toddla T's label Girls Music - her single Sticky Situation being it's first release - Lady Chann is opening up the doors of public affection to Dancehall.

Who are you? Where are you from? And what do you do?

I'm a female Dancehall artist, originating from West/North West London, from a group called Suncycle who consisted of Gappy Ranx, Dolamite (Producer/Artist/CEO), Vigilante, and Infra Red Man.



I sing and MC... In a dancehall style, and fuse electro beats, dancehall, grime, whatever; with my vocals.

What is your musical background?

Musical background is everything from Madonna, Boys II Men, Michael Jackson, The Fugees to Capleton, Beenie Man and Bounty Killah.

How did you become involved in Dancehall?

My dad was from the sound Exodus... And was on pirate radio... And toured with some artists like Beenie Man, Dennis Brown, who I had the privilige of meeting when I was very small.

Why do you think this kind of music is becoming more and more accepted
by mainstream audiences in the UK?

I think dancehall has become much more popular because of artists like Patra, Sean Paul, Rhianna, Movado, Ward 21, TOK, Suncycle, Lady Saw etc. banging out GREAT songs and presenting the whole genre in a more adaptable and mainstream way...

The image, the lifestyle, the swagger, fashion of Dancehall has a mass appeal.

What's life like for an artist emerging into the limelight? How have
things changed for you, if at all?

Life is good, though it's harder work as a solo artist, and is a bit mind boggling; flattering receiving the love that I have been all around the world...

I'm here to work and provide a service; a very grounded bubbly fun girl, and have been in music many years, but led a very normal life before this 'limelight'.

It's different from 'hood limelight' where you're popular in you're ends.

But being 'normal' for a long time, I know myself, and had time to be myself without all the focus, so has kept me grounded and I appreciate that.

I've always been apart of Reggae/Dancehall as my father and uncle were in the soundsystem business... Suncycle discovered that although I could sing, they honed my craft into dancehall spitting.

When your around the best, you gotta step your game up and match it!

Who do you see as your biggest influences, firstly throughout your
life, and secondly artists right now..?

Well the artists I named previously did and still do influence me... But recent artists in any genre doing their thing inspires me too.

Who do you think is responsible for the music scene shifting ever
further towards the territory of alternative rhythms?

The alternative thing has become a big movement... With the likes of Toddla T - who at heart is a Dancehall fan big time - who has the love for big bars and riddims, so he's combined a sound, with broken beats and has made this very popular, alongside producers like Chase and Status, Scream, Benga etc.. The sound just seems unique to the UK, but has been adopted world wide it seems.

Sticky Situation came out in at the end of '09, what do you have lined
up for 2010?

Sticky Situation actually first got played on a British radio station in December 2008(!) by Target from Roll Deep, who loved the song, and always featured it...



But the song's just going from strength to strength and building even more; being played in the clubs, with my other Sticky produced track Eye Too Fast.

It's amazing really, to have 2 simultaneous club tracks, so that's why when we realeased through Toddla T's new label Girls Music as his first signing of a project, Eye Too fast was included on the 3 track EP - which charted on the Japanese electro Itunes chart at number 13!

Lucky number for me now!

It's out now on all digital retailers (You can get it HERE).

We then left it til last to shoot the video, as sometimes artists shoot videos to songs that aren't even being supported on the radio, or there's no real demand for it.

So the vid's out now... And in it there're a few faces from the music and entertainment world, who I'm flattered came.

What was it like collaborating with House producers like Warrior One?

Working with Warrior One was a lot of fun, they played me a few beats, and the King Riddim stood out to me by a mile, and decided this was the track.. We're all friends now too, and occassionally hang out.. So we always have a load of fun.



What do you listen to at home?

At home I'm currently just listening to the newest Alicia Keys album, I've just bought Ushers new album which is a banger! Also I'm listening and bought Ellie Gouldings Starry Eyed ep, ... My itunes at the moment consists of Mclean, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Alicia Keys, Lemar , Tinchy and also have Chipmunks re-packaged album...


Crikey. What a busy lady. Hit this LINK for Lady Chann's myspace for more tracks and updates, and you can also download her MEGA mixtape DUM DEM: Volume 1.

Keeps your eyes open for more from this one.