Lady Sovereign calls herself "the biggest midget in the game" — in part because she's barely 5 feet tall.
She's only 23, but the British rapper already lived a lifetime in the music business. She was discovered by Jay-Z, scored a No. 1 single on the U.S. dance charts, toured with Gwen Stefani, parted company with her record company, Def Jam — and burned out.
"I just got tired of the work involved with being signed to a major label, and I walked away just to keep myself sane, you know?" she says. "Just chilled out, really — didn't do any work at all."
Now Lady Sov is back in the game with a new album, Jigsaw, released on her own label, Midget Records. While on tour in the U.S. for the first time in several years, she spoke with host Guy Raz.
"I just felt so alone — I was always out here in America," she says. "I appreciate what Def Jam did for me, and the exposure I got, but it all seemed to be based around 'Love Me Or Hate Me' [her first hit single]. And I think it just drove me crazy just going around in this big circle, repeating myself."
Click the link at the top of the page to hear the full interview, starting around 6 p.m. ET on May 10.
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