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  Speech Debelle |
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 | Reported by guardian.co.uk
on Tuesday, 13 October 2009
(on October 13, 2009) |
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Aftermath of award win includes mixed reviews and sparse crowds at live showsShe was one of the more surprising Mercury music prize winners - and perhaps one of the more surprised.
And the aftermath of Speech Debelle's victory has hardly been plain sailing, with a sparsely attended tour that has drawn mixed reviews and her album Speech Therapy failing to crack the top 40.But in her first interview since her post-Mercury tour kicked off to an audience of 50 in Sheffield, the former Corynne Elliott says she is unfazed.
She points out that her biggest problem until relatively recently was whether she could get her album recorded and pressed at all.
Her record label, Big Dada, has been supportive: "They always tell me how many good reviews I've had whenever I see a bad one.
I was told that the backlash would be coming - it seems to be a rule set in stone.
But it's a good product, and I stand by it."She admits she has suffered from stage fright in the past but is improving: "I used to be so nervous five minutes before going on stage, but I've got to the point where I've started to enjoy it.
Being on stage is like going to the gym - it's all the endorphins."Debelle points to the fact that her stage performances on tour have been sufficiently impressive for her to have been named as the support act for Basement Jaxx's upcoming UK tour.In an era when illegal downloading and free listening is the default for many music fans, an album such as Speech Therapy tends to be at a disadvantage.
It eschews immediacy for subtlety and pop hooks for lyrical introspection; there are no big choruses or shiny, attention-grabbing beats on Debelle's songs, which instead unfold gradually over abstract, jazzy production.
Her somewhat worthy subject matter and introspective persona are critical catnip, an obvious contrast to the popular conception of hip-hop braggadocio; instead, Debelle is more likely to reflect on a troubled life which has included family estrangement and homelessness.Debelle's talent is a raw one: she has a tendency to ramble and the album loses focus at times.
It is easy to imagine she will go on to make far superior works.
Nonetheless, sales of Speech Therapy — which had sold only 3,000 copies before the nomination — have soared from that low base since her Mercury win.As a British female rapper, Speech Debelle is in a minority on several counts.
She is far from alone.
A raft of female MCs emerged from London's grime scene in the past decade — Stush, No Lay, Shystie, Mz Bratt — all of whom have built up impressive back catalogues while only periodically flirting with mainstream success.Meanwhile, dancehall artists such as Warrior Queen and Lady Chann have honed their acts to respect and acclaim within the London urban scene.When it comes to crossing over to household name status, women in the hyper-masculine world of rap face an uphill struggle even in the US, where rappers such as Lil' Kim and Trina have carved out a specific niche audience based on explicit, sexually aggressive personae.
Their British equivalents, though, have been wary of presenting themselves in an overtly sexually manner; and tellingly, the two British female MCs to have achieved genuine mainstream success over the past decade, Ms Dynamite and Estelle, both did so by singing rather than rapping.Debelle, who does not sing, is wary of attributing the lack of female rappers in the UK mainstream to larger cultural factors; perhaps she remembers the backlash Estelle received after attacking the British music industry's racism, or the criticism of the decision to award the 2002 Mercury prize to Ms Dynamite.The larger issue, though, may be one of a culture that demands accelerated results.
The flailing music industry may not be as conducive to gradual artistic development as it once was, with declining record sales placing greater emphasis on immediate returns from fledgling artists, but in terms of both aesthetic and commercial potential, Debelle's story is not necessarily over.Indeed, heightened expectations have not dulled her ambition: she speaks about wanting to experiment with orchestral arrangements on her follow-up album.
For now, her most immediate dream is some time to herself.
"I'd love to go somewhere with a hot beach and just start writing my next album."Mercury prize: the back catalogue1992 Primal Scream, ScreamadelicaReleased their most recent album, Beautiful Future, last year1993 Suede, SuedeFinally split in 20031994 M People, Elegant SlummingMajor success eluded Heather Small and co; toured UK's forests in '071995 Portishead, DummyBelieved to be working on new album, which could be out late next year1996 Pulp, Different ClassJarvis Cocker's Sheffield outfit put out two more albums before pulling the plug.
Jarvis Cocker went solo1997 Roni Size/Reprazent, New Forms Appeared bound for fame like Portishead, but it was not to be1998 Gomez, Bring It OnDropped by Virgin three albums later but continue to tour and record1999 Talvin Singh, OKDropped by his label but continues recording.
Collaborated with Madonna2000 Badly Drawn Boy, The Hour of BewilderbeastDamon Gough scored film About a Boy2001 PJ Harvey, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea2007's White Chalk won acclaim2002 Ms Dynamite, A Little DeeperRapper's next album struggled.2003 Dizzee Rascal, Boy in da CornerOne of the UK's biggest rap stars2004 Franz Ferdinand, Franz FerdinandReleased three well-received albums2005 Antony and the Johnsons, I am a Bird NowThe Crying Light released in January2006 Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm NotReleased their third album in summer2007 Klaxons, Myths of the Near FutureRerecording "really heavy" next album2008 Elbow, The Seldom Seen KidBasking in glow of their breakthrough and critical acclaim.
Won two Ivor Novello awards this year for One Day Like This and Grounds For Divorce.
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