Lady London
Lady London | |
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Birth name | Zaire Miylaun Stewart[1][2] |
Born | The Bronx, New York, U.S. | June 25, 1995
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2018–present |
Labels |
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Website | www |
Zaire Miylaun Stewart (born June 25, 1995), known professionally as Lady London, is an American rapper and songwriter from The Bronx, New York, currently based in Los Angeles. Her debut studio album S.O.U.L. (Signs of Universal Love)—preceded by two mixtapes—was released on November 3, 2023.
Early life
London was born in The Bronx, New York, to a Jamaican mother and Trinidadian father.[5][6] Raised in her grandmother's house in East Orange, New Jersey, she started composing poems at the age of 11, which she used as "an outlet to speak about [her] anger and what was bringing [her] in [those] spaces".[2][6] She graduated in 2012 from Mother Seton Regional High School in Clark, New Jersey.[1] London attended Howard University, where she studied and received a bachelor's degree in science before later attending the University of Southern California and receiving a master's degree in that same major.[6] During that time, her original goal was to become an orthopedic surgeon.[6]
Career
In March 2018, London posted a video of her freestyling while sitting in a car via her Twitter account, which soon went viral and received praise from media outlets.[7][3] Afterwards, she began recording and posting more freestyles titled "Lady Londays", which helped her gain more traction.[8] On July 30, 2019, she independently released a song titled "Woosah" to digital platforms and started a dance challenge to promote the track.[9][10] In 2021, she released two official singles: "Money Over" and "Never", which were both accompanied with music videos, to generally favorable reviews from critics.[11] On January 14, 2022, London released her first solo full-length project, a mixtape titled Lady Like: The Boss Tape; the mixtape consists of thirteen tracks, majority of them being freestyles.[12] A few months later, she released a single "What Is It Giving", produced by Kosine, alongside its music video.[13] While speaking on the song, she said: "Creating this record, I wanted a chant... one that felt comfortable enough to repeat, while also being full of caption-worthy rhetoric. The perfect balance."[13]
In September 2022, London made her acting debut in the Sanaa Lathan-directed musical drama film On the Come Up as the character Ms. Tique.[14] To promote the film, she was featured alongside Jamila C. Gray and Rapsody on a song of the same name, which was later featured on the film's soundtrack.[15] On March 23, 2023, she signed a joint record deal with High Standardz and Def Jam Recordings.[16] On April 14, 2023, she was featured on the remix to Ciara's song "Da Girls" entitled the "Girls Mix" alongside Lola Brooke.[17] On October 10, 2023, she performed on the BET Hip Hop Awards cypher alongside Brooke, Gloss Up and Bun B.[18] London's debut studio album S.O.U.L. (acronym of Signs of Universal Love) was released on November 3, 2023.[19] The album was preceded by the releasing of two singles "Yea Yea" (with Dreezy) and "Do Something" (featuring Jeremih).[19] It features guest appearances from Dreezy, Jeremih, B-Boy Stance, Tink, Omeretta the Great, Capella Grey, Brooke Valentine and Mila J.[20]
Musical style
A defining aspect of her style is her bravado and her “Boss-Lady” persona.[21]
Discography
- Studio albums
- S.O.U.L. (2023)
- Mixtapes
- I Kant Make This Shit Up (with Murrille) (2022)
- Lady Like: The Boss Tape (2022)
References
- ^ a b "Seton Class of '12 has 100% college acceptance", Courier News, June 6, 2012. Accessed November 13, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Mother Seton Regional High School, Clark, conducted commencement Thursday with the principal, Sister Regina Martin, awarding diplomas to 133 graduates.... Following is the list of graduates, including their hometowns... Zaire Miylaun Stewart, East Orange"
- ^ a b Uproxx (July 19, 2021). Talib Kweli & Lady London Talk Jean Grae, Sway Freestyle, Chino XL, BLM, HBCUs. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b Ju, Shirley (March 11, 2022). "Lady London discusses her queen aesthetic, women being underestimated in rap and her upcoming EP". Revolt. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Schube, Will (October 22, 2023). "Lady London Recruits Jeremih For Do Somethin". UDiscover Music. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Hynes, Hayley (December 29, 2022). "Lady London Describes Co-Signs From Nas & Busta Rhymes In On the Come Up". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Davis, Shanice (July 22, 2022). "Meet Lady London: The Cutthroat Femcee With Surgeon-Sharp Precision". Essence (Girls United). Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ @LadyLondonnn (March 25, 2018). "🤐🤐🤐" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ J Hall (November 13, 2023). "On the Come Up: Lady London, the Next Queen MC". American Urban Radio Networks. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ "Woosah - Single by Lady London". Apple Music. July 30, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ Lady London (August 2, 2019). Lady London - Woosah (Challenge) – via YouTube.
- ^ "Lady London Delivers Lady Like: The Boss Tape". ON Magazine. January 16, 2022. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022.
- ^ Grant, Shawn (January 14, 2022). "Lady London Releases Lady Like: The Boss Tape". The Source. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Cho, Regina (July 29, 2022). "Lady London shares glamorous What Is It Giving video". Revolt. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022.
- ^ "On the Come Up". IMDb. 2022. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023.
- ^ Howard, Jacinta (September 16, 2022). "Rapsody Releases New Single On the Come Up". Rock the Bells. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022.
- ^ Lamarre, Carl (March 23, 2023). "Lady London Signs With High Standardz & Def Jam Recordings". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023.
- ^ Cho, Regina (March 29, 2023). "Lola Brooke and Lady London put their twist on Ciara's "Da Girls" track". Revolt TV. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ Mamo, Heran (October 10, 2023). "All the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards Performances Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023.
- ^ a b "Lady London (High Standardz/Def Jam)". Hits. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ "S.O.U.L. - Album by Lady London". Apple Music. November 3, 2023. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ Callwood, Brett (February 2, 2022). "Lady London Is A Boss". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 12, 2023.