Speech Debelle
BIOGRAPHY
With the Mercury Prize hot on the lips of most music lovers over the past few weeks, you may catch a relatively new name among the likes of the bunch that have been splattered over every magazine/website/festival lineup poster this summer: Friendly Fires, Bat For Lashes, The Horrors etc.
That name is Speech Debelle, the alias of 25 year old Corynne Elliot, a London based Jamaican would-be-poet who turned her attention to rapping upon realizing that conventional school work gave her no joy. Her debut album Speech Therapy was last week shortlisted for the 2009 Barclaycard Mercury Prize.
After being kicked out of the house by her parents at 19, Debelle spent her early twenties skulking around South and West London’s streets and hostels, doing anything she could to earn money. She often hints at such activity being somewhat beyond the law, telling The Guardian that she ‘tried a few things, some successful endeavors, some not…there are definitely things I can’t tell you.’
But despite being signed to Ninja Tune’s imprint Big Dada, home to some of the UK’s most prominent rap/hip hop talent (Roots Manuva, anyone?) she still holds true to her traveling roots by writing much of her material on London’s tube.
Her debut album has bestowed 4 singles on the British listening public. The latest, ’Better Days’, is out this week and features collaboration with Micachu. Her hand clap laden swooning single ‘Go The Bye’ states ‘I don’t want this to break my stride’, and if Debelle continues riding her current wave of hype, it seems that nothing will.
TOUR DATES:
Speech Debelle is embarking on dates in Amsterdam and Poland before returning to the UK for Gloucestershire’s Bloom festival on August 15th, and then to the Isle of White for a slot on the Red Bull stage at (cue tears re: end of the festival season) Bestival
LINKS:
Speech Debelle on Facebook - Speech Debelle’s Facebook page will keep you up to date with a her latest happenings and personal musings, without having to leave the comfort of your continual status update haven.
MySpace.com/speechdebelle - Speech’s official MySpace page hosts links to buy her album/singles from iTunes and Ninja Tune as well as singe streams.
www.ustream.tv/speechdebelle - a live stream of a performance with her backing band The Therapists that took place on July 27th at London’s Alaska Studios.
VIDEOS:
‘SPINNIN’ LIVE @ BBC INTRODUCING, GLASTONBURY 2009
’THE KEY’:
BANDSTAND BUSKING ACOUSTIC SESSION:
FEATURE BY TIM ROBBINS