As summer comes to an end – Vertex Magazine & Vertex FM catch up with triple threat emcee/actress/model; SHYSTIE to talk about her single STOP @ Big Chill in Kings Cross (London)
As one of the most popular, entertaining and original female rappers in the UK, Shystie remains untouchable, in-fact; Shystie remains untouchable across all of the industries she has pursued a career in. From touring with 50 Cent, Basement Jaxx and The Streets. Taking the lead role in the ground-breaking Channel 4 show ‘Dubplate Drama’, as well as the UK feature film ‘Adulthood’. Shystie has also featured in the epitome of all fashion magazines, ‘VOGUE’ and walked the catwalk at both London and New York fashion weeks.
SHYSTIE FT JALISSA | STOP| OUT NOW
Vertex – How are you?
Shystie – I am good thank you
You have a brand new single out – STOP featuring Jalissa. What’s it about?
Shystie – The single STOP is produced by Deanyboy. Jalissa who features is Deanyboy sister and she sings on the hook. We all got together in the studio, Deanyboy gave me the instrumental. I sat down and I wrote what I was going through and what my friends are going through. I wrote STOP to be relatable to people of all walks of life.
Vertex – STOP has a slightly more commercial feel to it. Were you aiming for a top 40?
Shystie – I think everyone wants to get into the charts with a top 40, a top 10 or a number one spot. I would love to do that but its not like I am in the studio, thinking I need to get a top 10 or a number 1. We just go into the studio to make good music.
The good thing is loads of radio stations have played listed STOP, which is really amazing. This is my first single back and it still needs a lot more exposure, I don’t feel as though if STOP does not get into the top 40, things are all over.
STOP has snowballed and it has done better and better over the months gaining more momteum. I am happy with what STOP has done so far and it has opened a lot of doors for me. It was never essentially a track with the intensions for a chart position, but if it does that’s brilliant. Every musician wants to be successful.
Vertex – The video for STOP is really good, can you explain the concept?
Shystie – The video is about two couples that are struggling to pay bills and the guy in the video is doing some underworld fighting to try and get as much money as he can. He is trying to keep a roof over their heads. She is telling him to stop fighting
He ends up having a fight that loves him and hurt emotional but he is alright in the end, as I didn’t want him to die. Its just a motivating and inspirational video and its narrative video I didn’t want it to be about Shystie performing, it was more about the whole story element and not must about me MCing and spitting into the camera.
Vertex – Are you currently signed or are you independent?
Shystie – I am an independent artist and with my manager whom has a management company called Star Works. So I am with them but I am not signed at the moment.
Vertex – You have also done some modeling, you have done both London and New York Fashion weeks. Is modeling something you still do?
Shystie – Well London Fashion Week is in September and they sometimes ask weeks before, but I am always at the ready. If I do it, I do it, if not it’s not the end of the world. Its just really nice for me that they have asked me to take part, I really enjoy it.
Vertex – As well as modeling, you act. Do you have any acting roles coming g up?
Shystie – I have just signed up to an acting agency, so I will be doing a lot more acting in the future. The agency really believes in what I can do. So I am focused on that and hopefully some good roles come up and I will do some auditions and if the roles are right, I will take them. Acting is another thing to do as well as my music.
Vertex – Any tours and gigs coming up?
Shystie – I was touring all of last year. I supported Kendrick Lemar at the end of last year and that was amazing. I have had a lot of shows across Europe. I have been to places like Russia and Milan.
Vertex – Do you have a favorite place you have toured outside the UK?
Shystie – I would have to say Argentina, Russia and Prague is wicked, I love the atmosphere in Prague. France was amazing. There are really loads of places to be honest.
Vertex – Lets talk about your Fire In The Booth. When you do something like that, do you already know the beats you will spit on?
Shystie – Sometimes they will just select tracks ands you just spit over them and sometimes you can ask Charlie Sloth to play a particular track.
Vertex – Did you do your Fire In The Booth in one take?
Shystie – Yes mine was in one take. When I came off, Charlie Sloth said “Your amazing, you did it in one take. Your the first female to do it in one take”
Vertex Ok let’s move into some Vertex listener and staff questions
Shiva from Jakarta Indonesia – What’s it like being a female rapper in a male dominated scene?
Shystie – I find it easy because you get to stand out and it’s refreshing to be a female and respected. To me it gives me the chance to stand out.
Vertex Staff – How do you gage success, when you drop single? Is it chart position, radio airplay or club DJs support?
Shystie – I gage success by what I have done so far up until that point. Getting play listed, as I have never been play listed before. So I class that as success, juts getting on a big festival that unsigned artists wouldn’t normally get on. You usually have to be on one of the big record labels to get onto one of the big festivals. So anything that big record labels can do for artists, to me success is being able to do the same things as an unsigned artist.
Again if I was to charting the top 40 as an unsigned artist, that is success to me. As I don’t have all the money behind me, I back myself, so success can be the little things like getting radio airplay, getting TV plays and doing interviews on various platforms.
Naz from Birmingham UK – Do you feel pressure to recreate another big track like ‘Pull it’?
Shystie – Yes I do (she says laughing). There has been so many times when people say, “Give us another ‘Pull It‘ – but it’s hard. When I wrote ‘Pull it’ it was a summers day, I was just in my garden with a drink and the drum beat. I was just in that zone, but people want it every time. But it’s hard to recreate these zones. People are ‘ We need four more Pull Its (she says laughing) I just cant give the people for more ‘Pull Its’ but I can try give you something else.
Vertex Staff – But ‘Pull It’ was a huge track. So it’s understandable
Shystie – I know there are times when I am like, lets give them ‘Pull It’ but I would just be in the studio wasting everyone’s time, trying to recreate because I feel your in a moment. It’s the same with STOP, I wont be able to give everyone another STOP. I can defiantly do something different but not a part two.
Vertex Staff – The Vertex Staff love watching reality TV – Would you ever consider Reality TV?
Shystie – No (she says laughing) because of how I am in life might be cool for my friends and family because they know me. But with reality TV, I might lose fans, I don’t know because I am just going to be myself. As an artist you go out and I have to conduct myself in a certain way, but if I was to be constantly being recorded for TV, you will see how people really behave (Laughing). So I don’t think I would.
Vertex – If you could pick just one – Music, Acting or Modeling. Which one would you pick?
Shystie – I would pick music, although acting would be a close second, but it would be music for me.
Vertex – It has been really nice meeting you today Shystie. All the best with the single STOP, which is OUT NOW. All the best with the acting and the modeling and we will support you as much as we can and hopefully STOP will be charted.
Shystie – Thank you and thank you to all the listeners for their questions, I really appreciate everything.
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