Shazam Meets… Uffie
Back in 2006 Uffie burst on to the scene with her debut single, ‘Pop The Glock/Ready To Uff’. The American raised Parisian based rapper attracted a wave of attention due to her risqué lyrics and addictive beats – courtesy of producer Feadz. Signed to French electro label Ed Banger, Uffie released a string of hot electro singles. She even hooked up with fellow Ed banger signings Justice and collaborated on the single, ‘Tthhee Ppaarrttyy’. However, several developments in Uffie’s life – ranging from marriage, divorce and pregnancy – delayed the making of her debut album.
2010 will finally see the release of her full length album, ‘Sex Dreams & Denim Jeans’. Production duties were split between the aforementioned Feadz, Ed Banger cohort Mr. Oizo and sometime Madonna producer, Mirwais. The album also sees the singer hook up with former Rapture bassist Matty Safer and Neptunes frontman Pharrell Williams. The latter appears on the latest single ‘A.D.D SUV’, a slickly produced slice of electro layered hip hop.We caught up with Uffie to chat about the album, her time spent out of the limelight and how she feels about Ke$ha “borrowing” her sound.
It’s been a while since we heard from you, how do the newer songs compare to the older tracks?
Uffie - Well since I started working with Mirwais, I guess you could say it has more of a polished sound – not necessarily more mainstream, but polished. Plus I’ve grown up a bit now.
On your new single ‘A.D.D SUV’ you worked with Pharrell Williams. How did that come about?
We played together in Tokyo a few years ago. I knew I wanted a rapper on the song, he’s always been one of my favourites, so I asked him.
What’s he like to work with?
Everything was done via email! I Didn’t get any studio time with him unfortunately.
Your debut album ‘Sex Dreams & Denim Jeans’, is out soon. What can we expect from it?
Well, there’s only three of my older tracks on it and eleven new ones. So it’s a mixture of Feadz, Mr Oizo and Mirwais. I guess compared to the old EPs, that were aimed towards clubs, this is stuff you could listen to in the car or at home. It’s a bit deeper and experimental.
You worked with three different producers across the album. Was that something you wanted to do to change the flow of the album?
Yeah because each person brings out a different side of you and creates different sounds. I didn’t want to stay with the same person because it would’ve all been the same. Plus it’s fun to mix it up and get the best from each person.
So each producer’s methods brought out a different musical style?
Definitley. I mean Mirwais brought out a more of a rock side, Feadz a hip hop side and Oizo an electronic side.
Your first single was out in 2006 and now finally in 2010 we get to hear your album. Were you slightly worried that people may have forgotten about you?
Yeah for sure! But, I had to take my time.
As an artist do you feel you’ve changed between your earlier work and now?
Definitely, it’s all about being comfortable with what you’re doing and being happy with your sound. It’s really hard when you’re trying to find your style, especially if you read what people write about it.
In your absence there have been a few artists who’ve emerged with a similar sound to you. Ke$ha in particular has a notable similarity to you. Does seeing an artist like that bother you?
Well the song that she supposedly “borrowed from” was an old song anyway; my stuff has evolved since then. So, it’s what I used to do. I think it’s more annoying for the people who work with me! But it doesn’t really bother me.
As we mentioned earlier, you’ve hooked up with some great artists. Is there anyone you’d like to work with specifically in the future?
Not really, I think it’s more about right place and right time. It’ll work with certain people at a certain time, it kind of just what happens naturally. I’m open to new styles.
Will we see you do another track with Justice?
They owe me a track, so yes!
It seems like a lot of your label mates on Ed Banger are currently in a quiet period. Will this year be a busy one for the label?
Well you know, what goes up must come down. I think it’s been a quiet period since there’s been so much hype to follow, I think everyone had to take a step back. It’s funny, because I think it’s gonna be me then Sebastian then Justice with new albums. It’s just a cycle!
After taking so much time off, is your forthcoming schedule slightly daunting?
I don’t know. I had a baby recently so it’s a bit different. When you have a guy and a baby it’s kind of hard to leave every weekend. I still love it, but it’s definitely harder now.
As for the future, do you plan to spend as much time on your follow up?
Actually I was on the phone to Mirwais the other day and said “that’s it; we’re going into the studio for three months and finish it!” I’m not waiting this time again (laughs).
