You all remember Lisa Maffia right? The garage music scene pin-up that you definitely tried to very hard to be as cool as at some point back in 2001? We caught up with the singer (who is still totally ace BTW) to find out what she's up to now, how she survived as the only girl in So Solid Crew and whether she's sick of that rap.
Hello Lisa! What are you up to these days?
I’ve got a track called* The Knack* which I am going to release for the European club scene.
Well that sounds all sorts of fun
Its really fast, it’s something I’ve not done before. I’m going to let it release into Germany and then see how it goes. It’s a really really good track.
So are you flitting all over Europe at the moment?
Yeah I just got back from Malia at 4.30 this morning, I’m absolutely exhausted. I’m running a PR office of thirty people now. I’m up every day doing that and me and Romeo (from So Solid Crew) still tour every year together.
That makes me so happy
Yeah, it’s been us two for the last nine years island hopping; Malia, Cos, Faliraki, Majorca, Ibiza. We do all the islands and then we venture out as far as Dubai.
How many pies have you got your fingers in Lisa Maffia?
So many pies! I’m managing as well, artist management, and entertainers management.
God you must be so busy. How's everything in music changed in the 14 years you've been in it?
The change has been dramatic. It was a hard graft at the beginning. We were selling records out of the boot of our cars, when now you just literally click a button. Saves a lot of footwork I guess.
I remember you had a daughter Lisa Maffia. How old is she now?
18
Wow!
I just picked her up from her new job. It’s her first day at her new job and she’s working in brokering. She’s proper smart and she’s proper switched on. She knows exactly what she wants to do, which is great.
Did it freak you out having a teenager now everyone's got social media?
Chelsea is very very independent, she doesn’t worry about what everyone else is doing. I think Chelsea had closed down her Facebook by 14 because she just wasn’t interested in the hype and peopletalking about each other. I think the only social media she has now is Instagram. She will not touch Twitter because she just knows people are are just literally commenting on anything and its always quite negative, so she stays out of it. Which has helped me as a parent because I’ve not had to worry, I find it so easy its unreal.
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She sounds more grown-up that us
No, honestly, I can really imagine the concern of parents whose children get mixed up in the whole vicious circle of social media because they’re open to absolutely everything, it’s a really scary place in general, the internet.
So how did you find being the only girl in So Solid Crew?
Well growing up I was a tomboy and I think that’s kind of how I ended up with the boys because I wasn’t that girly. I guess the boys really wanted to sleep with the girls but they probably wanted to be more involved with me having a laugh with them. I think even then I was a bit more respected than some of the girls because I was a little bit more tomboyish.
**Did they try and turn you into a girl once you guys started doing well?
**I didn’t put a skirt on until the 21 Seconds video. That was the first time I got out of trainers and put heels on and put a dress on, and I remember walking out on 21 seconds video shoot and everyone going ‘oh my God, Lisa you look so good’, ‘ and I was like ‘oh my God this is all so wrong’, but that was just me being a boy but that's was just how I was but I think it's probably best if you’re trying to work in a male environment and be respected as a woman; just be a little bit more boyish and stand up to them, because otherwise you’re never gonna get anywhere.
Was it weird having to start wearing dresses and heels?
Luckily for me I was in the underground industry and it was all about tracksuits, trainers, Adidas, Nike, so when we got sponsored by Puma I was like ‘Yes, at last, please can I get the clothes I wanna wear!’ I think they did want me to strip off, but if you can be successful without stripping off, you earn a lot more respect.
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Definitely. So your rap on 21 Seconds... One of the greatest musical moments of our teenage years. Discuss.
From the beginning to now I get jokes like ’21 seconds to do this’ or ’21 seconds to do that’ and it’s like I get it, I get it. It’s been one of those brain bashing tracks that I’ve heard all over the world. But I do appreciate it every single day, I know that it was all well worth it. It’s a good thing but its one of those cheesy tracks that just hound you for the rest of your life.
Lisa Maffia is playing at Another World Festival8-10th August
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Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.