MENTAL METALAt fi rst glance at Miss Metal you’d think she’s another wild chick…well you couldn’t be more wrong. She’s wild, hot and accomplished and stormed into the music industry with her unique style of hard rock guitars and powerful but capturing voice. Varying between the hard rock and metal genre and also a touch of hip hop, Miss Metal evolved from the tough London life into becoming the craziest girl in the music scene thus adopting the nickname ‘Mental Metal’. Now she’s here to talk about her past, present and future as she prepares to release her new album ‘Mirrors of Metal’. She’s bringing the audios that are attracting addiction and you might learn some interesting new things.

Interviewer: Good afternoon, thanks for the opportunity to interview such a stunning performer as you.

Miss Metal: (Laughs) thank you…mmm…keep the compli-ments coming I may get you free tickets to my next show.

Interviewer: Backstage pass?

Miss Metal: (Laughs)…Oh my gosh…no…(Laughs) you’re so bad. Sneaky guy…but I don’t think you’d even want to see me backstage…I’m like the craziest beast ever because I get so nervous before shows and I just take out all my stress by screaming at everyone. (Laughs)

Interviewer: You’re the craziest girl on stage too. Tell us about yourself and how you got into music.

MM: Well it’s such a long story but you’re in luck because I never stop talking anyway. I was born in Croydon in South London and grew up with my mum, dad and older brother, Rhys. It was really hard back then and throughout my ado-lescence there was never anything to do so the youth used to get into all sorts of criminal things. I always had an interest in music and started off writing my own versions of nursery rhymes as a youngster and later progressed to writing on other instrumentals. I loved listening to Jimmy Hendrix and Aerosmith which was strange in the type of neighborhood I was in.

I: Did you get teased for it?

MM: Not so much because I kept the love of that music inside the house but Rhys did take a few playful hits at me because of course boys will be boys with their Hip Hop and Garage music. My mum saw my musical eagerness and got me my fi rst guitar when I was ten. My dad had a little experience so he taught me the beginnings before I had to start fi nding money to pay for proper classes because it was quite expen-sive. Although Rhys did tease me, he helped me in paying for classes. He was very protective of me and quite often would come home with lots of cash which he’d split with me and which I’d use for lessons.

I: Lots of cash?

MM: Yes…but as you might have guessed, the money wasn’t always legal. I was ten and he was fi fteen and we were in an environment that had little opportuni-ties. Rhys did jobs for goons such as selling drugs and making corrupt bank transfers otherwise known as ‘AC’. Af-ter a while things got tough as police started closing in on these goons and Rhys found himself working for himself which was a lot harder because of lack of connections. Out of desperation he told me to stand on some corners sell-ing drugs while he’d be on another so that money could be made more quickly. I was 12 at the time that I abandoned the guitar for working for my brother who was slowly rising with street reputation and for the next 2 years I was his worker do-ing odd jobs like getting crack to a customer after he had made arrangements to where we should meet. We were living very badly and it was out of desperation but Rhys always made me stay in school despite giving me work to do and though my dreams of music seemed lost. But one night Rhys got some rivals…dangerous ones and bought a loaded Mac 10 gun to scare them off but police caught him with it and a few bags of cocaine. Rhys got a 10 year sentence and so I was alone.

I: Ouch…how did you respond to this?

MM: I became a very angry child because I loved him and he was now gone. I became a rebel and got my crazy attitude. But I learnt from Rhys’ mistakes and got rid of my connections to the street crime. I started fo-cusing all my anger and craze into music and making it a somewhat positive craze. I began playing the guitar and writing my own songs again, creating a new image of music out of inspira-tions from Aerosmith, Avenged Seventh fold and other bands.

I: But you were still in a Hip Hop and Garage infl uenced neighborhood so how did you cope?

MM: Well, again I kept my practice to myself just driving my parents crazy with the noise I was making

when playing but I decided to get into the Hip Hop culture on the streets. I wrote rap lyrics and hit amateur recording studios with friends. I sang with guys in my neighborhood that rapped but after a while it became un-comfortable because it just wasn’t me. I was about 19 when I eventually hit the amateur studios to record my rock mix tape. I wasn’t expecting it to be anything big, at the time it was just a bit of fun. Then some underground rappers from my neighborhood heard me as I was recording. I expected them to take the

piss out of me for the

type of music I had got into but too

my amazement they we’re in amazement and actually liked it. A friend and I decided that the mix tape would be better appreciated in other parts of the city so the same connections we used to use to move drugs, we used to move music. I was still very much underground but pushing my music through London as much as I could.

I: Then how did you get discovered?

MM: Well I guess the tapes fell into the right hands eventually. I literally used to go around London ramming copies into the post fl aps of the biggest and grandest houses, hoping eventually someone important may listen to it. A long shot it seems…but guess what? IT WORKED!!! Apparently, top producer and leader of Invasion Records, Wizard was staying in North London after a big promo-tion party the previous night and found a tape at his door. He said he would have thrown it away if not for the crazy face I had put on the cover which amused him enough to play it on his stereo. He loved it and went in search for me. It was pure luck and a pure miracle.

I: Unbelievable! If this was sure to happen each time, I would have recorded myself on

my skateboard and posted it through doors. I might have been able to win an award for ‘The Most Clumsiest

Skater Alive’. So how did he get you to become the ener-getic rock queen you are now?

MM: (Laughs)…I was allowed to experiment with my own type of music in a proper studio. It was so cool. I used my crazy attitude and wrote some crazy music. I found myself performing with other bands and artists, shooting videos which were so much fun. It’s a lot of hard work though; I once spent a whole week recording in the studio! I slept there at night and recorded there throughout the day. It was so strange but it was worth it.

THE SAME CONNECTIONS WE USED TO MOVE DRUGS, WE USED TO MOVE MUSICI: How did the name ‘Metal’ come about?

MM: Tut, tut, tut Mr. Interviewer that should have been your fi rst question. (Laughs)…people think it’s because of all the piercings that I have but it was actually nicked off an early critic that described my music as a hard, energetic but brilliant metal wave hitting your ears and so I became Miss Metal!

I: Why did you name your album ‘Mirrors of Metal’?

MM: There are a lot of people who don’t know about me and I put a lot of emotions into this album so it’s a chance for people to look at different sides of me and for me to look at myself. Realize where I’m coming from and plan where I’m heading so it’s like windows into my soul for you and a mirror into it for me.

I: Now that you’re on your way to greatness. What are your hopes for the future?

MM: Simply enjoy life! I’m naturally an over spender so I hit the shops immediately I got my cash but I know how to save too. I just bought my parents a new house and Rhys is coming out in 6 months and I’m going to throw him a big ‘welcome home’ party. Musically, I’m aiming to hit top spots with my new album and secure my name in music history.

I: Thank you for your time. I’m really looking forward to the release of your album.

MM: Thank you so much! You are such an exciting interview-er…I have so got to get you free tickets.

I: Backstage pass?

MM: (Laughs) Don’t jump the gun, cowboy.