Lisa Maffia

Lisa Maffia, who calls herself the leading figure among Britain’s grime artists, moved past the newspaper scandals tied to So Solid Crew and emerged as the act’s sole member to achieve the greatest solo success. Born south of London in 1979, she spent her childhood on a Battersea estate alongside her sister and Italian mother. From a young age she studied performance through Latino ballroom, tap and contemporary dance classes, later obtaining a Prince’s Trust grant that covered her vocal tuition. Pregnancy with daughter Chelsea at seventeen interrupted those plans, placing her musical ambitions on pause. Two years afterward she cut her first tracks as the sole woman in the hip-hop production outfit So Solid Crew. Following their contract with Relentless Records, the group issued the Maffia-led debut single “Oh No” and then reached number one with “21 Seconds.” Widely regarded as one of the decade’s most polarizing acts because of connections to violent crime, the collective disbanded in 2003 after four Top Five singles and a number-three album. That same year Maffia inked a solo agreement with Independiente Records; her first release, “All Over,” entered the chart at number two, outpacing every subsequent solo effort by her ex-colleagues. Follow-up “In Love” peaked at number thirteen, yet neither the debut album First Lady nor the third single “Women of the World” reached the Top 40 despite arena support dates alongside Christina Aguilera, Blue and Daniel Bedingfield plus a MOBO Award for Best U.K. Garage Act. After leaving Independiente she launched her own imprint, Maffia Recordz, and added Northstar Ent, Flirta D and Youngstarz to its roster. Her return to the charts arrived in 2007 via guest vocals on Dave Spoon’s dance single “Bad Girl at Night,” which climbed to number 36. Beyond music she has worked as a model and television personality, placing third in the third series of Channel 4’s The Games and portraying an air stewardess on ITV’s CelebAir.