30 May 2012
Introducing
Introducing | Dreama
Dreama is a London native, who has been writing from a very early age, but only recently has rapping come into her repertoire. Her own brand of hip-hop is a joy to listen to: it’s funny, cheeky, relatable, and most importantly of all, it’s great. She’s currently unsigned and working independently, and her work ethic has clearly paid off, as she’s already been featured on BBC 6Music and Ruth Barnes’ show on Amazing Radio, as well as several blogs in the UK and overseas.
Her positivity and unapologetic nature come to the foreground in her music and her blog, and they also do when actually speaking to her. the girls are caught up with Dreama recently for a chat and to find out what influences her fantastic and fun woman-positive style of hip-hop.
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Dreama, what have you been up to recently?
Most recently, on 30 April, I released a 4 track EP on my website, which you can stream for free, and buy it on there too. I’ve also been performing around London, doing a few gigs here and there. Back in March, I got invited to Sweden to headline a charity event for Children in Somalia, which was quite cool! The gig was awesome – I wasn’t sure how much the audience would know about the genre, but they knew a lot, they seemed to really love the music! I’ve been performing this year more than last year, but it still feels fairly new to me.
You’ve been writing poetry from a very young age, but what made you make the leap from just writing lyrics to actually performing them?
I’ve always loved music, and I listened to hip-hop a lot growing up, and I still do now. I’ve always believed it’s just poetry with a beat. I knew all the lyrics to my favourite songs, and I used to print them off and read them! It didn’t take me much to know I wanted to take it further.
How would you rate the British hip-hop scene at the moment?
It’s booming here! It’s a lot more underground though, a lot of the scene isn’t as well known about as a lot of the guys who are mainstream at the moment. There are a lot of female MCs, if you go looking for them!
Is it harder to be successful in the hip-hop scene if you’re a woman?
Yeah, 100% it is! It isn’t in my mind, I don’t really look at it that way. People generally like the music, which is always good, but how you’re perceived in a male dominated genre by the men can be frustrating. My peers are more men than women, so whenever I perform, I wouldn’t say they underestimate me as such, but it definitely feels like a boy’s club.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RibCybajwWg&w=480]
On the blog on your website, and in your music, you write about Britain a lot. Do you think there’s a British influence to your music?
Totally! It’s one of the main driving factors to my music. I feel like I’m uber patriotic. The music I play generally isn’t as accepted in Britain as it is in America where it was birthed. I’m influenced by everything around me, so I’m not really emulating what the Americans do with hip-hop, but I bring our own British flavour to it. I’m not sure whether it’s subconscious or whether I intend to do it, but all the Britishness comes out in the music, I hope!
Are there any other talented women MCs that you recommend our readers check out?
I hate naming names, because I always end up leaving people out! I don’t want to name anyone in particular, because everyone has their own tastes, but you can find loads of MCs from the UK online – you can find us everywhere!
Is there a musician that you’d love to collaborate with?
That’s a huge question, Adele is one of my favourite artists, but I don’t know how a collaboration with her would sound! It’s a difficult question to answer, as I have a really eclectic taste.
What are your plans for the rest of this year? What can we look forward to seeing from you?
I try to take each day as it comes. I’ll definitely be putting out more music, and performing more, so it’ll be an ongoing process.
How would you describe your music in five words?
Innovative, creative, cheeky, fun, and…dreamy!
You can visit Dreama’s website where you can download her music for free, and keep up to date with any upcoming gigs.
Caitlin Gwynn
wow! love this blog for introducing me to new female talent. Love Dreama’s flow and delivery. Straight onto itunes to download the ep.