Lady Leshurr today unveiled her new song Astronaut, taken from the upcoming EP of the same name. The track sees the Midlands rapper in typically defiant form, pronouncing: “I’m the Queen of flows yeah mad melodies/ Say a prayer for the pagans and enemies.”
The release of Astronaut caps off an impressive birthday week for Leshurr, who has today been announced as a new host on BBC Radio 1Xtra. The MOBO award-winning songwriter reacted with delight to the news, citing her longstanding connection to the medium. She tweeted: “None of you guys know how crazy this is to me. I remember I quit my job just to spit bars on DJ Cameos show about 14 years ago cus I couldn’t get work off. Now I have my own show.@1xtrahave supported me from EARLY this is an honour for real.”
A huge welcome to @LadyLeshurr who joins the 1Xtra family. Tune in Saturday afternoons 1-4pm pic.twitter.com/YBLhUpaWXR
— BBC Radio 1Xtra (@1Xtra) December 17, 2020
2020 has been quite a year for the multi-talented Leshurr, who was awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to music and charity. In June the Solihull-born grime star released a short lockdown-inspired EP (Quaranqueen); spawning two singles in Quarantine Speech and Quaranting; the latter featuring Jamaican reggae-dancehall artist Busy Signal.
She followed this up in August with the fourth instalment in her autobiographical Unleshed series, which first kicked off back in 2016. Unleshed 4 saw Leshurr adopt a distinctly raw and solemn tone as she reflected on the tragic death of her sister Carmen (“Miss my sis and her silliest ways/Broke down crying when I seen her in pain…My mom lost her mom and her daughter within 5 months/ Please Lord no no more cus I can’t take it”). Shortly afterwards the freestyle specialist also joined Yates for a collaboration on Up In Smoke, a new track from controversial Birmingham act Remtrex’s latest album Bars From The Pen.
In addition to promoting the new EP, Leshurr will begin 2021 by donning her ice skates. The rapper – who is no stranger to small screen audiences following her appearances on Celebrity Masterchef and Ghost Bus Tours this year – will now compete in ITV’s traditional New Year showcase Dancing On Ice. Leshurr, who is partnered with American professional Brendyn Hatfield, will hope to see off eleven other celebrity challengers (including Aussie cult hero Jason Donovan and Hear’Say’s Myleene Klass) to become the show’s thirteenth champion.
Leshurr – real name Melesha Katrina O’Garro – will also play a leading role in the nationwide advertising campaign for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Speaking to The Voice Online about her role in the official publicity drive, she said “Obviously, Brum is always gonna be in my blood, in my veins. I scream it everywhere I go, no matter where I am in the world. I always do a song and say I’m from Birmingham. I think we’re fearless, we stand down to no one, we create our own opportunities. I want people to remember us for being light-hearted, always having a good time, but just know that we’re serious when it comes to the talent.”
Leshurr added: “I don’t think I’d be the same person if I wasn’t from Birmingham. The sense of humour, the personality and the banter is next scale. I can always tell from someone’s energy if they have been brought up in Birmingham. I think we just bring so much to the table.”
