Rapper
“THE MORE COMFORTABLE YOU ARE WITH YOURSELF AND YOUR THOUGHTS, THE FASTER YOU’LL KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO IN LIFE”
photo: Floriane Vanden Abeele
Hi Ysme, How have you been?
Great, thank you ! It’s summer and even though I love this season for the relaxation-vibes it brings, I’m always working on music. I’ve been on a non-stop writing streak these past weeks, I can’t stop. When inspiration hits like that, I need to catch it and surf on it like on a wave until it ebbs away again.
How did you get started?
It all started when I was seven and announced to my parents that I wanted to do theatre. I’ve been singing (shouting) and rapping in my bedroom for as long as I can remember, but I chose to study theatre and did that for a long long time. During that period, I just sang and produced a bit on the side, for myself. When I got my masters degree and started acting professionally, I thought: well OK, that’s done and on a roll. I have to make music now.
Was it a conscious decision to do it in Dutch or does it just come naturally to you?
I initially started in English. You can find some early songs if you dig around. But I realized pretty quickly that rapping in Flemish would allow me to be much more vulnerable, play around with words and expressions more, and also: it just sounds good. It’s a great language for rapping, very percussive and clean vowels.
What’s your creative process like when making new music?
That really depends. I’m a woman that always has several texts and lyrics sitting in my phone, but that doesn’t mean that I will use them.
Most times, I start creating from scratch with my friend and composer RD beat. We will build the production and lyrics simultaneously. Other times, I’ll come to the studio with a super specific theme or idea, and we start straight from a written vocal topline. I try not to limit myself to a certain way of doing it. I follow my gut.
What's a song of yours that feels completely different live than on record?
Wow, every single one I would say. Because I am also a theatre actress, I really like to put a twist on my performances. I love it when people do that, and in the end, that’s why you go to see your favorite artist perform live, right? You don’t want a copy of the studio version, you want an experience.
You’re from Brussels, can you give us some recommendations for a good coffee spot?
Hahaaaa I’m obsessed. Listen the best coffee is the one I drink at 7 am in my kitchen, an organic blend in my french press. But you can have great coffee under the morning sun at Winok in Schaarbeek, Melkafé near Georges Henri, or of course Chicago Café in Vlaamsesteenweg. (These are just a few!)
We will have to come by for a coffee then haha! Random: what’s your most used emoji?
The hand with the nails. It’s so bratty, I love it. Also been using the little wave one quite a lot.
What’s still on your bucket list as an artist?
I like to keep things quiet. I have a lot of goals but I prefer moving in silence and see what happens when it does. You’ll have to wait and see.
photo: Floriane Vanden Abeele
Understandable! Hip hop is still a pretty male-dominated world, what advice would you give to other women who want to build a career in it?
I used to be very focused on this; that everything was harder as a woman in rap. This, and a high intolerance for misogyny in rap texts. I was kind of fueled by frustration in the beginning to be honest.
Now I am much more relaxed and nuanced.
Those things might objectively still be true, but I chose to not focus on them anymore and redirect my attention. Instead, I celebrate all of my wins - big or small, and I look for friends and community within the Belgian hip hop scene. There’s a lot of cool male rappers that are rooting for the girls. And us women, we got a LOT to say. It’s only up from here babe !
Tell us something to inspire the culture!
Spend time alone. The more comfortable you are with yourself and your thoughts, the faster you’ll know where you want to go in life. I am addicted to my quiet time, it is a priority for me.
Life can change so quickly. Your vision is needed. No dream is too big, let’s go.
