Melesha Katrina O'Garro (born 15 December 1987), known professionally as Lady Leshurr (), is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and producer. She is known for her ''Queen's Speech'' series of freestyles, the fourth of which became popular in 2016. Her subsequent freestyle, ''Queen's Speech 5'', was called "brilliant" and "2015's crowning freestyle" by ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

''. In 2021, she entered the Channel 4 series ''

The Celebrity Circle ''The Celebrity Circle'' for Stand Up to Cancer, a spin-off of '' The Circle'', began on 9 March 2021 on Channel 4, and concluded following six episodes on 15 March. The series was confirmed in June 2020, and was filmed during Autumn 2020 in its ...

'' for

Stand Up to Cancer Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) is a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). SU2C aims to raise significant funds for translational cancer research through online and televised efforts. Central to the program is a telethon tha ...

, catfishing as

Big Narstie Tyrone Mark Lindo (born 16 November 1985), known by his stage name Big Narstie, is a British MC, author, rapper, singer, songwriter, comedian and television presenter. He started his career in 2002 as a member of grime crew "N Double A," though ...

, and won. She also competed in the thirteenth series of ''

Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their profe ...

'', where she reached the semi-final.

Early life

Melesha Katrina O'Garro was born on 15 December 1987 to

Kittitian Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

parents. She became interested in poetry and writing at age six, but decided that writing music would bring her to a wider audience. She released her first

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

at age fourteen. In her words:

Career

Leshurr played one of the lead female roles in Vertigo Films' 2009 film '' 1 Day''. In 2010 Leshurr's first television music video appearance came in the music video Game Over Female Takeover''', featuring

Amplify Dot Ashley Charles (born 9 April 1988), also known as Amplify Dot, A.Dot or Dotty, is an English rapper, DJ, and radio and television presenter. She is best known for presenting on BBC Radio 1Xtra from 2014 to 2020 and co-presenting the BBC One sho ...

Mz Bratt Cleopatra Humphrey (born 4 November 1988) formerly known by her stage name Mz. Bratt and currently known as Cleo., is an English rapper and neo-soul grime musician. History Humphrey was born in Bow, London. Later, she moved to Hainault and st ...

, Ruff Diamondz and others. The music video was directed by Nick Donnelly and produced by

Carla Marie Williams Carla Marie Williams is a British songwriter and singer. Notable songs she has written or co-written include Beyoncé's "Freedom", Naughty Boy's " Runnin'" and Britney Spears's " Private Show". In 2016, Williams was nominated for two Grammy Aw ...

. Leshurr won second place in the Best Female category of the Official Mixtape Awards 2011. To complement the music releases, she has designed a range of merchandise, the "Friggin L" clothing line named after her 2011 mixtape ''Friggin L''. In 2016, she won the

MOBO Award The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Af ...

, celebrating excellence in black music, for Best Female Act. In 2019, she won the award for "Best Rap / Grime Act" and in 2020 she won "Best Solo Female" at the Birmingham Music Award

In 2019, Leshurr performed at The Nicki Wrld Tour in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

as a special guest for rapper

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

. She was awarded the

British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...

(BEM) in the

2020 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

for services to music and charity. In 2020, she appeared in a commercial advertising for beauty brand

Olay Olay, previously Oil of Olay, Oil of Olaz, Oil of Ulan or Oil of Ulay, is an American skin care brand owned by Procter & Gamble. For the 2009 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, Olay accounted for an estimated $2.8 billion of P&G's revenue. Ear ...

and became the first Black British woman to lead a campaign for the compan

In late 2020, it was announced that Lady Leshurr would be joining the line-up at

BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...

with her own Saturday afternoon radio show. In 2021, she appeared as a contestant on the thirteenth series of ''

'', partnered with

Brendyn Hatfield Professional skaters from the British television show ''Dancing on Ice'' are figure skaters who appear with celebrities in front of a panel of judges. Most of the professionals on the series are former ice dancers or pair skaters. Competit ...

. After surviving three skate-offs during the competition, Leshurr was eliminated in the semi-final, leaving her in fourth place. She also won ''

'' for

. In 2021, Leshurr announced a partnership wit
Kamo Premium Vodka
through which she became a co-owner. In April and August 2022, Leshurr appeared as a guest panellist on the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

show

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...

Influences

Leshurr has named Ashley Walters,

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

Ms. Dynamite Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley (born 26 April 1981), better known as Ms. Dynamite, is a British singer and rapper. She is the recipient of the Mercury Music Prize, two Brit Awards and three MOBO Awards. Early years She was born Niomi Arleen Mc ...

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

as her primary influences. Nia Kay, a competitor on ''

The Rap Game ''The Rap Game'' is an American reality television series. The series premiered on January 1, 2016, on Lifetime. The winners of seasons 1-5 respectively, were Miss Mulatto, Mani, Nova, Street Bud and Tyeler Reign. Other notable contestants that ...

'' season 2, stated that Leshurr was one of her influences due to her uniqueness and rap skill.

Personal life

Leshurr came out as

pansexual , meaning "all" , definition = Sexual or romantic attraction to people regardless of gender , classification = Sexual identity , parent = Bisexuality , synonyms = , associated_terms = Polysexual, queer, heterofl ...

in September 2018. In late 2019 Leshurr took time out from her music career following the death of her sister from breast cancer. On 22 October 2022, Leshurr and Sherelle Smith allegedly assaulted Leshurr's ex-girlfriend and the woman's new girlfriend. She was charged with two counts of

assault occasioning actual bodily harm Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (often abbreviated to Assault OABH, AOABH or simply ABH) is a statutory offence of aggravated assault in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Hong Kong and t ...

, and Smith was charged with one count of the same offence. Both women pleaded not guilty to their charges and were bailed.

Discography

Mixtapes

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

Filmography

Film

* '' 1 Day'' (2009) – Shakia * ''Lapse of Honour'' (2015) – Eve * '' The Intent 2: The Come Up (2018) – ''Cameo Role'' * ''On the Other Foot'' (2021) – Therese

Television

* ''Later...With

Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland, (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Jayne County, Sting, Eric C ...

'' (2018) – Musical guest * ''

Sunday Brunch ''Sunday Brunch'' is a British television programme presented by Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer. It is broadcast live on Channel 4 on Sunday mornings and features cookery and interviews with celebrity guests. Format The programme began on 25 Ma ...

'' (2018) – Musical guest * ''Don't Hate the Playaz'' (2018–) – Team captain * ''

The X Factor UK ''The X Factor'' is a British reality television music competition, created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's Thames and Cowell's production company Syco Entertainment for ITV, as well as simulcas ...

'' (2018) – Musical guest * ''Happy Hour with

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom, ...

'' (2018) – Musical guest *

The Big Narstie Show ''The Big Narstie Show'' is a British chat show, presented by rapper Big Narstie and comedian Mo Gilligan, that debuted on Channel 4 on 29 June 2018. Big Narstie is a rapper from the grime scene and has been cited as one of the original purveyor ...

(2018) - Guest * '' I'm A Celebrity: Extra Camp'' (2018) – Guest panelist * ''The Rap Game UK'' (2019) – Special guest judge * ''CelebAbility'' (2019) – Contestant * ''Even Later...with

& Lady Leshurr'' (2019) – Special guest co-host * ''

Celebrity MasterChef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 20 ...

'' (2020) – Contestant *''Ghost Bus Tours'' (2020) – Participant * ''Shopping with

Keith Lemon Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

'' (2020) – Guest *

I'm A Celebrity ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' is a British reality TV series in which a number of celebrities live together in a jungle environment for a number of weeks, competing to be crowned "King" or "Queen of the Jungle". The show was o ...

: The Daily Drop (2020) – Guest Panelist *

Steph's Packed Lunch ''Steph's Packed Lunch'' (formerly aired as ''The Steph Show'') is a daytime television programme in the UK that is broadcast on Channel 4 each weekday afternoon. The show is presented by English journalist and broadcaster Steph McGovern. The s ...

(2020) –Guest Co-host * ''

'' (2021) – Contestant – Semi- Finalist * ''

'' (2021) – Contestant – Winner * ''

CelebAbility ''CelebAbility'' is a British game show. It began airing on 15 June 2017 on ITV2 and is presented by Iain Stirling. Format ''CelebAbility'' features two teams, one consisting of celebrities and the other, a group of challengers which feature ...

'' (2021) – Contestant * '' Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel'' (2021) – Contestant * '' The Hit List'' (2021) – Contestant * ''

Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...

'' (2021) – Contestant *I Like The Way U Move (2021) – Guest judge *Rock of All Ages (2021) – Mentor – TBA * '' Taskmaster New Year Treat II'' (2022) – Contestant * '' Would I Lie to You?'' (2022) - Contestant * ''Rock Till We Drop'' (2022) - Presenter *

(2022) - Guest Panellist (4 episodes)

References

External links

*
''Lady Leshurr''
(BBC Radio 1Xtra) {{DEFAULTSORT:Leshurr 1987 births Black British women rappers 21st-century Black British women singers British hip hop singers English people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent Grime music artists Living people LGBT musicians from England LGBT rappers LGBT singers from the United Kingdom Recipients of the British Empire Medal Pansexual musicians LGBT Black British people