Lisa Maffia walks into the studio for her exclusive Flavour Magazine cover shoot with a bounce in her step and a big smile on her face clearly happy and basking in the knowledge that she created a major label bidding war for her latest funky house single Bad Girl at Night.
The 28-year-old former first lady of So Solid now has a single deal with Universal and is gearing up to release her as yet unnamed sophomore album. The petit star exclusively reveals to Annika Allen secrets about the So Solid Crew, her boob job and the night she was ‘found in bed with a killer’.
Looking stunning in a little black dress, with each sultry pose to the camera it’s hard for you to not notice that Lisa’s fantastic boobs stand out on her tiny size 6 frame. “They’re natural baby,’ she states through a fit of laughter as she begins to dish the truth. “I had a baby and my boobs started swinging low. I was thirteen-and-a-half stone when I had Chelsea and I was really huge and my boobs were an F. When I lost weight I wanted them to be the same size again so I had them done. I don’t believe in plastic surgery just for vanity but I think that if you’ve got a problem and you can fix it then you should.”
With or without the boobs the half Italian and black singer has always been a stunner which is why she was always going to be one of the most successful exports out of the notorious garage group So Solid. After winning a Mobo Award for her debut album First Lady the future was looking bright for Lisa which is why she was shocked when her record label Independiente didn’t want to continue with her deal. “I was surprised because my sales were great and I thought I was doing really well,” she says quietly. “They felt that they had taken me as far as I could go and they didn’t know what to do with me next but in the end I was happy because I realized that I had the independence to do my own thing,” which is exactly what she has been doing.
Life after So Solid
Although recently Lisa may not have been in the limelight for music, the starlet has been keeping herself busy. In 2005 she came second in Channel 4’s sporting reality competition The Games. She has also dabbled in modelling and acting and is currently working on a sexy 2008 calendar. “I also opened my own record label Maffia Recordz,’ she chirps. “I signed a group called North Star and I also signed Flirta D and Romeo. I’ve been in the studio working on my next album and I’ve also been really lucky as I have been performing and packing out shows ever since my last album. Me and Romeo tour every year in Magaluf, Aiya Napa, Ibiza and Northern Cyprus. We do a mini concert performing about 8 tracks and we’ve performed in front of up to 3000 people who are all there to see us. If I wasn’t doing those shows I’d be flat arse broke,” she says.
With a 10-year-old daughter to support, being broke was never an option for Lisa but she’s happy that she’s had more time post-So Solid Crew to spend with her daughter Chelsea. “The only thing I think about now is as things start to get busier again I’ll have less time to spend with her, but I have a great mum, sister and family who really help me.”
The singer has also brought a house in Kent where her star status isn’t as widely known. In the past her daughter was teased at school because of who her mother is. That’s why Lisa feels: “It’s good to have a space where me and Chelsea can be us and do normal things like going for a picnic in the local park and having that freedom of no one saying ‘hi Lisa’. I like the peace and quiet and I like having my own space for Chelsea’s sake.”
The Future
Despite the tranquil surroundings of where she lives, Lisa is looking forward to getting back into the mix of things as she’s currently featuring on Dave Spoon’s funky house track Bad Girl at Night. “It’s been filling dancefloors for months and when Pete Tong played it live from Miami on Radio 1 every single label got in touch.” Some commentators have even said that this is Lisa’s best song to date but this infectious electronic track isn’t the route that Lisa’s going. She is currently working with producers in Sweden at Merlin Studio’s who are known to record with Kylie Minogue and Christian Milian. She says: “My album will be a mix of things. I plan to stay true to myself.”
She also takes the same attitude when it comes to friends as well as stating: “I make up my own mind about people. I don’t listen to anybody else.” She took this stance when police stormed into her friend’s house and arrested him when she was there for a shooting that took place at a Clerkenwell nightclub. “It was stupid because he just went to the nightclub like everybody else. He got arrested and I got questioned and all charges were dropped against him.” She’s also firmly states: “I wasn’t in bed with him!”
She also doesn’t hold any punches when talking about ex-So Solid Crew member, MC Harvey’s affair with Popstars: The Rivals looser Javine. “It’s outrageous. He’s my brother and I love him to death and I’m trying not to judge his actions, but at the same time no woman and definitely not Aleesha deserves it. I told him off a few times about it. He’s like ‘I’m sorry’ and I’m like ‘you’re not suppose to be saying sorry to me mate’. I know another side of Harvey and he is a lovely guy and I’m sure his intentions weren’t to hurt anybody. So I’ve forgiven him.” According to the gossip mags Javine is pregnant with Harvey’s child, but Lisa says: “You’ll have to ask him anything else you want to know because I don’t know.”
Time will tell if that information is fact or fiction but what is reality is that Lisa Maffia will be around for a long time coming.
Lisa on what So Solid Crew members are up to now:
Mega is the leader and I think he has told everyone he wants So Solid Crew back together and he’s working on his own album and So Solid album. Mega always has a plan and it’s always a secret but it usually works out. He has been acquitted of the murder charges and he’s putting that behind him and moving on. It was a shock to everyone for him to be pulled in for something so serious, so I think that the first thing on his mind is to get rid of that tarnish on his name because that’s really not him.
Asher D has been really successful in film and you can now see him in Hustle on The BBC. I’m really proud of him.
Swiss has been successful in the underground industry and has brought out a mix CD called Pain n Musiq and he released Cry which was a massive song as everybody loved it and we’ll continue to see more stuff from him.
AC Burrell is one of the producers who made In Love, flew to LA and never came back. I think he pops back to do albums once in a while but he’s having a lot of success as a producer in the States.
The Cypriot guy Trigger came over here the other day and he has now gotten married and has a beautiful son. He’s still rapping and you couldn’t understand him back in the day but now when he was rapping in English he’s perfect now. I think he’s gonna get his chance to shine in the future as well.
M.A.C is rejoining So Solid as they’re making a comeback but I’m not sure what he’s been doing in the time they’ve been apart.
Face has a group called Black Piranhas and they’ve shot a couple of videos.
Oxide and Neutrino’s new album 2nd Chance is out now.
G-Man has his own clothing range called Be True and he’s doing really well with that and he also owns Sign 2 the Block Mixtape label which is fantastic for the mixtape scene.
North Star has another mixtape coming out and their album later this year. We went to Norway and splashed out on their last music video.
Harvey has been really successful in theatre and is touring the world at the moment in Daddy Cool.
Dave Spoon ft Lisa Maffia
Bad Girl at Night
Out now
Words by Annika Allen
