Introducing Sadie Ama

Sadie & Terror, originally uploaded by chantelle.

Yes, she's the one on the right I mean left...

Mercedes Hall, better known under her Sadie Ama moniker and as sister of vocalist Shola, may only be 17 but record labels are already hunting her down. With only a few tracks doing the rounds, is it just hype? It would appear not. UD got the lowdown from the first lady of R&G - and that's Rhythm & Grime if you didn't yet know...

The first thing I saw you in was a So Solid video, was that the first thing you did?
I've been modelling since I was four so I've travelled to countries like Portugal and stuff doing magazine bits. The first video I was in was a Spice Girls video, Mama. That was a long time ago! I was pretending to be Mel B when she was younger.

Have you always sang?
No. When I was younger I thought I want to be a singer but it wasn't always on my mind and then as I got older I met up with Terror Danjah and he gave me this track but it took me a year... I called my sister and said I really want to do this and Terror and Shola wrote So Sure. It was quite mad the response that we got from it, I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting to record it and that was it but obviously it got a good response.

Are you learning to write?
Shola's teaching me, well we're co-writing my album. Everything should be ready for summer. We've had interest from labels already but I don't think it's the right time yet. I've just been signed up for the Arts Council and have funding so I can develop myself a bit more. There's a lot of opportunities here for me. I've only done stuff with Terror so far but I'm going to be working with DaVinChe, Wonder, and other producers from outside of the scene.

Is there pressure because of Shola?
Not really because my sister's thing is very different as in our careers. We've got different voices, completely different. She's very supportive, because she's been there I have to learn from her mistakes and she helps me a lot. We haven't recorded together yet but there's a track waiting for us to do.

What tracks are there other than So Sure?
The One with Wiley but that's not finished, Can't Let Go, Right Now but most of it is demo or towards the album. I've not laid down a lot to be honest as I was in hospital for a month, I have my appendix taken out but they didn't know what was wrong with me for two weeks and they moved me to another hospital. I was in Park Royal first then went to St Mary's where they worked it out the same day! It was getting really bad I was lucky. I lost alot of weight so I went on holiday to Jamaica for a month to recover. I'm just back and thinking I really want and need to do this singing thing. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it before. I've put my mind to it.

What put you off singing?
It was because I've seen what my sisters gone through and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through all of that. Also the response off the back of So Sure was so sudden, record labels phoning, it was a bit too much and I didn't understand what was going on. I just thought I don't want to sing anymore.

So R&G?
I really like it. When I first heard it I didn't know what it stood for but Rhythm & Grime is it. I don't mind being called the first lady of R&G, I actually like that. I think Terror came up with it (the name).

Who've been your inspirations?
Aaliyah, I really, really like her, obviously and not just saying it because she's my sister but Shola because these days there's not that much good UK talent out there that can really sing. She has really, really got a good voice and she's had her ups and her downs.

It's hard for UK singers, especially black females...
Exactly. It's like we can only get so far, I don't understand why we don't support ourselves. The UK just supports America and it really bothers me. Most people are only interested in Americans.

Do you get on with other singers in the scene?
Yeah I think Katie Pearls really good, I really like her stuff I'd like to do something with her. I think my sister asked her to do some writing with me on one of my tracks.
Katie Pearl is one of the best, there's so many people trying to do this thing nowadays.

Anything we should be looking out for?
Some people want So Sure but it's two years since I recorded it. It was signed to Relentless but there were a lot of complications. And that's going back to what I was saying with all these meetings happening too soon. I got scared. I'm not now though.

Hear Sadie Ama on the Aftershock Mixtape out now. www.ukrecordshop.com are distributing this worldwide.

A version of this article appeared in B&S 2005.