Music
Where does the name Mz Bratt come from?
"When I was younger I was quite mischievous and I used to get my sister into lots of trouble. She would always call me a brat and the name just stuck. Then, as I got older, I thought about the relevance of the name to me and I came up with Be Real And Teach The Truth: B.R.A.T.T."
Can you still be a bit of a brat though?
"Yeah, really bad! I'm always playing tricks on people. When I was at MTV Base the other day me and Master Shortie had to get our toes out and put them into little paddling pools. I hid his socks and he couldn't find them for ages afterwards!"
What's the story behind 'Who Do You Think You Are'?
"It actually happens! When guys try to approach me after a show, they can be really raw about it. I've actually had a guy pull my hair to get my attention, so I thought I'd take the mick out of it in a song. But on a serious note, the way some guys try and approach girls is just incorrect. I don't mean to be stuck up, but I think it's really rude when a guy who doesn't know you keeps touching you."
Are your other songs as cheeky as 'Who Do You Think You Are'?
"A lot of my songs have a cheeky approach to them, but I wouldn't say they're as feisty as 'Who Do You Think You Are?' I do have a few man-bashing songs, but not in a violent-towards-men way! I love guys, but I don't like guys who don't know how to respect themselves and other people."
How's work going on your album?
"Oh gosh, I'm really stressing out about it! We've recorded loads of tracks but I'm a perfectionist so I'm not completely happy with what we've got at the moment. I suppose we're about halfway there, but creatively there's still a way to go I think."
You've just supported N-Dubz on tour. How did it go?
"Great, but the other day it was just so embarrassing! I was in the VIP bit watching their show, and I didn't think they could see me, but all of a sudden I heard them calling 'Mz Bratt come to the stage'. So I got up onstage and everyone was looking at me and Dappy was like 'I want you to chuck out my towel'. He started rubbing all his sweat on it so I was like 'Eww gross!' because it was. But then I chucked it out into the crowd and all these kids started going crazy! Oh gosh, it was so embarrassing."
Have N-Dubz given you any advice?
"Not really, but Dappy keeps saying to me 'Man, you're going to blow' and it's giving me a big head. I'd love to do something with them actually. Fazer makes all their beats and stuff so it would be really cool to see what he's got."
Several of your fellow grime artists - Tinchy Stryder, Ironik, Chipmunk - have broken through this year. Why do you think that is?
"I think as artists we've matured musically and we see the bigger picture now. As we've matured our music's become more appealing to a wider audience. Before we were talking about very dark, negative topics and I don't think the wider audience want to hear that. They want something they can dance to and that's what we're giving them now. I love Tinchy Stryder's track with Amelle by the way - I think all the ladies are gonna love it. It's definitely a number one."
Is your aim to become a big popstar like Tinchy?
"Right now I'm taking it in stages. This first single is to get my name bubbling a bit and hopefully my second single will establish me a bit more. If you look at Tinchy, Ironik and Chipmunk, they've all had about five singles out already, so obviously I'm playing catch up. But eventually I'd love to be an influential artist to loads of young people."
You appeared on T4 reality show Musicool in 2007. Do you have fond memories?
"Yeah, I get really upset actually because I miss everyone. Kids my age don't normally get to do things like that so it was a real life experience. It was really intense because we weren't allowed to leave the Musicool house unless like we had a trip out planned. We weren't allowed mobile phones or the internet either."
How long was that for?
"Three months... but we managed to sneak out a few times! It was really fun though and I'd definitely do it again."
The story goes that one week on Musicool you made Jamelia cry...
"Haha yes! One week we had a task where we all had to sing duets. I'm not a singer so I was really uncomfortable about it and I got really upset. In the end I just did it and Jamelia, who was the judge that week, started crying a bit. She said she was really touched by the progress I'd made from just being an MC to actually singing. I sing on quite a few of my tracks now - it's really helped my confidence."
'Who Do You Think You Are?' is out now.
