GLAM Chat : Patty Monroe

Up and coming female rapper Patty Monroe recently released her new single “Stay Focused” which is a follow up to the her smash hits “Looking Fresh” and “High Fashion”. We caught up with the Capetonian beauty to chat about her experiences so far in the music industry and she tells us about her gorgeous blonde curly mane.

GLAMOUR: Your video for your song ‘High Fashion’ is very colourful and playful with your gorgeous hair bouncing all over the place, how do you take care of your hair? Afro’s have been said to be very high maintenance.

Patty: Thank you I’m glad you like the video. Noooooo, its not high maintenance at all! With my hair it’s the complete opposite, doing anything else with my hair takes lots of time, a nice deep moisturizSer once in a while, and me and the curls are good.

GLAMOUR: Besides listening to and being inspired by the likes of Mos Def, Da Brat, MC Lyte and The Roots, are there any local hip hop artists that inspire you and that you listen to?

Just a few months ago I would of struggled with this question, but since moving to Jo’Burg I have been exposed to so much more. Listening and getting to see live, I’m very inspired by People like Khuli Chana, AKA, Youngsta, Anatii, Gigi Lamayne, and Busiswa, Aewon Wolf, Blayze, Riky Rick, OkMalumeKoolKat, in fact the whole Boyznbucks movement.

GLAMOUR: Megan Steenkamp is your birth name, how did you choose your stage name to be Patty Monroe?

I feel like both names where given to me; Megan Steenkamp by my parents and Patty was my nickname in school. Patty was always that crazy girl thats always laughing and would be running around having fun at school . For some reason the name Patty stuck and a while later friends started noticing my fascination with everything vintage and old school and Classic and so they added the Monroe and here she is today.

GLAMOUR

It’s been quite a ratanga junction of a few months, but pressure from my peers is not the problem. It’s the pressure of performing to so many people. I feel blessed to perform on stages with amazing artists with such vast experience. In fact if anything watching them perform relieves the pressure some what, I just observe and learn and then jump up there and try and be the best me I can be. The pressure is in my head, when I get on stage I want to show perfection and I want everyone there to have as much fun as I have performing.

GLAMOUR: What are some of the difficulties that young female emcee’s like yourself face in this male dominated industry?

The biggest difficulty is having to answer this question, like feeling that we have already been sidelined because we are female. Female emcee’s just sounds like it’s niche, we don’t wanna be niche, we want to be mainstream, our difficulties are the same as any other artist, to be taken seriously and to get our voices heard.

GLAMOUR: How was working with internationally acclaimed house Dj Culoe De Song when he produced your song ‘High Fashion’?

Oh my word, it just felt so natural working with him. High Fashion was exactly what I had been looking for, something out the box, with a sprinkle of energy, a dash of youthfulness, coated by a driving force of dance and he blended it all in with my words and voice. It took a while for it to soak in that it was even me, like this was MY song, It was an absolutely amazing experience

GLAMOUR: Would you say you’re more of a girly girl, a tomboy or a mix of both?How would you describe your personal style?

My personal style is like me lol, very young and still finding itself. I’m definitely a mix of both, I’m the girl that wants to kick a ball in the road with a few peeps and I’m also the girl that spends hours in front of the mirror playing dress up, putting on a nice pair of heels and going out to dance. The me that I like the most is the barefoot on the beach in my bather me, man do I miss the beach…

GLAMOUR: You’re turning 21 next year, are you excited for adulthood and all the responsibilities that come with it?

Responsibilities… Oh boy… 21 means I’m a big girl, I’m ready for it, but I’m going to enjoy this last year of being a kid, actually I’m not sure it will my last, I’m just going to be a 21 year old kid, every year forever and ever.

GLAMOUR: Where do you see Patty Monroe in the next 5 years?

Lol turning 21 again, but with at least two albums under her belt and going to get another passport because this one was full of stamps from all the places she has been to see and perform in. In Five years time I want to hear my name mentioned when new artists are asked who inspires them, yeah that would be lekker…

GLAMOUR: Social Media is a great tool to communicate with your fan base as an artist, you asked your fans on twitter to assist you with ideas for the concept of your high fashion video. How important is communication between an artist and their fanbase?

I did, it was very fun, and also cool to see that everyone immediately said bright colors, it shows that they saw the same visuals as my team, so yeah It’s very important… Wait is there an ask the audience option here, can I put this question on Twitter and ask them what they think lol