Lady Leshurr BEM
Lady Leshurr performing at Field Day 2017
Background information
Birth name	Melesha Katrina O'Garro[1]
Born	(1987-12-15) 15 December 1987 (age 36)
Origin	Kingshurst, Solihull, England[2]
Genres	Hip hop grime dancehall
Occupation(s)	Rapper singer songwriter record producer
Years active	2009–present
Labels	RCA Sony Unleshed Records

Melesha Katrina O'Garro BEM (born 15 December 1987), known professionally as Lady Leshurr (/ˈliːʃə/),^[3] is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and producer.^[4] She is known for her Queen's Speech series of freestyles,^[5] 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.^[6] In 2021, she entered the Channel 4 series The Celebrity Circle for Stand Up to Cancer, catfishing as Big Narstie, and won. She also competed in the thirteenth series of Dancing on Ice, where she reached the semi-final.

Early life

Melesha Katrina O'Garro was born on 15 December 1987^[7][8] to Kittitian parents.^[9][2] She became interested in poetry and writing at the age of six,^[10] but decided that writing music would bring her to a wider audience.^[9] She released her first mixtape at the age of fourteen.^[11] In her words:

I grew up around music. My mum used to play a lot of reggae like Sister Nancy and Bob Marley around the house so basically, when I was around six, I was messing about and doing my own little raps and songs. My family are all rappers and singers anyway so I was always involved in it from a young age.

— Lady Leshurr, 2011^[12]

Career

Leshurr played one of the lead female roles in Vertigo Films' 2009 film 1 Day.^[13] In 2010 Leshurr's first television music video appearance came in the music video 'Game Over Female Takeover', featuring Amplify Dot, Mz Bratt, Ruff Diamondz and others. The music video was directed by Nick Donnelly and produced by Carla Marie Williams. 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^[14] named after her 2011 mixtape Friggin L.^[15]

In 2016, she won the MOBO Award, 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 Awards.[1] In 2019, Leshurr performed at The Nicki Wrld Tour in Birmingham and Manchester as a special guest for rapper Nicki Minaj.

She was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to music and charity.^[16]

In 2020, she appeared in a commercial advertising for beauty brand Olay and became the first Black British woman to lead a campaign for the company.[2]

In late 2020, it was announced that Lady Leshurr would be joining the line-up at BBC Radio 1Xtra with her own Saturday afternoon radio show.^[17] In February 2023, it was announced that she would be replaced by Joelah Noble as presenter of the Saturday afternoon show.^[18]

In 2021, she appeared as a contestant on the thirteenth series of Dancing on Ice, partnered with Brendyn Hatfield.^[1] After surviving three skate-offs during the competition, Leshurr was eliminated in the semi-final, leaving her in fourth place.^[19] She also won The Celebrity Circle for Stand Up to Cancer.

In 2021, Leshurr announced a partnership with Kamo Premium Vodka, through which she became a co-owner.

In April and August 2022, Leshurr appeared as a guest panellist on the ITV show Loose Women.

Influences

Leshurr has named Ashley Walters, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Ms. Dynamite, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne as her primary influences.^[20][21] Nia Kay, a competitor on The Rap Game season 2, stated that Leshurr was one of her influences due to her uniqueness and rap skill.^[22]

Personal life

Leshurr came out as pansexual in September 2018.^[23]

In late 2019 Leshurr took time out from her music career following the death of her sister from breast cancer.^[24]

On 22 October 2022, Leshurr and Sherelle Smith allegedly assaulted Leshurr's ex-girlfriend Sidnee Hussein and Hussein's new girlfriend Chante Boyea. She was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and Smith was charged with one count of the same offence. Both women pleaded not guilty to their charges and were bailed.^[25] Twelve months later, the pair were found not guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court. The prosecution said that Leshurr had bitten Boyea's hand, while the defence said that Leshurr had been bitten by Boyea's Belgian Shepherd dog. After her acquittal, Leshurr said that her career had been ruined due to loss of deals and income because of the charges.^[26]

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 (2018) – Musical guest
• Sunday Brunch (2018) – Musical guest
• Don't Hate the Playaz (2018–) – Team captain
• The X Factor UK (2018) – Musical guest
• Happy Hour with Olly Murs (2018) – Musical guest
• The Big Narstie Show (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 Jools Holland & Lady Leshurr (2019) – Special guest co-host
• Celebrity MasterChef (2020) – Contestant
• Ghost Bus Tours (2020) – Participant
• Shopping with Keith Lemon (2020) – Guest
• I'm A Celebrity: The Daily Drop (2020) – Guest Panelist
• Steph's Packed Lunch (2020) –Guest Co-host
• Dancing on Ice (2021) – Contestant – Semi- Finalist
• The Celebrity Circle (2021) – Contestant – Winner
• CelebAbility (2021) – Contestant
• Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel (2021) – Contestant
• The Hit List (2021) – Contestant
• Blankety Blank (2021) – Contestant
• I Like The Way U Move (2021) – Guest judge
• Rock of All Ages (2021) – Mentor – TBA
• Taskmaster's New Year Treat II (2022) – Contestant
• Would I Lie to You? (2022) - Contestant
• Rock Till We Drop (2022) - Presenter^[38]
• Loose Women (2022) - Guest Panellist (4 episodes)