麻豆社

London born Ashley is an IT worker by day, grime rapper by night. He writes his own raps and songs, and attributes this to his love of English at school.

He started rapping aged 11 and when he was 15, he entered a local rap competition with his friends and came second to Stormzy!

Ashley loves to get up and perform and says that his “party trick” is that he can rap to any beat e.g. a nursery rhyme.

Q: Who are the influences for your band?

“One of our bands main influences and a personal one of mine is Stormzy. He relates to us as he came from a similar music background as most of us, being an underground rapper and breaking into the charts to become a commercial success. Also his style of rap is very similar to ours, where he can do grime and rap but also uses vocals and experiment with genres. Another thing that’s going to set us apart is the strong female vocals from Eden and Romz who are influenced by Amy Winehouse, and so we are looking to integrate this sound with the rap to create something new and unique”.

Eden from Kent struggled with being mixed-race in school, until she moved to the Brit School which helped her find her confidence and identity.

Eden shops in charity shops, sews her own clothes & enjoys knitting; “it’s such a vibe, so chill & calming.”

Q: Who are the influences for your band?

“I think as a collective we really take inspiration from Black Eyed Peas and other individual artists like Lauryn Hill. I really love Amy Winehouse so adding that sound with rap is such an amazing experience and it will make us stand out. It will be unlike anything people have heard before.”

London-based singer-rapper Romina is currently in her last year studying music at university.

Her mum, who passed away when Romina was 13, encouraged her to learn the piano which is where her love of music started. She taught herself how to play guitar and writes all of her own music. She’s very proud of her Persian heritage.

Romina’s original music has been played on Capital Xtra and Radio 1 Xtra. Stormzy and Dappy have commented on her tracks via social media.

Q: You’re more than bandmates, you’re now also housemates – how has that been so far?

“It’s been so chill; we all get on like a house on fire. We all have jam sessions and deep chats every night. It’s just amazing to vibe with people that you haven’t know for that long but still feels like you’ve known them for years.”

Q: How have your group been keeping in touch since lockdown?

“We’ve been literally talking every day and I feel very close with my bandmates. We have amazing chemistry and we get along so well. Little Mix saw something in each of us and saw us gelling from the start and I think that’s beautiful.”

VerSay is a rapper and songwriter from Luton. He was secretly singing and writing in his bedroom from a young age, and upon realising singing wasn’t for him, he took to writing raps instead.

Once at university, he started taking rap more seriously and after meeting people with similar musical interests, he was pushed forward for open mic nights.

Q: What has the reaction been like at work OR from your friends and family?

“The reaction from friends and family has been crazy. I think the one thing that humbles me is that they have seen how hard I have been working for the last ten years, and now I have the opportunity and platform to prove it is more than just a hobby.”

Q: Have you had any words of encouragement from Little Mix?

“Little Mix have been through the same processes so they are the most equipped people to aid us in becoming a better band in the short time we’ve been given. The main piece of advice that sticks in my head is when Jade and Perrie told us to focus on what makes us different as individuals, and then bring that on stage to show our individual personalities within the band. We almost have to let other people into our lives a little to show them this is us with no filter and no pre-tense, just us.”