"She is equal parts musician, thought leader and fashion icon,” says Josh Deutsch, boss of the major record that is planning big things for Tommy Genesis in 2017.
No pressure, then, for the half-Swedish, half-Tamil, Vancouver-born rapper, who has been invited by the more established Tamil musician M.I.A to perform as part of her Meltdown festival at the Southbank Centre next month. Describing herself as a “fetish rapper”, former art student Genesis has as clear an idea of her image (cropped metal band T-shirts and schoolgirl skirts) as her sound (woozy, ghostly synths and sexually explicit lyrics).
So far she’s modelled for Calvin Klein (“I am starstruck in #mycalvins,” said her billboard last year) and released one album, World Vision, that’s as stark and striking as it is rude. Like M.I.A, she’s fond of an outrageous quote.
Last year she could be found reminiscing to Dazed magazine: “I remember in kindergarten, I would draw hyper-realistic BDSM nude portraits – I was very good at it. I’d say my creativity was fuelled by my heightened sense of sexuality.” Well quite.
On stage, it’s unlikely that she’ll be unforthcoming. Catch her performing alongside Brooklyn’s Young M.A as part of a short season of forward-thinking music that also features Young Fathers, Soulwax and Giggs.
June 17, Royal Festival Hall, SE1 (0844 875 0073, southbankcentre.co.uk)