Lisa Maffia: I'm bringing back UK garage

In 2000 So Solid Crew crashed into the UK charts, bringing the fresh underground sounds of UK garage music with them. 17 years later, Lisa Maffia continues to tour with members of the original band and is determined to bring the genre back to the mainstream and retain her crown as the Queen Of Garage.

"Garage has been there the whole time," Lisa tells 1Xtra, ahead of her 1Xtra UK Garage Weekend co-host with Nick Bright from 10am on Saturday 29 July 2017.

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She has spent nearly twenty years performing hits such as Oh No, 21 Seconds and All Over, but when things seemed to take a dip, Lisa was forced to take things into her own hands.

"I started my own booking agency nine year ago because my bookings started drying up," she says.

"I wasn't going to not work, not pay my bills and doing a 9-to-5 job. I had to do something about it.

"My business head kicked in and I decided to start my own agency and I called it UC Bookings, which stood for 'undercover agent' because I didn't want anyone to know that I was booking gigs for myself, which I thought was quite embarrassing."

She kept her career steady, performing garage hits as the grime scene emerged - one she sees as very similar to her own.

"I love, with grime and garage, that we use influences from other genres," Lisa says.

"I love that we can touch a dancehall track and turn it into something completely different in our own genre.

"We collaborate with other sounds, which creates a new sound that belongs just to the UK."

But she also sees the garage scene as the light to the darkness of the grime scene, despite the positive energy brought to its music by the likes of Stormzy and Donea'O.

"Grime is dark and moody, whereas everyone was the clown in garage. It was so much fun," she says.

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Lisa also says she admires artists like Stormzy who speak openly with fans about their mental health and calls on more men to do likewise.

"It's really nice and refreshing detach from their fame and their pride and just open up," she says.

"I think it's healthy for you as a person and I think it's healthy for the fans to know that it's just human. It makes Stormzy a human."

As part of So Solid Crew and as a solo artist, Lisa Maffia has come a long way since her first performance at London's iconic Scala venue.

Even though she describes the gig as "horrendous" (due to mic feedback and other technical problems), she's still on scene after 17 years of hard graft and is gearing up to drop her new single, Wahgwarn.

"I am so determined to bring garage back and be that Queen Of The UKG that I rightfully want to keep mine," Lisa says about her new music.

"I've made something for the ravers.

"This year I’m determined to bring back garage, so all those festivals and everywhere I perform will really appreciate garage music again

"I thought I’d be old and grey with a zimmer frame when it came back, I’m so happy I can still dance on stage and remember my lyrics."

Listen to Lisa Maffia on 1Xtra from 10am on Saturday 29 July with Nick Bright