Wavy Spice exploded all over the Internet hivemind with ‘Bitch I’m Posh’, her infectious ode to Harlem ladies who don’t take no shit. Wonderland talks to her about Spice Girls, being friends with the A$AP crew and how she’s ready for the Icelandic revolution.
Who is Wavy Spice?
Max B and Spice Girls’ love child.
Posh in Britain means you’re high class. What does posh mean to you?
It refers to a woman with an elegant refinement. It’s poise and fine etiquette… Well rounded, cultured, worldly. It’s very Princess Diana of Wales.
What inspires you? Anything crazy or unusual?
So many beautiful things… Fantasy, mysticism, vulnerability, duality, pain, beauty, tragedy, luxury, poverty, the feminine mystique.
How did you start making music?
It started out with me being a weird little girl writing music in my journal. I’d smoke alot of weed and make music by myself in my room, really late at night. It’s literally just one of my many hobbies.
How are you involved with the A$AP crew?
Those are the homies. Harlem’s real small so everybody knows each other. Our crews work together a lot. They’re West Harlem, we from Spanish Harlem. It comes together.
What’s your top 3 list of things to do in NY during summer?
(1) Go to raves with my friends. (2) Go to the beach, swim in the ocean. (3) Hike in Central Park.
What’s on your summer playlist?
A lot of rock & roll and folk music, Don Mclean, Simon & Garfunkel, Mamas & The Papas; a lot of Dancehall & Vieja Escuela reggaethon. Lots of Christian rock and metal, like Paramore and Emarosa. It’s kinda been the same playlist since I was 14…
Why the name Wavy Spice? Any relation to the Spice Girls?
My friend called me Wavy Spice one day last summer, and I just thought it was the most fitting name I could ever have. So I started calling myself Wavy Spice.
Mermaids are pretty in right now. Why do you like mermaids?
I’m pretty ahead of my time. I’ve been a mermaid enthusiast alot longer then they’ve been popular. But the reason why I love them so much is because it’s something my mom passed down to me.
Do you consider other female rappers like Azealia your rivals right now, or is it solidarity all the way?
Nah, that shit is for the birds. I’m respectful of all talented women of color in music.
Do you have any idols?
My mother, Freddie Mercury, Maya Angelou, Esmerelda Santiago, Sandra Cisneros, Lolita Lebron, Julia Alverez. A lot of Latina novelists: those are my real idols.
You used to work at NYCLU – do your politics feed into your music in any way?
They always do.
So if you were president for a day, what would you do?
Resignation of the government; nationalization of the bank; referendums so that people can decide over economic decisions; incarcerating the resonsible parties; rewriting a constituion by its people, then I’d unmake myself president. The Icelandic revolution, baby, let’s do it!
Who would be your dream collaborators, living or dead?
Morrissey of the Smiths, Coco Rosie, Foxy Brown, Charlie Baltimore, Gorillaz, Bjork, Dee Lite, Suzanne Vega, La India, Celia Cruz.
What’s next for Wavy Spice?
I’m working on a mixtape called Felicity Island. It’s part of a conceptual pop opera I made up, it incorporates graphic literature and music. I think the two coincide beautifully…
Words: Zing Tsjeng