Alesha Dixon
‘Ransom’
Alesha Dixon has conquered Britain’s entertainment, lifestyle and music industries over the past two decades. “I’m not trying to play the game, I’m just doing me, and that feels really cool – that’s where I’m at,” says Dixon. From being named one of the most celebrated British female MC’s and reaching girl group icon status in Mis-Teeq, to becoming a double platinum selling artist, TV mainstay and published author, today Alesha Dixon releases her first original music in almost a decade, with ‘Ransom’. Dixon has traversed many of the shifting cultural landscapes in Britain, maintaining that you have to have “thick skin to still be here”. “Ransom” brings a fresh and authentic sound that blends Dixon’s love for dancehall, reggae, and contemporary beats. Featuring a sample from Ini Kamoze’s “Here Comes the Hotstepper,” “Ransom” was produced by the acclaimed Supa Dups, and the visuals were shot in the scenic locales of Port Antonio and Kingston, Jamaica, reflecting Dixon’s Jamaican heritage.
“I wanted a sample that was super familiar. Known and loved by all races, I wanted to fuse my commercial persona with my roots, the music I grew up on and still love that is such a big part of who I am. Being in Jamaica feels like home and it has both a spiritual calm as well as a bass line thumping around every corner!” says Alesha.
First reaching the precipice of fame through the vanguard music group Mis-Teeq, Alesha Dixon dominated the British charts at the turn of the millennium. Like the early 2000’s, Mis-Teeq were unequivocal early genre-benders, when their pop, rap, garage and R&B-tinged Lickin’ On Both Sides aptly surged to the apex of Official Albums Chart, spawning anthemic numbers like “One Night Stand”, “B With Me” and the UK garage adorned “Why?”. “Mis-Teeq is rare. What we did is rare,” Alesha says. Through their titan hit “Scandalous”, Mis-Teeq etched themselves into British archives, revitalising what the pop-girl archetype could look and feel like.
Lighting up the garage underground scene, before the scene became mainstream, Alesha Dixon had an edge as the rapper of the group. But it also provided her a coat of thick skin, that stuck with her as she transcended to a soloist career. Stylistically merging her love for singing and rapping, Dixon’s loud, proud and fearless personality were prioritised. On the 2008 LP, The Alesha Show, her flair across slower mid-tempos such as “Breathe Slow” married well with the projects biggest single “The Boy Does Nothing”, the latter of which shattered the top 30’s across Europe — now double platinum in Spain and gold in the UK. Alesha Dixon has learned from a playbook of trial and error. “Why not?” she says, taking risks and experimenting with releases. New single “Ransom” is no different.
In addition to her musical achievements, Dixon is a mother of two, a longstanding judge on Britain’s Got Talent, and an esteemed children’s author. Her latest book, Luna Wolf 2: Code Danger, continues to inspire young readers across the UK.“I want my girls to see their mummy on stage, to experience the joy and passion I have for music,” she says.“I don’t want to live with any regrets. This new project is all about authenticity and pushing myself beyond my comfort zone.”
