Uffie (aka U.S.-born, Hong Kong-raised, Paris-based hip-pop goddess Anna-Catherine Hartley) is only 22, but she's already been in the game a while--collaborating with the likes of Mr. Oizo, Justice, and Crystal Castles, and filling dancefloors all over the globe with internationally appealing club bangers like "Hot Chick" and "Pop The Glock." However, it's taken her years to release her full-length debut, Sex Dreams & Denim Jeans (finally out May 31, the disc features input from Pharrell Williams, Mirwais, and ex-Rapture singer Mattie Safer, along with an inspired cover of Siouxsie & The Banshees' "Hong Kong Garden").
The album was originally slated for a 2007 release, but rather than the delay being a negative thing, it has worked in Uffie's favor, since her futuristic-yet-old-skool megamix of synth-rock, rap, and electronica sounds extremely current now. With electropop femmes like Lady Gaga, Little Boots, M.I.A., and (yes) Ke$ha dominating right now (more on Ke$ha later), it seems like 2010 is the perfect time for Uffie's Sex Dreams to at long last come true.
I recently caught up with Uffie at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, after her buzz-garnering showcase at Filter magazine's day soiree (where, true to her glittery disco-dolly image, she performed in full Winehousian cat-eye makeup, bedhead bouffant, black leather, and sequined hotpants...in broad daylight). There we chatted about how her street date's long postponement allowed her time to grow as an artist, about her upcoming album, and--of course--about some very understandable allegations that Ke$ha ripped off her sound.
You must hear what Uffie had to say, especially about that last subject. Check out this "hot chick" now: