Pint-sized rap pop star Lady Sovereign (aka Louise Amanda Harman) has admitted to self-harming in the lead-up to her second LP, the recently released Jigsaw. According to the 23-year-old star, the pressure of being signed by one of the world’s biggest hip-hop mogul – aka former Def Jam head honcho Jay-Z – was too much to take. According to the “Hoodie” singer, the exhausting promotional schedule lead her to go “on strike”.

“I went on strike and stopped doing stuff, so Def Jam got the hump with me,” Sovereign admits of her 2005 signing. “I lost the plot a few times. I was cutting myself and stupid things like that. I was tired. I felt like it was just push, push, push. I didn’t have a chance to record any new stuff, it was the same old songs.

“My manager rang me and said, ‘OK, it’s definitely over.’ And it hit me. It just had to be done, for their sake, for my sake. It wasn’t messy, it was just... gone. I was on anti-depressants for a bit, but that wasn’t a good idea. It was the lowest I’ve ever been in my life.”

Sovereign has since established her own label, releasing Jigsaw on her own terms.