Uffie

by Heather Phares With her girlishly playful yet stiff delivery, her raunchy lyrics, and the spare electro beats that surround them, Uffie draws comparisons to female MCs of the '80s like the ladies of L'Trimm and Salt-N-Pepa. Born Anna-Catherine Hartley in Miami, FL, Uffie moved a lot during her childhood, living in places including Hong Kong and Fort Lauderdale; by the time she was 15, she and her father had settled in Paris. She became involved in the city's dance music scene after dating DJ Feadz (whom she met when she booked him for a party). The pair began making music together and released their songs via Uffie's MySpace page starting in 2005. The following year her first single, Pop the Glock/Ready to Uff, was given a limited-edition release by the Arcade Mode label before one of France's most prominent dance labels, Ed Banger, distributed it more widely. The A-side was produced by Feadz, while the B-side was produced by Mr. Oizo, on whose "Half an Edit" Uffie appeared later that year. Hot Chick/In Charge leaked to blogs before its official 2006 release, building the buzz around her music and image. In 2007 Uffie made a cameo on Justice's "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy," which appeared on their debut album, Cross; contributed the song "Dismissed" to the Ed Banger compilation Ed Rec, Vol. 2; and released the 12" single F1rst Love/Brand New Car. Her first full-length album was expected in 2008.