Alesha Dixon on how chicken and gravy helped with her rapping in Mis-Teeq 😮
It started as a joke!
Britain's Got Talent judge and pro rapper from her days with Mis-Teeq, Alesha Dixon, joined Henrie on The Up to talk about her talent, and how it came about.
For anyone who remembers Alesha as part of the band Mis-Teeq, with other members Su-Elise Nash and Sabrina Washington, she was the one who would take to the mic to add her trademark rap to their hits, such as 'Scandalous', 'All I Want' and their debut song 'Why?'.
Chatting to Henrie, Alesha revealed how rapping about chicken, rice and gravy helped her hone her rapping skills thanks to her Uncle Leroy, along with the encouragement of her friends in a nightclub.
The singer explained: "So, it did start as a joke, I was at a house party and my Uncle Leroy, who was a bit of an MC...
"He was doing some rap in the kitchen about the chicken, and the rice and the gravy, and I was like 'can you teach me that?!' So he taught me this rap, and I went out to a club, I was about 18 at the time, and one of my friends said to me, 'I dare you to go up and ask for the mic and do that rap.'
"I do this rap that my Uncle Leroy taught me and the crowd responded, I was like 'Oh! This was just a joke guys!' And then I was like maybe I should take this thing a little more serious, but what the defining moment was when we recorded 'Why?' and it was actually Sabrina (Washington) who said to me, 'Why don't you put a rap on the song?'."
'The Boy Does Nothing' singer went on to reveal that having a rap in their songs was never the intention, but: "It ended up being a bit of a signature for us."
Alesha joined us just as the brand new series of Britain's Got Talent has kicked off, where she returns as a judge. The popular TV show is now onto its 17th series, and airs every Saturday night, once again presented by Ant and Dec.
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Take a look through all the previous winners on Britain's Got Talent:
Paul Potts
Paul Potts won the very first show in 2007 with his hugely impressive singing abilities.
George Sampson
Break dancer George Sampson won the show in 2008 at the age of just 14-years-old.
Diversity
Dance group Diversity won the show in 2009, with Ashley Banjo going on to become a TV presenter.
Spellbound
The 2010 series also saw a dance group win in the form of Spellbound, pictured here performing with singer Katherine Jenkins that year.
Jai McDowall
Singer Jai McDowall won the show in 2011.
Ashleigh and Pudsey
Dog performing act Ashleigh and Pudsey were winners of the 2012 series. However, Pudsey sadly passed away in July 2017.
Attraction
Another dance group won over the public in 2013, as Attraction used shadows and puppets to create beautiful spectacles - pictured here with actor Terry Crews.
Collabro
Singing group Collabro wowed viewers in 2014 with their performances of musical theatre songs.
Jules and Matisse
Britain's Got Talent saw its second dog act winner in 2015 with Jules and Matisse.
Richard Jones
Magician Richard Jones won the hearts of the nation in 2016.
Tokio Myers
Pianist and music producer Tokio Myers won the show in 2017, pictured here with BGT judge Amanda Holden.
Lost Voice Guy
Lost Voice Guy, real name Lee Ridley, won in 2018.
Colin Thackery
Colin Thackery won Britain's Got Talent 2019 with a heartwarming performance of 'Love Changes Everything'.
Jon Courtenay
Comedy singer Jon Courtenay was crowned the winner of the 2020 series! Jon was a favourite from his very first audition, picking up Ant and Dec's Golden Buzzer!
Axel Blake
Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer act, comedian Axel Blake, was crowned the 2022 winner of Britain's Got Talent, beating the likes of ventriloquist Jamie Leahy and singer Tom Ball.
Viggo Venn
Norwegian comedian Viggo Venn won the 2023 series of Britain's Got Talent with his high vis jacket inspired routine. He said he was happy to have captured 'Simon's heart' as well as the nation's.
Sydnie Christmas
Sydnie Christmas won the 2024 series of Britain's Got Talent, the singer who dreams of performing on the West End told Ant and Dec: "I cannot believe the amount of love that I've felt since it aired. I am overwhelmed with love and it is the most amazing thing.
"And I wish for one day that every single person in this room feels the way I do one day with this love. It's amazing, thank you so much!"
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