Thecocknbullkid makes music fun

Originally published in Sister2Sister magazine, January 2010

Thecocknbullkid, born Anita Blay, is a London- born singer who’s building a name for herself on both sides of the pond. Her upbeat, elec- tronica-like singles are fun and catchy and conjure comparisons to Kelis, M.I.A. and Santigold. “All those artists I love, especially M.I.A. and Kelis,” thecockn- bullkid told S2S. “I can understand why there are comparisons. I guess we’re all women of color doing different types of music, not music that you’d expect Black or Asian women to do.”

Though the 24-year-old’s style is different, her influ- ences include mainstream favorites Aaliyah, Brandy and Toni Braxton. “I used to get laughed at because when I spoke I had quite a deep voice,” she said. “When I heard Toni Braxton, she had this really vel- vety, chocolaty voice, but she was a great singer. So she kind of gave me that confidence.”

Thecocknbullkid has fun with her music without taking herself too seriously, which is where her stage name comes from. “In England, it’s a phrase, which just means to bull@#*t someone, like, a ‘cock-and- bull story’ means ‘to lie,’” she explained. “So it was just a bit of a play on that, really—quite tongue-in- cheek.”

While her unique voice and humorous lyrics—de- void of “my-man-did-me-wrong” sagas—might make it more difficult for pop traditionalists to accept her, thecocknbullkid plans to be herself and wait for everyone else to come around. “When you’re first starting out, it’s easy to get swayed,” she said. “But I’m always learning, and the one thing I’m always striving for is to stay true.”