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Theater | Dance | Music
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Princess Superstar
courtesy of Rapster Records / Ned Ambler
Beth Hirsch 'n' Princess Superstar
by Neil Atherton

from Paris to pop…


Speaking from a purely musical point of view, a New York rapper and a folk-pop balladeer from Tampa, Florida are unlikely to share many common traits. And Concetta Kirschner, alias Princess Superstar, and Beth Hirsch prove no exception to the rule. But in terms of the time they’ve spent revving up toward careers in the music business, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking there was a universal recipe being cooked up by a higher force. For each of them started out as aspiring US actresses, later moving to Paris to further their ambitions on the stage. Still, expatriated thespians take heed – both became disillusioned by the theater, turning to music via au pair and restaurant work instead. Here are their stories.

Beth Hirsch
Hirsch, who lived in Paris for seven years, abandoned drama before joining a group of musician friends who discovered her talent for singing. “They were jamming one day and asked me to join in. They recognized my potential and pretty soon I found myself getting projects.” She recorded her first EP “Miner’s Son” in 1998, which attracted the attention of two Parisians, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, better known of course, as Air. She co-wrote and sang on two songs from their hit debut “Moon Safari,” which became the reference album for France’s new electronica movement. “I was really appreciative of the experience of working [with Air], but when the French Touch scene exploded, I realized this music didn’t represent who I was. As an American I felt I would stagnate in Paris. I loved living here — the lifestyle, socializing and eating in friends’ apartments — but I knew I had to take another route.” She left Paris for London in 1999 and embarked upon recording her first full-length solo album, “Early Days.”
The purity of “Titles and Idols” does indeed rest on the vocal aspect, but a deeper virtue is evident in the songs. “It’s an observation about society. How we’ve attached ourselves to being perceived as what, rather than who, we are. We bust our asses every day for the latest fashions, distracting ourselves from who we really are. There needs to be a psychological and spiritual wealth in our lives. Like music, it’s about the individual — our identity is more important than idolizing someone else’s.

Concetta Kirschner
Having grown up in Spanish Harlem, Concetta Kirschner sees the role of an idol in a slightly different light. Her persona, Princess Superstar, is a parody of a female ghetto girl who’s made it big in the rap world — a Gucci-hoochie and urban hero of the highest order. But of course, in real-life she’s nothing like the Foxy Browns and Lil’ Kims out there who will undress for success.
It was at the end of a one year theater exchange program that Concetta decided to stay in Paris a little longer. “When everyone else went back home, I stayed behind and worked in restaurants as a waitress. I realized the acting thing wouldn’t work out after a few auditions — not what I wanted to do at all. So I went back to New York.” There, she set about finding a label to release her freshly penned rhymes and witty raps. An album, “Strictly Platinum,” eventually saw the light of day in 1995, but it was only two years later that she started an imprint of her own (A Big Rich Major Label) and the send-up became recognized and respected. Two long-players later and the mistress of the mic prepares to unleash “Princess Superstar Is,” a veritable spoof of all things you’d expect a woman in hip hop not to be.
So, what exactly is behind the Princess persona? “There are so many different elements,” declares Concetta. “There’s the humor, the attitude, my idea of feminism, and, when I wanna get sexy, there’s that too.” However you interpret her subverted message, the quick-fire kick-in-the-groin lyrics are clearly a salute of the two-fingered variety to hip hop stereotypes and to those who continue to enforce them.
“Princess Superstar Is” released Oct 8, while Beth Hirsch’s “Titles & Idols” is out Oct 13.

ALSO THIS MONTH…

The Allenko Brotherhood Ensemble (Comet)
The concept is simple: take a mix of today’s finest electro-house producers, like the Troublemakers from Marseille and Kirk DiGiorgio’s Off-World Ensemble, then throw it around with the genius of Femi Kuti and Tony Allen’s afro-beat. Oct 1

Solid Steel “The Broadest Beats” (Ninja Tune)
An across-the-board selection of broken beats from Strictly Kec, PC and DK. Includes cuts from Dominic Dalcan, Peshay, Herbie Habcock and Boards of Canada. Oct 8

Axel Krygier “Echale Semilla” (Hi-Top)
Argentinian pianist and accordionist in an off-beat melting pot of Iglesias, Gainsbourg and Disney. Oct 8

Kelis “Wanderland” (Virgin)
A second LP from the psychedelic soul diva. Oct 9

Gotan Project “La Revancha del Tango” (Ya Basta!)
Heralded by the likes of Gilles Peterson and Rainer Trüby, this South American trio are among the few exponents of the new “electrauthentica” style. Oct 11

Pulp “Pulp” (Island)
Jarvis Cocker’s minimal pop makes a long-awaited return with this, their fourth studio album. Oct 22


Beth Hirsch
courtesy of K7 records

Beth Hirsch
courtesy of K7 records