Saweetie at the 2023 CFDA Fashion Awards held at the American Museum of Natural History on November 6, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)
Saweetie candidly opened up about her journey in the music industry and how she hasn’t always felt comfortable in the direction her career was steering.
The ‘Best Friend’ rapper graces the latest issue of Allure and openly admits feeling insecure about her past work in the accompanying interview.
Relentless criticism met her entry into the music industry, unsurprisingly, as breaking onto the scene as a new female rapper is never easy.
The 30-year-old felt that with every single she dropped, she was bound to receive negative comments from people questioning her talent and her artistry. Additionally, her record label attempted to market her in an unauthentic way that didn’t align with her own identity.
“I was told I should twerk more on my Instagram,” she shared. “I was told that my voice was very boring. I was told that I rapped too monotone and needed more energy. I was told that I needed to share more of my life on the internet.”
The fact that Saweetie still hasn’t dropped her debut album, despite signing her deal with Warner back in February 2018, makes one wonder whether the fault-finding feedback from the public is to blame.
Understandably, several hiccups have confronted the USC graduate’s music career, and the constant scrutiny from others wanting her to be someone else has consequently led to a lot of self-doubt.
She confessed, “I was just very insecure. I’m a confident woman, but I was a very insecure artist.” Subsequently, the not-so-nice response she received over her music eventually made Saweetie question her capabilities, often leading her to feel like giving up.
“I don’t mean to dampen the mood. But this is, realistically, how my career has been. We were constantly criticized for every drop. I was just very insecure. I’m a confident woman, but I was a very insecure artist.”
There’s only so much one person can take.
The Bay native admits that, though she was still adjusting to the industry and everything that came with it, she began to feel like she wanted to give up and quit music for good simply because of how harshly people had critiqued her songs.
“There’s been a lot of times these past couple of years where I’ve given up on myself. Whether people knew about that or not, I just felt myself giving up, and I don’t want to do that anymore.”
But she has now changed her mindset and is refusing to surrender to the hate.
Meanwhile, fans are once again wondering about the release of Saweetie’s debut album after she recently dropped her first single of the year, ‘Richtivities.’
When asked about a full-length project, the ‘My Type’ hitmaker said that she is taking her time, as she wants to ensure the music truly reflects the artist she is today. “To me, music is sacred. It’s coming from your spirit. You can’t just go finish an album in a week,” she added.
