Allow Lady London to Reintroduce Herself

UpRising: Always, Lady London connects Lady London’s personal life with her private life. How did you find alignment on the direction and story you wanted to tell? 

Lady London (Executive Producer): We pinpointed what the story was: my journey towards not only creating my album, but getting on stage for a 37-city tour with Coco Jones. The main thing I may have wanted in the doc was more of my sense of humor. People know me for being humorous and funny. We see a more serious side of me in this doc. Super vulnerable. Very transparent. At first, I didn't want that at all. There were a lot of hard “no’s.”

Erika Bryant (Director/Executive Producer): She kept talking about how she felt caged and that she couldn't be the version of herself that she wanted to be. So I was like, what if [the story is] you're breaking through from being this one-dimensional character on TikTok to being this multi-dimensional woman. She liked that, so we built on it. I think it's a coming-of-age story. I wanted to honor that in the most authentic way possible. When she saw my heart, my excitement, and my exuberance, she locked in and we locked arms and kept marching forward together.

Lady London: Erika was so helpful because she's not pushy but she stretched me in the process, like, “Your viewers would appreciate knowing how you navigate these things that everyone has to navigate.” We compromised a lot, but she eased me into it over time.

How were you able to help Lady London feel comfortable with being vulnerable and sharing aspects of herself that she usually wouldn’t?

Erika Bryant: When we agreed to do this together, [I said] you have to trust me. I've done over 60 shows in my career, over 300 hours of content shot under my belt as a producer. So you have to understand that I know this world. Trust that I'm going to have your back. But I'm also going to push you to your edge. You say the world doesn't know you. If you're only willing to show what you've already shown, they're not going to get to know you any better. So you have to be a little bit uncomfortable. I wasn't in disagreement on many things that she had hard lines about. But I'm like, when you let people see your cracks, that's when love and admiration can happen. Let people see the human side of you. She trusted me in that process, which I'm thankful for.

Vulnerability can be scary, but it can also be powerful. 

Lady London: Absolutely. It was definitely a reclaiming of power. I'm always nervous about perception and controlling my own narrative. Because the internet can take vulnerability and weaponize it. I don't allow people to come in on my personal life and be able to ridicule anything.

Erika Bryant: No one wants to watch a movie that's all rainbows and sunshine. You have to have someone to root for. You have to know they have a little bit of a struggle. That was my job, to figure out what is her journey, her peaks and her valleys. Of course, she shines in the end. But she's been through a lot in the past few years. My biggest thing was that you're not the only one going through these kinds of troubles. If you can share that, you're more endearing in that way. People are more prone to embrace you.

You’ve talked about getting personal on your first studio album. What’s something that we get a glimpse of in Always, Lady London that you delve into more in your upcoming music? 

Lady London: There's a moment where I talk about the grief I encountered with the deaths of my uncle [Chino XL] and my mentor [Clark Kent] that [the docuseries] explored briefly. It really shifted my artistry, the way I create. So you hear a lot of pain in that. Also the pressures of delivering the right product. It is this constant journey of [asking myself], how do I become commercially appealing? Where do I get my No. 1 song from? A lot of that is portrayed in the doc and on the album.

Erika, this docuseries marks your official directorial debut, although you’ve been calling shots behind the scenes for some time now.

Erika Bryant: For sure. I built my way up from [production assistant] all the way to being a showrunner and executive producer. As a producer in the unscripted world, you're directing cameras and talent nonstop. Being a Black woman, it takes us a while to work our way up the ladder. For this to be my first project as director, it's Lady London’s coming-of-age story as well as my coming of age. It was kismet.

One of your best-known projects is The Real Housewives of Atlanta. But unlike that series, Always, Lady London is a trim three episodes. 

Erika Bryant: There was a lot of great stuff that was left on the cutting floor. But we did our best to find a balance of the music, her personal life, and her struggles. Including her family was extremely important because they ground her. That is the root of who she is. There's this whole other side of her where she cooks Jamaican food and she's hanging out and having a good time. It was a conscious effort to show all angles.

Let’s talk about your upcoming album. What do you think will be the most surprising aspect for your fans?

Lady London: You’ll hear an evolved sound. I'm trying different things, alternative sounds, beats that I don't think people would expect me to [rap to], different subject matter. I'm making fun songs as well, uptempo records. It's going to be a surprise to some, but an expectation for others. I don't veer too much from who you know me to be, but there's definitely some elevation in the sound. 

I'm growing up and starting to realize who I am in this chapter of my life. All of my favorite artists reinvent themselves with each album. That's what keeps them ahead of the curve. [Two] of my big inspirations are Jay-Z and Kanye. I feel like I watched them navigate their lives right in front of me. I hope for my consumer to see that same growth in me.

What would be the title of this chapter of your life?

Lady London: Grounded. Or anchored. I spent a lot of years floating in the abyss, trying to know my place. Right now, my feet are planted. I know what I want to do, what's next for me. So this is a debut for me, but this is also a statement piece. This could be my last [album]; I'm solid in that.

What did you learn about Lady London through this filming process?

Erika Bryant: She's an old soul, really sweet. She's not tainted by the industry. Her talent is unmatched. Her pen is stupid. I was so impressed by her… She was a collaborator with me and the team in this process. She has a very strong voice—she knows what she wants to say and how she wants to say it. I honor that. I'm like, “Girl, let's go! How can I support that?” I really pray the world receives her in the way that she deserves because she is a gem.

Would you want to do more film projects in front of the camera, perhaps in a scripted format?

Lady London: I would love to dive into acting, but my peak creativity happens behind the lens. I love seeing a product from start to finish. I've been creative directing all of my visuals since I began in music. I really want to get into directing my own independent film. I wrote an urban novel in 2017 about a young girl who grew up in a foster care system in Philadelphia and then moved to L.A. to meet and fall in love with a drug kingpin and was exposed to the highs and the lows of what that came with. It [explores] all of these different nuances that would be really dope on the screen. I would love to see it come into fruition.

—John Kennedy

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The three-part documentary, Always, Lady London, was produced by MACRO Television Studios. It is now streaming on Tubi. Lady London’s debut album, To Whom It May Concern, is slated for release in 2026. Her new single, “Ten” is now available on all streaming platforms.