Five Minutes With Saweetie
Calling someone high-maintenance might have once had negative connotations, but Diamonté Harper is flipping that on its head.
Harper, aka Saweetie, is a 24-year-old rapper who hails from the San Francisco Bay Area. Like many artists and personalities her age, she gained a following on Instagram when one of her freestyle raps, “Icy Grl,” and its accompanying visuals, went viral. The video caught the attention of record labels and soon enough, Saweetie inked a deal with Warner Bros.
WWD caught up with Saweetie after the release of her debut EP, “High Maintenance.” Here, she talks about the origin of her stage name, her high-maintenance tendencies and her collaboration with accessories brand Sprayground.
How she got her name: “I got it from my grandmother. I had put it on my Myspace and spelled it the way you see it today and it just stuck with me. It became my nickname and what’s funny is some of my friends don’t even know my real name.”
Her musical inspirations: “My parents were big hip-hop heads [who also loved] oldies and reggae. My mom was really into Foxy [Brown] and [Lil’] Kim and my dad was into Bay Area artists like E-40, Keak Da Sneak.”
The high-maintenance women she looks up to: “First and foremost, my grandmother. She’s so high maintenance, she used to get her hair and her nails done every Thursday an hour away from her house. She’s a boss. She had her own real estate company, did really well, she’s retired now. And then my aunties and my mom. They have good hygiene, they smell good, they look good, they take care of themselves. That’s who I get my high-maintenance features from.”
What her closet looks like right now: “I like mixing high-end brands with, I wouldn’t call them low-end brands, but affordable brands. I might wear some Gucci shoes with Fashion Nova jeans, a plain, basic T, and I’m sure you’re aware that I’m collabing with Sprayground now. I really love their jackets. I definitely travel a lot with their suitcases. It’s a variety. I like everything from Forever 21 to Gucci to Louis [Vuitton].”
Her fashion collaboration with Sprayground: “We were coming in to introduce myself, but when I came in, I didn’t know that they were so dope already. I thought it was just an online brand, but when you go in there, it’s like the Willy Wonka factory — so many cool little backpacks and clothes. My collab with David Ben David, the founder of Sprayground, I wanted something to give my fans, and we’re calling it the Saweetie Shark backpack.”
On Twitter vs. Instagram: “I love Instagram, but Twitter is super hilarious. My fans will send me lyrics with a GIF attached to it and they’re super crazy and creative. I’m loving that everybody is giving me a good response.”
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