| Princess Superstar | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Concetta Kirschner |
| Born | February 25, 1971 |
| Origin | Spanish Harlem, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, electronica, dance, hip house, electrohop |
| Occupations | Musician, DJ |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Corrupt Conglomerate Records, Studio !K7, Dark Beloved Cloud Records, 5th Beetle |
| Associated acts | Gamma Rays, Kool Keith, MC Paul Barman, Trussed Recordings, Baron Ricks, Grandmaster Flash |
| Website | Princess Superstar Website |
Princess Superstar (born Concetta Kirschner, February 25, 1971 in Spanish Harlem, New York[1]) is an American emcee and DJ.
Her musical style, as she describes it, is flip-flop — a mixture of 'hip hop, electroclash and electronica'.[2]
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Kirschner was born in Spanish Harlem, New York to a Jewish father of Russian and Polish descent and a Sicilian-American mother who converted to Judaism. Kirschner identifies herself as a "spiritual Jew".[3] Her parents were psychologists. When Kirschner was a child, the family moved to rural Pennsylvania and then to the suburbs of Philadelphia.[4] She attended school at the Germantown Academy, a private high school, where she was a member of the Theatre Club and the Black Student Union. She moved to NYC at the age of 17 and went to NYU, where she got her BFA in drama. She is a vegan, active in the animal rights movement and a member of Mensa.[5]
After graduating from high school, she moved to New York City and studied acting at New York University. She took up the guitar,[3] and her interest in music surpassed her interest in acting. She joined the Gamma Rays, an all-girl power psychedelic band that recorded a 7" single called "Lovely" for Teen Beat Records. Their other recordings appeared on various compilations.[6] Around the same time, Kirschner was composing hip hop-styled songs on a 4-track recorder.
In 1994, Kirschner made a demo tape called, Mitch Better Get My Bunny, under the name "Princess Superstar". She sent the tape to the College Music Journal (CMJ) and to the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal Records.[4] While she got callbacks from CMJ and Grand Royal, she went on to sign with Dark Beloved Cloud Records, who released her song "I'm White" on their Sympathy for Count Pococurante compilation.
In 1995, she teamed up with three backing musicians and signed with 5th Beetle Records.[4] They recorded her debut album, Strictly Platinum, which gained her some notoriety as being one of very few white female rappers.
In 1997, Kirschner went on to launch her own record label, first calling it "A Big Rich Major Label", but then eventually settling on "Corrupt Conglomerate". She also recruited a new crew of backing musicians and recorded CEO, a concept album about corporate culture.
Her next album, 2000's Last of the Great 20th Century Composers, was co-produced Curtis Curtis and contains the song "Kool Keith's Ass", and a remix of "Do It Like a Robot" by Jon Spencer.
Kirschner went on to collaborate with Kool Keith on "Keith and Me" for the 2001 Princess Superstar Is LP released on Ruthless Records/Studio !K7. The album, also co-produced Curtis Curtis, has guest appearances by Beth Orton and Bahamadia. The single "Bad Babysitter" was #11 on the UK charts.
For 2005's My Machine a futuristic hip-hopera concept double album,[7] she collaborated with various producers such as Arthur Baker, Jacques Lu Cont, Junior Sanchez, Armand Van Helden, Todd Terry, and DJ Mighty Mi. My Machine contains the track, "Perfect" which was used remixed using Mason's Exceeder. This went to #3 on the UK charts in 2007.
In 2008, Kirschner sang on the "Licky" single by long-time associate, Larry Tee which was featured in Get Him To the Greek and other movies and TV shows.
In 2009 Kirschner was featured on Grandmaster Flash's record The Bridge, alongside Snoop Dogg and Busta Rhymes.
Kirschner produced New York rapper Kalae All Day's debut album AFROMATIKNEOHIPPIEROCK*SOLEMUSIK, released March 17, 2010.
In 2011 Kirschner released "Xmas Swagger" produced by the Rural, who have also produced Beyonce and Gorillaz.
Princess Superstar will release her sixth studio album The New Evolution in 2012. The album was funded by Superstar's fans, using Pledge Music.[8]
Kirschner is also a DJ who plays sets all over the world. She has released DJ recordings, such as Princess Is a DJ in 2002, Now Is the Winter of Our Discothèque in 2005, and American Gigolo III on International DeeJay Gigolo Records in 2007.
2011 "Xmas Swagger"