Lady Sovereign News

On May 8, San Francisco music fan Zach Slow launched a website, helpmegetrandomwithladysovereign.com, to raise money to take out British rapper Lady Sovereign on a dream date. And one month, one day, nearly 1 million hits, and $10,000 later, his dream actually came true.

On May 30, Lady Sovereign's manager contacted Slow, saying that if Slow was able to reach the $10,000 goal advertised on his site, Sovereign would accept his invitation. (Sovereign's manager also requested that if Slow did not meet his $10,000 goal, he donate whatever money he did raise to the charity of Sovereign's choice.) Just a few days before Lady Sovereign's June 9 San Francisco tour stop, Slow had only raised about $3,000, but on June 6 an anonymous donor offered to match every dollar donated two-to-one. Then, on the day of Sovereign's show at San Francisco's Fillmore, a Santa Barbara company offered to donate $500 to Slow's cause if he brainstormed with them about viral marketing campaigns. That offer put Slow at the $10,000 mark, so later that evening, Sovereign and Slow finally went out on a post-concert date that neither will soon forget.

The unlikely odd couple--whose first meeting was captured for posterity by local TV news cameras--spent the evening driving around in an SUV limo, guzzling champagne, and cruising the harbor in a private yacht. The night ended with Sovereign, Slow, and their respective entourages relaxing in a luxury suite at a five-star hotel.

In his online journal, Slow writes of the experience: I've always had a ton of ideas constantly running through my head--it's been that way as far back as I can remember....For whatever reason, in the past couple of years I had stopped taking as many crazy risks. I had even started repressing the creative juices that had always been pulsing in me....This project has been really incredibly life-changing for me. Who would have thought seeing my favorite U.K. emcee would transform my life? This has reminded me that you absolutely, no matter what anyone else says, have to take risks to get exactly what you want out of life....I really believe that and this simple project has reaffirmed that for me. Stepping up, asking for what you want in life, and then working to get exactly that is probably the most fulfilling single thing you can do in your life. If you're holding back, I suggest you think to yourself, "If Zach Slow can make a crazy website to go out with his favorite emcee, then I can surely do whatever the hell I want! After all, it would be impossible to look crazier than him!"

A full recap of Slow's date with Lady Sovereign, complete with photos, can be found in the "Journal" section at helpmegetrandomwithladysovereign.com.