Photo Credit: Salim Adam
[Stefflon Don](https://www.instagram.com/stefflondon/?hl=en) is an international, global superstar, and we love to see it! Boasting 2.6 million followers on Instagram alone, thanks to her very loyal fanbase deemed The Dons, the singer-songwriter has established her name in the music industry creating endless bops and smashes for the masses to dance and vibe to.
Sporting a sexy British accent, Stefflon is the definition of a boss bitch who’s living her dreams out on the daily. Exploding onto the scene with her breakout single “Hurtin’ Me” featuring French Montana amassing over 2.3 billion streams and 444 million views. Fast forward to 2020, the Jamaica-bred native returns to her Caribbean roots to unleash her newest smash: “Can’t Let You Go.” This arrives after the release of “Move” earlier this year, following last year’s critically-acclaimed _Hurtin’ Me_ EP.
Fun fact, she’s also the first ever British recording artist to be part of XXL’s annual Freshman Class. Flaunt caught up with Stefflon via Zoom to talk about her past jobs, the excitement surrounding her new single, The Dons, her fashion style, and more!
**You say no new friends, do you like when people come to you asking for pictures?**
I appreciate it, but do I like it all the time? No. I’m super appreciative. If I could choose if I want people to run up to you or not, I'm going to always say yes because that means I'm doing a good job and people know who I am. People are inspired by me or they’re amazed, it’s a positive thing. Sometimes when I look like I've been through hell and I'm trying to go to the store for something quick, then no.
**Bring us back to when you were decorating cakes, what was Stefflon like then?**
I used to decorate cakes when I was 18 or 19, I did a course for 3 months. I used to watch this program on TV and I was so fascinated about how they made cakes, so I searched up online on how to decorate cakes. I did a course and started to do it as a hobby. Some people wanted me to do it as a business, so I did a couple things. Very short-term though.
**Do you still make cakes? I’d imagine it’s therapeutic.**
No, I don't do it anymore. It’s actually a very long process. It’s actually very expensive, buying all the little things to decorate it. I was making 3 tier cakes.
**You were also a hairdresser right?**
I did hairdressing because I didn't really like my own hair. No one was always, my sister used to do hair. When I started to do my hair, it was always “I can't do your hair, I can't do your hair.” Cool, I’ma learn how to do this myself. I can’t have nobody keep telling me they can’t do my hair and have me looking crazy. I learned how to do sew ins, then my friends started asking me to do sew ins. People would see my friends on the streets and be like “who did you get your sew ins?” They’d refer me, that's how I used to make my money doing hairdresser work.
**Did you ever imagine you would be this global superstar working those jobs?**
Yes, this is what I wanted to do. Everything else I did was literally until this career. I never rushed it, I never doubted. I kept working till it was my time.
**“Hurtin’ Me” with French Montana has over 170 million views on Youtube, how does that make you feel?**
Almost 200 million views, that’s big right? One thing with me releasing songs, I never know how well they’re going to do. Even if someone tells you “this is a hit, this is a slap,” you never know. Because all the songs I release, I believe they're good enough to be a smash. So okay, whatever happens happens. I'm happy to be here, doing some cool shit.
**Best memory from those days?**
I loved making it happen: creating the music, getting the videos done, traveling. We actually shot that video in LA and New York. We had to travel to New York to go to French Montana to shoot, I love all that shit.
**That was back in 2017, how have you evolved?**
As you evolve, you become different. You think different, you are different. I take my craft a lot more serious. Now, I'm aiming more for what exactly it is I want.
**What do you want?**
I want to chart some more. I don't make music purposefully for that, I never used to actually really think about it.
**New single “Can’t Let You Go” out now! How are you feeling?**
I'm excited. I'm super happy, loving the response. It’s always positive, it's never like what the hell is this? Apart from “Phone Down,” I had a negative response. \[laughs\]
**What happened with that song?**
You know what, it was so different to what I normally do, in a left way. It was more the label wanted to release that. I made that song 3 years before it got released, I didn't really like it anymore but they loved it and wanted to put it out. It wasn’t all the way bad, but coulda been better.
**The song’s such a vibe, what was the studio session like?**
Actually made it in my home office. I’m building a studio, but it’s not ready. I had my producer come to the home, we had to obviously be in the smallest room in the house. We made it in my little office at home. The beat really, the beat really told me what to say. \[laughs\]
**You say the record is nostalgic, what memories come up for you?**
It’s such a vibe. It’s such a love track, a loving track. No matter what you’re going through when you hear that song, it makes you want to dance. I feel like that right now.
**How much do you miss performing?**
You have to get with the program at the end of the day. You have to recreate and see what works and what doesn’t work, which we’re all learning now. I do miss doing shows, I miss seeing my fans. I miss dropping a song and knowing how it's doing through the crowd obviously. When the crowd sings along, you can tell by their energy how much they really love the song.
**What is it about Stefflon that the Dons love?**
Most of them always hit me telling me I really make them feel confident, that's one of the most common messages I get which is the key thing.
**Best encounter you had with a fan?**
Meet & Greets, when I meet my Dons after a show. Especially when I see them in the audience and I see them going crazy, I know they know the lines word for word. I meet them after and they’re so excited.
**Given how big you are in the UK, how do you plan to conquer the States?**
If I keep grinding, keep putting the work in, keep putting out good music, if my team’s doing their part — as long as the team does their part, I do my part. The internet. Everyone has internet so the greatest thing is you could be in Timbuktu and someone could still know who you are. I’d break it by producing keys, producing good music, and mostly, consistency. I hadn't been consistent on a lot of stuff, now I'm ready to be very consistent.
**How much are you working verses not?**
I’m not traveling anymore, most of my interviews are like this over Zoom. I’m just in the studio a lot.
**How did you find your way to Quality Control?**
My manager’s good friends with Coach, he used to come over and he’d play hIm some of my songs. Coach fucked with it, that's how I ended up on QC.
**Talk about being the first British female rapper featured on the XXL Freshman cover.**
I feel like I deserved that. \[laughs\] To have to be anyone right now at that time, I deserved that. Look at me.
**Ideal night off?**
Staying in bed, lit candles, and a good mood.
**3 things you need in the studio?**
I need a fucking sick producer, a sick beat, or a sick engineer. If my engineer isn’t good, then he’d ruin the whole vibe if they don't know how to record. That's all I need, I don't need much. I don't smoke, I don't take no drugs, I'm good.
**Do you drink?**
Sometimes.
**How would you describe your fashion sense?**
Ghetto meets fabulous. I love high street brands to be fair, not going to lie. Louis Vuitton, they have so much quality in their shit. Balenciaga’s quite cool as well.
**What can we expect from the “Can't Let You Go” video?**
It’s definitely going to be levelled up to a lot of my videos you’ve seen. This is a whole different side of me. I’m doing choreography. The last time I did choreography, I was in high school. This is real proper choreography. When people see it, it's a whole new Stef.
**What can we expect music-wise?**
Some vibey shit. Some vibes, some nice shit you’d want to put on repeat.
