Known for her eclectic style that blends hip-hop, electronica and punk rock influences, American rapper and DJ Princess Superstar has been a fixture of the international music scene for roughly three decades. Alice Linehan spoke to the artist ahead of her takeover of the Mother Pride Block Party stage on June 29, it promises a set that crowds won’t soon forget.

Also known as Concetta Kirschner, Princess Superstar started her career in the mid-’90s. Originally performing with the group, The Gamma Rays, she made her first demo tape under her new stage name in 1994. She describes her music as ‘flip-flop’, encompassing the different genres she explores. “It’s kind of hip hop, but it’s not at all,” she explained.

“I’m a rapper, but I also just love so many different genres of music, whether it’s dance or even punk rock… If you listen to my whole discography, you will hear indie rock, you’ll hear everything… Pull up a chair if you want to hear about 30 years of being a musician,” she laughed.

Reflecting on the early days of her career, she remembered: “In a nutshell, I started touring in a van, eating McDonald’s and sleeping at a Motel 6 in the ‘90s. And then I really worked hard, put out a few records on some indie label, then also a label I started myself.”