British rapper Lady Sovereign nearly missed out on the big time when she "messed up" her intimate audition with Usher and Jay-Z - because she was drunk.

Sovereign - real name Louise Harman - gave a private performance to president of Def Jam records Jay-Z and singer Usher in 2005 in a bid to win a deal with the prestigious record company, but was so nervous, she had to drink vodka to calm herself down.

The rapper tells London's Time Out, "I was anxious because I didn't know what to expect, so I downed some vodka to steady my nerves. Usher was in there with Jay-Z, who didn't say much. He was just grinning a lot, but he's a really serious guy. He said, 'Are you ready for this?' And I was like, 'Arggh.' I did a couple of freestyles and some pre-written stuff, but I choked halfway through. I thought I f---ed up, but I obviously didn't because an hour later they called my manager, and that was it."

Lady Sovereign will open for pop star Gwen Stefani on her upcoming tour. The shows kick-off on April 27 in Universal City, California and end on June 23 in Irvine, California.

Visit Lady Sov's Starpulse Page for a gallery of photos, biography, recent and archived news, and much more!

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)