*Eve says some of the same music-industry rooms where she was building her career also made her feel she needed to shrink herself — even when her instincts ultimately proved right.
Looking back on her rise in a new Guardian interview, the Philadelphia-born rapper recalled being the only woman in major-label meetings as she worked on her 2001 album “Scorpion.”
Eve Had to Fight for Gwen Stefani
One battle centered on “Let Me Blow Ya Mind.” Eve wanted No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani on the record, but she said executives initially resisted pairing a rapper with a rock star.
“Guys, this will work. Trust me,” Eve recalled telling them.
It did. The collaboration became one of Eve’s signature hits and earned Eve and Stefani a Grammy. EURweb has previously chronicled the song’s success and the pair’s musical connection.
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But winning that argument didn’t mean Eve felt heard more broadly.
‘Oh, That’s Cute. We’re Not Doing That’
Eve said many of her suggestions received a far different response: “Oh, that’s cute. We’re not doing that.”
She described feeling unable to be her “full, excited self” around executives and said the atmosphere made her suppress herself and “stay small.”
Years later, however, one of those industry relationships came full circle. Eve said her former A&R executive called to apologize and acknowledged that some of her ideas deserved more consideration.
“I really wish we listened to you a little bit more — you had some good ideas,” she recalled him saying.
Eve called the moment “validating.”
The Pushback Wasn’t New
Her latest recollection adds another chapter to something Eve has discussed before. As EURweb reported in 2024, she wrote in her memoir about receiving pushback throughout her career, including an executive who suggested she leave music and start a family. (EURweb) Eurweb
The success didn’t come without a cost. Eve also told The Guardian that the grind following “Scorpion” left her burned out, and she eventually had to reconsider how she wanted to live.
Decades removed from those boardrooms, Eve can now look back knowing at least one of the people who once dismissed her ideas eventually admitted she had been worth listening to.
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