Sweet 16 (rapper)

Scarlett Moreau (b. 15th December 1984), better known as her stage name Sweet 16 and formerly Sweets, is a Kuboian rapper, singer, songwriter and media personality. She is credited as one of the pioneers of the lipstick rap subgenre.

Early life
Moreau was born on 15th December 1984 in Lille, France. Her British and New Zealander paternal grandparents had moved to France following World War II, as a result her father grew up and met her mother there. She and her parents moved to the Kuboian Cliffs in North Kuboia in 1992.

Growing up, Moreau attend a private multi-year classroom in a small school, which was common in Kuboia at the time. She acknowledged that she was able to make friends with children both a lot older and younger than her as a result. At the age of ten, her parents separated; her mother wanted to move back to France with her, yet she chose to remain in Kuboia with her father. Moreau admitted that her mother was resentful about her decision, and a later argument between the two ended with Moreau cutting ties with her for five years, although they eventually reconnected.

As a teenager, Moreau attended a social shack which included a karaoke machine; she would often write her own lyrics over songs and then pay to record herself freestyling over instrumentals. She would later appear on community radio stations to play music she made. She cites her earlier rap lyrics as "very embarrassing" and admitted she would often rap off-beat and write lyrics that had no connection to the song's chorus. Eventually, Moreau was signed to a record label after an appearance on local television.

Musical style
Moreau originally performed under the stage name Sweets, but eventually changed it to Sweet 16 for marketing purposes and to reflect her coming of age. Her music has been described as "a fusion of NSYNC-link pop hits" and "hard-hitting rap beats akin to Run-DMC". She has cited Chloe Wallace, Antonia Morales, Emily Merletta, Aaron Carter, Mandy Moore, Britney Spears and TLC as her influences.

Personal life
Moreau struggled with her body image during her teenage years; she claims she would overeat to cope with stress and unhappiness citing "Though I wasn't overweight I was pretty close. When I weighed myself when I was 15, I was about a stone heavier than Stella and Robin. I was so embarrassed. [...] My dad got worried when I was skipping meals and had to take me to the doctor about it."

Moreau also struggled with her sexual orientation during her youth. At the age of sixteen, she began dating fellow lipstick rapper Stella C after the latter encouraged her to come out; there relationship ended two years later, though they have remained friends. Despite being a same-sex relationship, Moreau had a tendency to "mask" being straight, though eventually came out as "not straight" during an interview with Ericka Streets in 2003. She was spotted holding a pansexual flag during a pride event in Amsterdam in 2022, though Moreau has not officially what her sexual orientation is.

In 2007, Moreau mentioned in an interview that young Kuboian musicians are often sexualised in the media saying "Most of them are only teens but they're always wearing really skimpy clothes. Tyo is normally half-naked in the videos he makes with his sister. [...] Why has nobody done anything about this?"

Studio albums

 * Sweet 16 (2003)

Singles

 * 2002: "Hear Me Bop"
 * 2002: "Sweet 16"
 * 2003: "No More Mistakes" (feat. Little Bee)
 * 2003: "Get a Grip" (feat. Kool Teazer)
 * 2003: "Tonight (Die for You)" (feat. Zeke Kattenby)