Cleo Sol
{{Short description|English musical artist (born 1990)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Cleo Sol
| image =
| alt =
| caption = RnB musicianist
| birth_name = Cleopatra Nikolic
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|03|24|df=y}}
| birth_place = Ladbroke Grove, London, England
| alias =
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter}}
| years_active = 2008–present
| genre = {{flatlist|
- British soul{{cite web|url=https://nobasicgirlsallowed.com/cleo-sol-music-for-your-soul/|title=Music for Your Soul: An Interview with Cleo Sol|publisher=No Basic Girls Allowed|date=11 March 2019|access-date=20 August 2021}}
- alternative R&B
}}
| label = Forever Living Originals
| current_member_of = Sault
| website = {{url|cleo-sol.com}}
}}
Cleopatra Zvezdana Nikolic{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cleo-sol-mn0002448381/biography|title=Cleo Sol Biography & History|website=AllMusic}} (born 24 March 1990), better known by her stage name Cleo Sol, is an English singer-songwriter. Working closely with her husband, the producer Dean Josiah Cover, she has released five solo studio albums beginning with the EP Winter Songs (2018), followed by full-lengths Rose in the Dark (2020), Mother (2021), Heaven (2023), and Gold (2023) and is the lead vocalist of music group Sault.
Early life
Cleo Sol was born in Ladbroke Grove to jazz musicians who lived in Notting Hill. Cleo grew up in Ladbroke Grove. Her mother is Serbian-Spanish and her father is Jamaican.{{cite web|url=http://soulculture.com/features/interviews/cleo-sol-get-familiar-interview/|title=Cleo Sol: Get Familiar|publisher=Soul in Stereo|date=14 November 2011|access-date=20 August 2021}}
Music career
Cleo Sol made her debut in 2008 featuring on the single "Tears" by Tinie Tempah.{{cite web|url=https://grmdaily.com/11-essential-tinie-tempah-tunes/|title=GRM Exclusive: 11 Essential Tinie Tempah Tunes|website=GRM Daily|date=29 February 2020|access-date=22 August 2021}} In 2011 Cleo Sol signed to DaVinChe's record label Dirty Canvas and Island Records, releasing singles such as "High" and "Never the Right Time (Who Do You Love)".{{cite web|url=https://thevogue.com/artists/cleo-sol-2/|title=Cleo Sol - The Vogue|website=The Vogue|access-date=22 August 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://prsfoundation.com/grantees/cleo-sol/|title=Cleo Sol - PRS for Music Foundation|website=PRS Foundation|access-date=22 August 2021}} She took a musical hiatus from 2012 to 2017. She returned with the EP Winter Songs, released on 9 March 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2018/03/premiere-cleo-sol-still-cold|title=Premiere: Cleo Sol Shares Jazz-Inspired "Still Cold" Ahead Of New EP|website=Complex|date=8 March 2018|access-date=22 August 2021}} In 2019, she was featured on the single "Selfish" by British rapper Little Simz, reconnecting in 2021 with the rapper for the song "Woman".{{cite web|url=https://www.revolt.tv/new-music/2021/5/12/22432362/little-simz-cleo-sol-woman-video|title=Little Simz connects with Cleo Sol for "Woman"|website=Revolt|date=12 May 2021|access-date=22 August 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.revolt.tv/2019/3/22/20825118/she-got-next-10-upcoming-female-artists-to-watch|title=She Got Next: 10 upcoming female artists to watch|website=Revolt|date=22 March 2019|access-date=22 August 2021}}
Cleo Sol released her debut studio album, Rose in the Dark, on 27 March 2020. It was included by Complex and Clash in their end-of-year lists.{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2020/12/complex-uk-best-albums-of-2020/|title=Complex UK's Best Albums Of 2020|website=Complex|date=22 December 2020|access-date=22 August 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/clash-albums-of-the-year-2020|title=Clash Albums of the Year 2020|website=Clash|date=14 December 2020|access-date=22 August 2021}} The next year, she released her second studio album, titled Mother, on 20 August 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/22/cleo-sol-mother-review-sault-inflo|title=Cleo Sol: Mother review – intimate, spacious soul-jazz|last=Empire|first=Kitty|website=The Guardian|date=22 August 2021|access-date=22 August 2021}} Surprise albums Heaven and Gold followed in September 2023. She is a member of the UK based musical collective SAULT who have released eleven studio albums.{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/sault/sault-untitled-black-is-review/|title=Sault's Album-of-the-Year Contender Embodies Black Excellence and Justified Fury|work=Paste Magazine|first=Lizie|last=Manno|date=22 June 2020|access-date=20 August 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/07/song-review-sault-bitter-streets-nine-cleo-sol.html|title=Song Review: SAULT 'Bitter Streets' Off NINE With Cleo Sol|first=Justin|last=Curto|work=Vulture|date=9 July 2021|access-date=20 August 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.musicweek.com/waves/read/making-waves-sault/081360|title=Making Waves: Sault|first=Ben|last=Homewood|website=Music Week|date=1 October 2020|access-date=22 August 2021}} The group rarely appears live or does interviews and Cleo Sol rarely performs live.{{Cite news |newspaper=The Guardian |language=en-GB |last=Akinfenwa |first=Jumi |title=Cleo Sol review – rare gig shows neo-soul star is a natural live performer |department=Music |date=8 June 2023 |issn=1756-3224 |oclc=60623878 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/08/cleo-sol-review-koko-first-london-headline-little-simz-chronixx |access-date=30 September 2023}}
Musical style
Cleo Sol has cited influences including Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. She grew up listening to reggae, Motown, jazz, and Latin music.{{cite web|url=https://www.mtv.co.uk/news/vd8nul/get-to-know-cleo-sol|title=Get to Know: Cleo Sol|publisher=MTV.co.uk|date=25 March 2019|access-date=20 August 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://jamaicans.com/british-jamaican-singer-cleo-sol-one-of-eight-emerging-artists-changing-the-sound-of-soul/|title=British-Jamaican Singer Cleo Sol One of Eight Emerging Artists Changing the Sound of Soul|publisher=Jamaicans.com|date=15 October 2018|access-date=20 August 2021}}
Personal life
Cleo Sol is married to the English record producer Inflo (Dean Josiah Cover); their child was born in 2021.{{Cite web |last=Heron |first=Tamera |date=2022-07-16 |title=How Cleo Sol emerged as the UK's most (reluctantly) coveted Neo-Soul / R&B new-age icon |url=https://thebluesproject.co/2022/07/cleo-sol-uk-rnb-neo-soul-music-icon/ |access-date=26 June 2023 |website=The Blues Project |language=en-GB}}
Discography
=Studio albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions ! scope="col" style="width:8em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:21em;"| Details |
| scope="row"| Rose in the Dark
|
|
|---|
| scope="row"| Mother
|
|
| scope="row"| Heaven
|
|
| scope="row"| Gold
|
|
=Extended plays=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of extended plays, with selected details ! scope="col" style="width:9em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:19em;"| Details |
| scope="row"| Winter Songs
|
|
|---|
=Singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+Overview of Cleo Sol singles ! scope="col"| Title ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Album |
| scope="row"| "High" {{small|(featuring Gappy Ranks)}} | 2011 | rowspan="3" {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
|---|
| scope="row"| "Never the Right Time (Who Do You Love)"
| rowspan="2"| 2012 |
| scope="row"| "Code to Crack" {{small|(with Toddla T featuring Scrufizzer)}} |
| scope="row"| "Why Don't You"
| rowspan="2"| 2017 | Winter Songs & Rose in the Dark |
| scope="row"| "Try and You Try"
| Winter Songs |
| scope="row"| "One"
| rowspan="2"| 2019 | rowspan="2" {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"| "Sweet Blue" |
| scope="row"| "Butterfly"
| rowspan="2"| 2020 | Rose in the Dark |
| scope="row"| "Shine"
| {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"| "Fear When You Fly"
| 2024 | {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
==As featured artist==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+Singles featuring Cleo Sol ! scope="col"| Title ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Album |
| scope="row"| "Tears" {{small|(Tinie Tempah featuring Cleo Sol)}} | 2008 | {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
|---|
| scope="row"| "Selfish" {{small|(Little Simz featuring Cleo Sol)}} | 2019 |
| scope="row"| "Woman" {{small|(Little Simz featuring Cleo Sol)}} | 2021 |
=Guest appearances=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+Miscellaneous recordings with Cleo Sol ! scope="col"| Title ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Other artist(s) ! scope="col"| Album |
| scope="row"| "Ladder"
| 2012 | Angel, Mark Asari | 7 Minutes Before Time |
|---|
References
{{reflist}}
{{Sault}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sol, Cleo}}
Category:English women singers
Category:21st-century Black British women singers
Category:21st-century English women singers
Category:British contemporary R&B singers
Category:Singers from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Category:People from Ladbroke Grove
Category:English people of Serbian descent