Cleo Sol

Cleo Sol
Birth nameCleopatra Nikolic
Born (1990-03-24) 24 March 1990 (age 34)
Ladbroke Grove, London, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2008–present
LabelsForever Living Originals
Member ofSault
Websitecleo-sol.com

Cleopatra Zvezdana Nikolic[2] (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 3/4 Scottish and 1/4 Panamanian.[3]

Music career

Cleo Sol made her debut in 2008 featuring on the single "Tears" by Tinie Tempah.[4] 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)".[5][6] She took a musical hiatus from 2012 to 2017.[1] She returned with the EP Winter Songs, released on 9 March 2018.[7] In 2019, she was featured on the single "Selfish" by British rapper Little Simz, reconnecting in 2021 with the rapper for the song "Woman".[8][9]

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.[10][11] The next year, she released her second studio album, titled Mother, on 20 August 2021.[12] 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.[13][14][15] The group rarely appears live or does interviews and Cleo Sol rarely performs live.[16]

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.[3][17][18]

Personal life

Cleo Sol is married to the English record producer Inflo (Dean Josiah Cover); their child was born in 2021.[19]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions
Title Details
Rose in the Dark
  • Released: 27 March 2020
  • Label: Forever Living Originals
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Mother
  • Released: 20 August 2021
  • Label: Forever Living Originals
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Heaven
  • Released: 15 September 2023
  • Label: Forever Living Originals
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Gold
  • Released: 29 September 2023
  • Label: Forever Living Originals
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming, vinyl

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with selected details
Title Details
Winter Songs
  • Released: 9 March 2018
  • Label: Forever Living Originals
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles

Overview of Cleo Sol singles
Title Year Album
"High"
(featuring Gappy Ranks) 		2011 Non-album single
"Never the Right Time (Who Do You Love)" 2012
"Code to Crack"
(with Toddla T featuring Scrufizzer)
"Why Don't You" 2017 Winter Songs & Rose in the Dark
"Try and You Try" Winter Songs
"One" 2019 Non-album single
"Sweet Blue"
"Butterfly" 2020 Rose in the Dark
"Shine" Non-album single
"Fear When You Fly" 2024 TBA
Singles featuring Cleo Sol
Title Year Album
"Tears"
(Tinie Tempah featuring Cleo Sol) 		2008 Non-album single
"Selfish"
(Little Simz featuring Cleo Sol) 		2019 Grey Area
"Woman"
(Little Simz featuring Cleo Sol) 		2021 Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Guest appearances

Miscellaneous recordings with Cleo Sol
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Ladder" 2012 Angel, Mark Asari 7 Minutes Before Time

References

  1. ^ a b "Music for Your Soul: An Interview with Cleo Sol". No Basic Girls Allowed. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Cleo Sol Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. ^ a b "Cleo Sol: Get Familiar". Soul in Stereo. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  4. ^ "GRM Exclusive: 11 Essential Tinie Tempah Tunes". GRM Daily. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Cleo Sol - The Vogue". The Vogue. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Cleo Sol - PRS for Music Foundation". PRS Foundation. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Premiere: Cleo Sol Shares Jazz-Inspired "Still Cold" Ahead Of New EP". Complex. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Little Simz connects with Cleo Sol for "Woman"". Revolt. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  9. ^ "She Got Next: 10 upcoming female artists to watch". Revolt. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Complex UK's Best Albums Of 2020". Complex. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Clash Albums of the Year 2020". Clash. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  12. ^ Empire, Kitty (22 August 2021). "Cleo Sol: Mother review – intimate, spacious soul-jazz". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  13. ^ Manno, Lizie (22 June 2020). "Sault's Album-of-the-Year Contender Embodies Black Excellence and Justified Fury". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  14. ^ Curto, Justin (9 July 2021). "Song Review: SAULT 'Bitter Streets' Off NINE With Cleo Sol". Vulture. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  15. ^ Homewood, Ben (1 October 2020). "Making Waves: Sault". Music Week. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  16. ^ Akinfenwa, Jumi (8 June 2023). "Cleo Sol review – rare gig shows neo-soul star is a natural live performer". Music. The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Get to Know: Cleo Sol". MTV.co.uk. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  18. ^ "British-Jamaican Singer Cleo Sol One of Eight Emerging Artists Changing the Sound of Soul". Jamaicans.com. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  19. ^ Heron, Tamera (16 July 2022). "How Cleo Sol emerged as the UK's most (reluctantly) coveted Neo-Soul / R&B new-age icon". The Blues Project. Retrieved 26 June 2023.