Jennifer Brown

Born in Hjällbo, Gothenburg, Sweden, the R&B-tinged pop vocalist first built a substantial following across her native country and in Japan, then shifted focus toward breaking into the American market during the closing years of the 1990s. As a teenager she collaborated with producer Anders Bagge on the November 1993 single “Heaven Come Down,” which immediately reached number one on the Swedish charts; the same success greeted her debut album Giving You My Best the next year, a collection whose style recalled sub-Mariah Carey pop. The 1996 successor In My Garden was cut in Los Angeles, California under the guidance of veteran producer Rhett Lawrence and included the Kim Carnes ballad “When To Hold On.” Both releases performed strongly in Japan, yet Brown redirected her ambitions Stateside for the third album Vera. Working in Philadelphia with songwriter Billy Mann, she replaced the lighter pop sound of her earlier work with a stronger groove emphasis, while the standout tracks “Two In The Morning,” “Naked (When I Take Off All My Clothes)” and “Tuesday Afternoon” replaced romantic platitudes with candid explorations of sexuality.