Jodie Connor

Following her near-miss in the closing rounds of Pop Idol in 2003, Manchester-born R&B vocalist Jodie Connor emerged as a consistent presence on the U.K. charts seven years afterward, one of the scarce female voices sharing the grime-pop landscape occupied by Tinie Tempah, Labrinth, and Chipmunk. Raised in Oldham, Connor drew early motivation from Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Alicia Keys while entering multiple talent competitions throughout the North West of England and eventually auditioning for the second season of Simon Cowell’s popular series. Although she advanced to the wildcard round, she was edged out of the finals by eventual Top Five contestants Susanne Manning and Sam Nixon, yet soon received guidance from Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B., who nurtured her vocal technique and songwriting skills. After a short-lived spell in a girl group, she recruited producer Dawood and self-proclaimed Godfather of Grime Wiley for several recordings, among them “Good Times,” which later topped the charts for Connor and East London collective Roll Deep. Bolstered by that success and guest spots on Tinchy Stryder’s “In My System” plus Wiley’s “Electric Boogaloo,” she left her position at Youth Offending Services, where she had assisted families confronting substance issues, and secured a contract with Polydor Records. As the first female artist signed to Takeover Entertainment—shortly after the company finalized its arrangement with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation—Connor traveled to the United States to collaborate with veteran writers Makeba Riddick (Beyoncé, Rihanna) and James Fauntleroy (Leona Lewis, Ciara). Having joined Roll Deep at Glastonbury, Wireless, and Wakestock, appeared on the Clubland and MOBO Award circuits, and opened for Diddy-Dirty Money during their U.K. dates, she issued her debut single “Now or Never” in 2011.