Titiyo

In Sweden, the honor of being hailed Queen of Soul may not rank among contemporary music's most fiercely contested titles, yet Titiyo has undeniably earned the widespread praise granted by her native country, with her reputation having crossed borders throughout much of Europe.

Born Titiyo Jah in Stockholm in 1967, she is the half sister of vocalist Neneh Cherry, whose father is the Sierra Leone-born percussionist Ahmaduja from the Africa Hi-Life Orchestra. Cherry played a pivotal role in directing Titiyo toward a stage career, motivating her to develop her singing voice and pursue sonic avenues seldom explored by Swedish pop at the time. Fronting her own ensemble by 1987, Titiyo performed rare groove covers on the local Stockholm scene before securing a contract with Telegram in 1989.

Her debut hit followed that June when "Talking to the Man in the Moon" rose to number six on the Swedish chart. "After the Rain" reached number 13 in November, and the next summer brought her self-titled first album, which climbed to number three while earning favorable notice from U.S. listeners through an Arista release. Any imminent breakthrough was delayed, however, when Titiyo took two years away to care for her newborn first child, returning only in September 1993 with a version of Aretha Franklin's "Never Let Me Go" that peaked at number 25 in Sweden.

This Is Titiyo, her second album, appeared in 1993 and included contributions from both parents, Titiyo's mother being a skilled pianist. Further hits "Back and Forth" and "Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming" emerged from the set, and even before her London debut at the Astoria in February 1994, garage remixes of several tracks had become club staples.

Over the following two years her work largely consisted of guest appearances, among them recordings with the Blacknuss All Stars on "It Should Have Been With You" and with Stakka Bo & the Flesh Quartet on "We Vie," plus a duet with half brother Eagle-Eye Cherry on "Worried Eyes" for the Best Laid Plans soundtrack. Her own next release, Extended, arrived in late 1997 as a self-produced and self-composed effort distinguished by the single "Josefin Dean."

A four-year hiatus then preceded Come Along in 2001. Created with the songwriting partnership of Peter Svensson from the Cardigans and Jocke Berg from Kent, and helmed by producer Tore Johansson, the album received its U.S. release on Lava in August 2002.