Cleo Sol

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cleo Sol
Birth nameCleopatra Nikolic
Born (1991-03-24) 24 March 1991 (age 30)
Ladbroke Grove, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
Years active2008 - present
LabelsForever Living Originals
Associated acts
Websitewww.cleo-sol.com

Cleopatra Zvezdana Nikolic[2] (born 24 March 1991), better known by her stage name Cleo Sol, is a British singer-songwriter. Working closely with the producer Inflo, she has released two solo studio albums, Rose in the Dark (2020) and Mother (2021), and is a member of the R&B collective Sault.

Early life[]

Cleo Sol was born and raised in Ladbroke Grove, London. Her mother is Serbian-Spanish and her father is Jamaican. Both are musicians.[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, Cleo Sol was featured on the single "Selfish" by British rapper Little Simz, reconnecting in 2021 with the rapper for the song "Woman".[8][9]

She released her debut studio album, Rose in the Dark, on 27 March 2020, included by Complex and Clash in their end-of-year lists.[10][11] The following year, Nikolic released her second studio album, titled Mother, on 20 August 2021.[12]

She is rumoured to be a member of the British R&B group Sault who have released five studio albums.[13][14][15]

Musical style[]

Cleo Sol has cited influences from Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott while growing up on genres such as reggae, Motown and Latin music.[3][16][17]

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
Mother
  • Released: 20 August 2021
  • Label: Forever Living Originals
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming

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[]

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

As featured artist[]

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[]

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. ^ "Get to Know: Cleo Sol". MTV.co.uk. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  17. ^ "British-Jamaican Singer Cleo Sol One of Eight Emerging Artists Changing the Sound of Soul". Jamaicans.com. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
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