Kayo Shekoni
Encyclopedia
Kayode Maria Söderberg Shekoni (born 17 April 1964), better known as Kayo Shekoni, or just Kayo, is a Swedish pop
/dance
singer, TV personality and actress of Nigerian descent.
. Kayo left the group with the release of the fourth single Vill ha dej
. She then worked as a backup singer and dancer for various Swedish artists such as The Creeps
and Anders Glenmark
. She is a classically trained ballet dancer and performed professionally for many years. In 1990 she became part of the Nordik beat
scene and released a self titled influenced club-soul album on The SweMix
Label, the music was mostly swingbeat but some tracks were reggae
and house
and featured hip hop
influences. It was produced by label co-founder Stonebridge
with Christian Falk
and Alexander Bard
(from Army of lovers
). She released 4 hit singles of the album. Her second album was a Swedish language soul-pop album entitled ‘’Kärleksland’’ and featured songs by Orup
and was well received by radio.
After acting in a couple of teenage movies in the mid 90's, she became one half of Le Click
, who had several hit singles in North America
and Germany
during the 1990s. Later on, she became part of the pop group Afro-dite
in the early 2000s, reaching the finals at Melodifestivalen 2002
with the song "Never Let It Go" and representing Sweden in the Eurovision song contest
in Tallinn
the same year. In 2003 Afro-dite
once again was at Melodifestivalen with the song "Aqua Playa".
In 2006, Kayo sang in Melodifestivalen as a solo artist and did not reach the finals. She has released some solo singles, such as "Another Mother" (#11 in Sweden) in 1991, and "(If It Makes You) Feel Good" in 2006. Kayo Shekoni has also hosted Förkväll
on TV4 and Fångarna på fortet ( the latter with cross-country skiing star Gunde Svan
).
Today she works as a skin therapist and but also takes on showbiz assignments. In spring 2010 she performed at the Melodifestivalen, not as a competitor, but performing a medley of past winning songs with several previous winners. In 2010 the co-hosted pan-Scandinavian TV-show Inför Eurovision Song Contest 2010, series of four episodes, analyzing all the competing songs submitted to that years Eurovision Song Contest
She also works as a DJ, co-runs a night club and performs with disco
& cocktailjazz
band Cotton Club (band) and Afro-Dite
.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
singer, TV personality and actress of Nigerian descent.
Career
Kayo started out as a singer in the 80’s with Swedish synth-pop band FreestyleFreestyle (Swedish band)
Freestyle was a short lived Swedish electronic music group active in the early 1980s. The original line-up consisted of Tommy Ekman, Christer Sandelin, Gigi Hamilton, Joakim Hagleitner, Anders Uddberg and Kayo Shekoni, but Kayo left the group with the release of the fourth single Vill ha dej and...
. Kayo left the group with the release of the fourth single Vill ha dej
Vill ha dej
Vill ha dej is 1980 single by Swedish synthpop group Freestyle. While being about love, the song also references to school and school classes. Side B of the vinyl contains English language versions of songs on the A side...
. She then worked as a backup singer and dancer for various Swedish artists such as The Creeps
The Creeps
"The Creeps" is a song written and sung by Camille Jones, and remixed and produced by Fedde le Grand. It has a techno party beat and quiet singing....
and Anders Glenmark
Anders Glenmark
Anders Glenmark is a Swedish pop and rock singer, as well as one of Sweden's most successful music producers and song writers. He is the brother of singer Karin Glenmark and nephew of band leader Bruno Glenmark. Among the artists he's written and produced for are Eva Dahlgren, Orup, Ted Gärdestad...
. She is a classically trained ballet dancer and performed professionally for many years. In 1990 she became part of the Nordik beat
Nordik beat
-Origins:The Scandinavian electro-pop scene kickstarted with the invention of the Nordik Beat sound in Stockholm in the late 1980s. By merging the new technologies at the time, building small inexpensive studios armed with computers and samplers rather than traditional instruments and studio...
scene and released a self titled influenced club-soul album on The SweMix
Cheiron Studios
Cheiron Studios was a recording studio located at Kungsholmen, Stockholm, Sweden founded in 1992 by Denniz PoP and Tom Talomaa. Cheiron Studios was apart from being a recording studio, also a label Cheiron Records in affiliation with BMG for a while, and the music publishing service Cheiron Songs...
Label, the music was mostly swingbeat but some tracks were reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
and featured hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
influences. It was produced by label co-founder Stonebridge
Stonebridge
-Places:*Stonebridge, Essex, a hamlet in Essex, United Kingdom*Stonebridge, London, an area in northwest London, United Kingdom*Stonebridge, Norfolk, a village in Norfolk, United Kingdom...
with Christian Falk
Christian Falk
Christian Falk is a Swedish record producer and musician.Falk released the hit single, "Make It Right", in 2000. In 2008, he released a new version of "Calling You" with Jevetta Steele's vocals...
and Alexander Bard
Alexander Bard
Alexander Bengt Magnus Bard is a Swedish artist, music producer and writer.-Background and education:Bard was born Alexander Bengt Magnus Bard in Medevi, Motala Municipality, Sweden. After he had completed his upper secondary education, Bard studied in the United States and in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
(from Army of lovers
Army Of Lovers
Army of Lovers are a Swedish dance music group formed in 1987.The name of the band alludes to a documentary Armee der Liebenden oder Revolte der Perversen about the German gay rights activist Rosa von Praunheim, the title of which in turn alludes to the Theban Band.-History:The founding members,...
). She released 4 hit singles of the album. Her second album was a Swedish language soul-pop album entitled ‘’Kärleksland’’ and featured songs by Orup
Orup
Orup is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter and guitarist who enjoyed major success in his native country in the late 1980s and early 1990s with songs like "M.B.", "Då står pojkarna på rad", "Magaluf", "Stockholm" and "Regn hos mej." Orup has also written several songs for other performers...
and was well received by radio.
After acting in a couple of teenage movies in the mid 90's, she became one half of Le Click
Le Click
Le Click was a Eurodance duo created in Germany by the record producer, Frank Farian. Le Click consisted of Swedish singer Kayo Shekoni and rapper/singer Robert Haynes. In the UK, Le Click are considered to be one-hit wonders.-Career:Le Click's U.S...
, who had several hit singles in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during the 1990s. Later on, she became part of the pop group Afro-dite
Afro-dite
Afro-dite is a Swedish pop group made up of three pop singers. The group consists of Blossom Tainton-Lindquist, Gladys del Pilar and Kayo Shekoni. The name is a play on words implying they are beautiful as Greek goddess Aphrodite and being...
in the early 2000s, reaching the finals at Melodifestivalen 2002
Melodifestivalen 2002
Melodifestivalen 2002 was the selection for the 42nd song to represent Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest. It was the 41st time that this system of picking a song had been used. Five semifinals had taken place to select the ten songs for the final, in Växjö, Norrköping, Sundsvall, Falun and a...
with the song "Never Let It Go" and representing Sweden in the Eurovision song contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
the same year. In 2003 Afro-dite
Afro-dite
Afro-dite is a Swedish pop group made up of three pop singers. The group consists of Blossom Tainton-Lindquist, Gladys del Pilar and Kayo Shekoni. The name is a play on words implying they are beautiful as Greek goddess Aphrodite and being...
once again was at Melodifestivalen with the song "Aqua Playa".
In 2006, Kayo sang in Melodifestivalen as a solo artist and did not reach the finals. She has released some solo singles, such as "Another Mother" (#11 in Sweden) in 1991, and "(If It Makes You) Feel Good" in 2006. Kayo Shekoni has also hosted Förkväll
Förkväll
Förkväll is a Swedish daily talk show that started airing in 2006 on TV4 in Sweden.Förkväll focuses on life style and popular culture and is an attempt to compete with the SVT show Gokväll, but for a younger demographic....
on TV4 and Fångarna på fortet ( the latter with cross-country skiing star Gunde Svan
Gunde Svan
Gunde Svan is a former Swedish cross-country skier and auto racing driver. During his career he won a total of four gold, one silver and one bronze medals at the Winter Olympics...
).
Today she works as a skin therapist and but also takes on showbiz assignments. In spring 2010 she performed at the Melodifestivalen, not as a competitor, but performing a medley of past winning songs with several previous winners. In 2010 the co-hosted pan-Scandinavian TV-show Inför Eurovision Song Contest 2010, series of four episodes, analyzing all the competing songs submitted to that years Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
She also works as a DJ, co-runs a night club and performs with disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
& cocktailjazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band Cotton Club (band) and Afro-Dite
Afro-dite
Afro-dite is a Swedish pop group made up of three pop singers. The group consists of Blossom Tainton-Lindquist, Gladys del Pilar and Kayo Shekoni. The name is a play on words implying they are beautiful as Greek goddess Aphrodite and being...
.
Trivia
- Is fluent in German.
- Robert Haynes, the other half of Le Click, left the group because of personal matters.
Albums
- Kayo 1990
- Kärleksland 1993
- Out There (Featuring Kayo) 1996
- Le Click (Featuring Kayo) Only released in The USA & GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) 1997 - Never Let It Go (med Afro-diteAfro-diteAfro-dite is a Swedish pop group made up of three pop singers. The group consists of Blossom Tainton-Lindquist, Gladys del Pilar and Kayo Shekoni. The name is a play on words implying they are beautiful as Greek goddess Aphrodite and being...
) 2002
Singles
- Vill Ha Dig (with Freestyle) 1980
- Time's On My Side (with Supereffect) 1984
- Hot Stuff (with Stanton Klub) 1988
- Hon Sa (with Anders Glenmark) 1990
- Natural Experience (only released in the UK) 1990
- Säg Vad Du Vill/Tid För Mig (with Jean-Paul Wall) 1990
- Change Of Attitude 1990
- Another Mother 1990
- Gimme Your Love 1991
- Brother 1991
- Do You Know (with Lab 5) 1991
- Thing Called Love (with Natural Experience) 1992
- Don't Leave Me (with Natural Experience) 1992
- Om Natten 1993
- Sommar 1993
- Kärleksland 1993
- Torka Dina Tårar 1993
- Om Du Vill Ha Mig Som Jag Är 1993
- Let It Begin - Peace In Mind (with Out There) 1996
- These Honest Hands (with Out There) 1996
- Call Me (with Le ClickLe ClickLe Click was a Eurodance duo created in Germany by the record producer, Frank Farian. Le Click consisted of Swedish singer Kayo Shekoni and rapper/singer Robert Haynes. In the UK, Le Click are considered to be one-hit wonders.-Career:Le Click's U.S...
) 1997 - Call Me-New Mixes (with Le ClickLe ClickLe Click was a Eurodance duo created in Germany by the record producer, Frank Farian. Le Click consisted of Swedish singer Kayo Shekoni and rapper/singer Robert Haynes. In the UK, Le Click are considered to be one-hit wonders.-Career:Le Click's U.S...
) 1997 - Don't Go (with Le ClickLe ClickLe Click was a Eurodance duo created in Germany by the record producer, Frank Farian. Le Click consisted of Swedish singer Kayo Shekoni and rapper/singer Robert Haynes. In the UK, Le Click are considered to be one-hit wonders.-Career:Le Click's U.S...
) 1997 - Voodoo Fever (with Le ClickLe ClickLe Click was a Eurodance duo created in Germany by the record producer, Frank Farian. Le Click consisted of Swedish singer Kayo Shekoni and rapper/singer Robert Haynes. In the UK, Le Click are considered to be one-hit wonders.-Career:Le Click's U.S...
) 1997 - Show Me (med Le ClickLe ClickLe Click was a Eurodance duo created in Germany by the record producer, Frank Farian. Le Click consisted of Swedish singer Kayo Shekoni and rapper/singer Robert Haynes. In the UK, Le Click are considered to be one-hit wonders.-Career:Le Click's U.S...
) 1997 - Tell Me That You Want Me (with Le ClickLe ClickLe Click was a Eurodance duo created in Germany by the record producer, Frank Farian. Le Click consisted of Swedish singer Kayo Shekoni and rapper/singer Robert Haynes. In the UK, Le Click are considered to be one-hit wonders.-Career:Le Click's U.S...
) 1997 - Something To Dream Of (with Le ClickLe ClickLe Click was a Eurodance duo created in Germany by the record producer, Frank Farian. Le Click consisted of Swedish singer Kayo Shekoni and rapper/singer Robert Haynes. In the UK, Le Click are considered to be one-hit wonders.-Career:Le Click's U.S...
) 1997 - If I Can't Have You (with LFO (band)) 1998
- Wannabe (Somebody Special) 1998
- Never Let It Go (with Afro-Dite) 2002
- Rivers Of Joy/Shining Star (with Afro-Dite) 2002
- I Love Clubbers (with Clubbers International) 2002
- Turn It Up (with Afro-DiteAfro-diteAfro-dite is a Swedish pop group made up of three pop singers. The group consists of Blossom Tainton-Lindquist, Gladys del Pilar and Kayo Shekoni. The name is a play on words implying they are beautiful as Greek goddess Aphrodite and being...
) 2002 - Aqua Playa (med Afro-DiteAfro-diteAfro-dite is a Swedish pop group made up of three pop singers. The group consists of Blossom Tainton-Lindquist, Gladys del Pilar and Kayo Shekoni. The name is a play on words implying they are beautiful as Greek goddess Aphrodite and being...
) 2003 - In Your Life (with La BoucheLa BoucheLa Bouche was a Eurodance/Dance-pop duo formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1994, originally consisting of Melanie Thornton and Lane McCray, scoring two major worldwide hits in the mid-1990s with "Be My Lover" and "Sweet Dreams"....
) 2003 - Innan Natten Är Över 2006
- (If It Makes You) Feel Good 2007