Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964) and known as
Neneh Cherry is a two-time
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
-nominated and
MTV Europe Music AwardThe MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
-winning
singer-songwriterA singer–songwriter is a musician who writes, composes and sings their own material including lyrics and melodies. They often provide the sole accompaniment to an entire composition or song, typically using a guitar or piano...
and
rapperRapping is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes, wordplay, and poetry. Rapping is a primary ingredient in hip hop music, but the phenomenon predates hip hop culture by centuries. Rapping can be delivered over a beat or without accompaniment...
. Cherry is also an occasional
DJA disc jockey is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, dis
k referred to phonograph records, while dis
c referred to the Compact Disc, and has become the more common spelling...
and
broadcasterBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults....
. Cherry blends
hip hopHip hop music is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on concepts of loop, rapping, freestyle, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues...
with other influences, and experienced some moderate mainstream success with several of her recordings.
Personal life
Cherry was born Neneh Mariann Karlsson, to a
Sierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the north, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has a population estimated at 6.4 million...
an father,
drummerA drummer is a person who plays drums, particularly a drum kit , marching percussion or hand drums. The term percussionist applies to a musician performing on any percussion instrument, but usually refers to one who plays classical or Latin percussion. Most bands for Rock, Pop, Jazz, R&B etc...
Amahdu Jah and a
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
painter/textile artist mother, Monica Karlsson, known as Moki Cherry. Her siblings include the singers
Titiyo JahTitiyo Yambalu Felicia Jah is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter, who has won four Swedish Grammys.-Early life:Titiyo was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Amahdu Jah, a Sierra Leonean drummer, and Maylen Bergström. Her older sister is singer Neneh Cherry, and she is step-sister to Eagle-Eye Cherry...
and
Eagle-Eye CherryEagle-Eye Cherry is an American-Swedish musician. He is the son of jazz artist, Don Cherry, and step - half brother of singer Neneh Cherry.-Career:...
. Her step-father
Don CherryDon Cherry was an innovative African-American jazz trumpeter whose career began with a long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman, and who would go on to live and work with a wide variety of musicians in many parts of the world.-Biography:Cherry was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and...
helped raise her since birth so Neneh took his surname.
Cherry lived the first years of her life in the small English town
PudseyPudsey is a market town in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Once an independent town, it was incorporated into the metropolitan borough of Leeds in 1974, and is located midway between Bradford and Leeds city centres. It has a population of 32,391....
. Regarding her childhood, Cherry said:
- My mother is Swedish and she's an artist. She's an amazing lady. When I was a baby and she was going to design school, she used to take me along in a basket!
Soon Moki met Don and the family accompanied him on his tours through Europe and North America. In the early 1970s the Cherry family nestled into a small apartment on East 9th Street in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. Moki still lives in New York, either in
Garden City, New YorkGarden City is a village in the Town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the Town of...
or in a loft in Queens, New York just across the East River from East 60th Street. Moki has exhibitions in major museums and galleries in New York and
Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
.
Cherry married the bank drummer Bruce Smith in 1983 and their daughter Naima was also born that year. They divorced in 1984. In 1987 she met producer
Cameron McVeyCameron Andrew McVey is a British music producer, best known for his work with Neneh Cherry, Massive Attack, Portishead, All Saints, and Sugababes.-Family:...
at Heathrow Airport. Cherry and Cameron were en route to Japan as fashion models as part of London designer Ray Petri's Buffalo Posse. Cherry proposed, and the two married in 1990. Together they have daughters Tyson (1989) and Mabel (1996). Their relationship is also work-related, as McVey produced and co-wrote
Raw Like SushiRaw Like Sushi is the debut album of rapper Neneh Cherry, released May 2, 1989 on Virgin Records.An early version of "Buffalo Stance" appeared on the B-side of the Morgan McVey single "Looking Good Diving"...
; together they have supported a variety of heavyweight British acts; and they are in the group
cirKusCirKus is a trip-hop band formed by Burt Ford, Karmil , Lolita Moon and Neneh Cherry.- History :DJ and producer Karmil was recruited by Burt Ford as a assistant recording engineer. They began to work on their own material at Karmil's home studio in London. Ford was singing, then Karmil's girlfriend...
together.
In 2004, Cherry became a grandmother when her 19-year-old daughter Naima had son Louis Clyde Flynn Love.
The Cherry-McVeys have lived throughout Europe. In 1993 they moved to Spain, and lived there until 1999. In 1995, they briefly attempted to live in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. They bought a home in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York. Soon after moving in, the couple was held up at gunpoint and robbed by a teenage bandit. The entire family packed up again and headed back to London's
Primrose HillPrimrose Hill is a hill of located on the north side of Regent's Park in North London, England, and also the name for the surrounding district. The hill has a clear view of Central London to the south-east, as well as Belsize Park and Hampstead to the north....
. They next returned to Cherry's childhood home in
TågarpTågarp is a bimunicipal locality situated in Svalöv Municipality and Landskrona Municipality in Skåne County, Sweden with 434 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...
, Sweden; living in the same schoolhouse-turned-home (featured in
HomebrewHomebrew is the second studio album by Neneh Cherry. The overall success of the album is limited, especially in comparison with her debut album. The overall feeling of the album is experimental, with an attempt at fusion between jazz, funk and trip-hop which was too far off mainstream for the...
album artwork ) that Cherry studied in as a child. Currently they split time between their country house near
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
and
WolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands, England. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100; the wider Urban Area had a population of 251,462, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England.Historically a part of...
and
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Cherry has stated in interviews she is bisexual.
Other family
Many members of her family are musicians or artists.
- Her mother is the noted painter and textile artist Moki Cherry.
- Her father is the African-English
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
musician Amadu Jah, a Sierra Leonean percussionist drummer.
- Her stepfather, Don Cherry
Don Cherry was an innovative African-American jazz trumpeter whose career began with a long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman, and who would go on to live and work with a wide variety of musicians in many parts of the world.-Biography:Cherry was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and...
, was an influential jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
musician.
- Her junior half-sister Titiyo Jah
Titiyo Yambalu Felicia Jah is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter, who has won four Swedish Grammys.-Early life:Titiyo was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Amahdu Jah, a Sierra Leonean drummer, and Maylen Bergström. Her older sister is singer Neneh Cherry, and she is step-sister to Eagle-Eye Cherry...
is a successful SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
singer.
- Her half-brother Cherno Jah is a music producer and dj based in London.
- Her junior half-brother Eagle-Eye Cherry
Eagle-Eye Cherry is an American-Swedish musician. He is the son of jazz artist, Don Cherry, and step - half brother of singer Neneh Cherry.-Career:...
is also a musician of some international fame.
- Her stepdad's daughter Jan Cherry is a violinist.
- Her stepfather's son David Ornette Cherry is a Jazz
Jazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
musician based in the US.
- Her stepson Marlon Roudette fronts the British duo Mattafix
Mattafix are a UK duo, made up of Marlon Roudette and Preetesh Hirji. Their sound is a fusion of hip hop/rap, R&B, reggae, dancehall, blues, jazz, soul and world. They won the Sopot International Song Festival in 2006.-Biography:...
.
- Her husband was Bruce Smith.
- First daughter, Naima Smith, is a photographer in London.
- Her niece is a television presenter and presents T4 on channel 4 Miquita Oliver
Miquita Zorra Oliver is a British television presenter. Born in Paddington, London, her mother is former Rip Rig & Panic singer and television presenter Andrea Oliver and her aunt is singer Neneh Cherry.-Career:...
Early days in London
Cherry dropped out of school at 14 and moved to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, where she joined the
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band "The Cherries". She was close friends/housemates with
Ari UpAri Up is the stage name for the lead vocalist of the English punk group, The Slits.-Career:Ariana Forster was born in Munich, Germany on 17 January 1962 , the granddaughter of a wealthy German newspaper proprietor...
and worked at
Better BadgesBetter Badges was a London,UK, button-badge manufacturer, started in 1976 by Joly MacFie. During the years 1977-1984 BB became the leading publisher/merchandiser of 'punk badges' - exporting millions worldwide from their offices at 286 Portobello Road...
, which was a centre of punk culture. Cherry moved through several bands, including
New Age SteppersOne of the On-U Sound stable, under the creative direction of Adrian Sherwood, the New Age Steppers was a collective of musicians which varied over time...
,
Rip Rig & PanicRip Rig & Panic was a post-punk band, founded in 1981 and who broke up in 1983. It was named after a 1965 jazz album by Roland Kirk. It was fronted by Andrea Oliver and its members included singer Neneh Cherry, Sean Oliver, Mark Springer, and Gareth Sager and Bruce Smith, the latter two formerly of...
, and Float Up CP. She also dj'd, playing early rap music on the reggae pirate
Dread Broadcasting CorporationDread Broadcasting Corporation was a West London pirate radio station established in 1981. Also known as DBC Rebel Radio, it began partly as an attempt to brighten up boring Sunday afternoons, but also to increase the exposure of Reggae music .Its founder, DJ Lepke, having acquired a medium wave...
.
Cherry joined Rip Rig + Panic as a singer.
Raw Like Sushi
She began a solo career with "Stop the War", a
protest songA protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
about the
Falkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located approximately from the coast of mainland South America, from mainland Antarctica, and from Africa. There are two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, as well as 776 smaller islands...
. She also worked with
The TheThe The is a British musical and multimedia group that has been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter/frontman Matt Johnson being the only constant band member...
and musician
Cameron McVeyCameron Andrew McVey is a British music producer, best known for his work with Neneh Cherry, Massive Attack, Portishead, All Saints, and Sugababes.-Family:...
(a.k.a. Booga Bear), who co-wrote most of her debut album
Raw Like SushiRaw Like Sushi is the debut album of rapper Neneh Cherry, released May 2, 1989 on Virgin Records.An early version of "Buffalo Stance" appeared on the B-side of the Morgan McVey single "Looking Good Diving"...
, and whom she would eventually marry. She was intimately involved in the Bristol Urban Culture scene, working as an arranger on
Massive AttackMassive Attack are a British music duo from Bristol, UK, considered to be progenitors of a genre referred to as trip hop, that assemble a collective of various favoured session musicians and guest vocalists with whom they make records and tour live...
's
Blue LinesBlue Lines is the debut album by British electronica group Massive Attack, released on 8 April 1991 by Virgin Records....
album and helping out in various other ways in the scene. Famously, she gave birth while
Shara NelsonShara Nelson is a singer and musician.She is notable for providing the vocals on the Massive Attack song "Unfinished Sympathy" which has been widely critically acclaimed, notably in polls produced by MTV2, NME, and various other magazines and reviewers...
was recording the vocals for the album in the same house.
Robert Del NajaRobert Del Naja , also known as 3D, is an English artist and musician. Originally famous as a graffiti artist and a member of the Bristol group known as "The Wild Bunch", Del Naja went on to become a founding member of the band Massive Attack in addition to working with James Lavelle as a...
and
Andrew VowlesAndrew Lee Isaac Vowles , also known as Mushroom, is a founding member of British trip-hop collective Massive Attack.-Early years:...
of Massive Attack had in turn contributed to
Raw Like Sushi.
Her cover was released as a single, and "
Buffalo Stance"Buffalo Stance" is a song by Neneh Cherry from her album Raw Like Sushi.-History:An early version of the song appeared as the B-side on the 1986 single "Looking Good Diving" by group Morgan-McVey...
" was an international blockbuster and she caused controversy when she performed the song, complete with gyrating
choreographyChoreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
, on UK television show
Top Of The PopsTop of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. It was traditionally shown every Thursday evening on BBC1, before being moved to Fridays in 1996, and then moved to Sundays on BBC...
while 7–8 months'
pregnantPregnancy is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the uterus of a female. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets. Human pregnancy is the most studied of all mammalian pregnancies. Obstetrics is the surgical field...
. "Buffalo Stance" eventually peaked at number 3 on the UK and US pop charts and number 1 on the American Dance charts, becoming one of 1988's biggest club anthems.
More singles released between 1988 and 1990 included the slower "Manchild," "
Kisses on the Wind"Kisses on the Wind" is the third single released from Swedish singer Neneh Cherry's debut album Raw Like Sushi. It reached the Top 20 in the UK, peaking at #20. It did even better on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #8. Her previous single "Manchild" had not even charted in the US. The song...
," "Heart," and "Inna City Mama." She also found success with "I've Got U Under My Skin," a dramatic reworking of the
Cole PorterCole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. His works include the musical comedies Kiss Me, Kate, Fifty Million Frenchmen, DuBarry Was a Lady and Anything Goes, as well as songs like "Night and Day", "I Get a Kick out of You", "Well, Did You Evah!" and "I've Got You Under My Skin"...
song, which appeared on the
Red Hot + BlueRed Hot + Blue is the first in the series of compilation albums from the Red Hot Organization. The recording was the first in the Red Hot Benefit Series...
AIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus ....
fundraising album. The single reached number 25 on the UK pop charts.
Homebrew
Back in England in 1991, Neneh began work on her second album
HomebrewHomebrew is the second studio album by Neneh Cherry. The overall success of the album is limited, especially in comparison with her debut album. The overall feeling of the album is experimental, with an attempt at fusion between jazz, funk and trip-hop which was too far off mainstream for the...
.
- I suppose the second album took a long time in pop terms, but that's the way it is with me, I need to have a life, lived at my own pace, in between the albums.
Led by the single "Money Love," it was not as commercially successful as its predecessor, but received great critical acclaim. The album had some success on the dance charts with songs "Buddy X" and "Trout." "Buddy X" was an even bigger hit years later in a remix by Dreem Teem and on college radio the "Trout" duet with
Michael StipeJohn Michael Stipe is an American singer who is the lead vocalist for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Stipe has become well-known for the "mumbling" style of his early career and for his complex, surreal lyrics, as well as his social and political activism...
was popular.
Homebrew included the work of a Bristolian lad called
Geoff BarrowGeoffrey Paul Barrow is the producer/instrumentalist for Portishead.Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the small town near Bristol where Barrow grew up...
('Somedays'), who would later turn up as the studio architect of the group
PortisheadPortishead are an English musical group from Bristol. The band is named after the nearby town of the same name, west of Bristol...
.
Man
Her most recent solo album, 1996's
ManMan is the third solo album by Swedish singer Neneh Cherry, released in 1996. The album was a reasonable success; however, the track which ironically does not fit in the overall feeling of the album and often feels like the odd song out, "7 Seconds", became a hit...
, was led by the track "Woman", her take on
James BrownJames Joseph Brown , originally James Joseph Brown, Jr., also known as "The Godfather of Soul", was an American entertainer. He is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music and was renowned for his vocals and feverish dancing...
's 1966 track "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." It featured the world wide hit single "
7 Seconds"7 Seconds" is a song composed by Youssou N'Dour, Neneh Cherry, Cameron McVey and Jonathan Sharp. Released as a single by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry, the song was a huge international hit in 1994. It remained on the charts for nearly half a year and reached the top three in many countries,...
" featuring
Youssou N'DourYoussou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known by its Wolof language name of...
, and "Trouble Man" - a remake of the old
Marvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr., better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a three-octave vocal range. Starting as a member of the doo-wop group The Moonglows in the late fifties, he ventured into a solo career after the group disbanded in 1960...
classic.
Man was recorded mainly in London and Spain. Neneh's stepfather
Don CherryDon Cherry was an innovative African-American jazz trumpeter whose career began with a long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman, and who would go on to live and work with a wide variety of musicians in many parts of the world.-Biography:Cherry was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and...
had recently died in her Malaga, Spain home, so many of Mans songs have recurring themes of death, longing, and moving on. "Woman"'s video garnered Neneh many British music honors.
"Feel It" features the tale of a young man's growing up. "Kootchi" shows a return to Neneh's sexual side. "Carry Me" tells the tale of a young girl's death from the dying girl's perspective. "Golden Ring" is a power ballad sung in a
flamencoFlamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. It can be both a musical form, known for its intricate rapid passages, and a dance characterized by audible footwork. The origins of the term are unclear...
, Spanish style which exhibits the influence that living in the flamenco scene has had on Neneh's dwelling of Spain. International hit "
7 Seconds"7 Seconds" is a song composed by Youssou N'Dour, Neneh Cherry, Cameron McVey and Jonathan Sharp. Released as a single by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry, the song was a huge international hit in 1994. It remained on the charts for nearly half a year and reached the top three in many countries,...
" is an anthem about racism. It remained at number 1 in France for a record 17 weeks in 1994. "Together Now" features
TrickyTricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
.
Man
is more atmospheric and leaning towards trip-hop and rock than Neneh's previous albums. Neneh Chérie Remixes
, a remix album of Man
songs, was released in 1997.
Next album
Neneh Cherry's next solo album, tentatively titled either Reborn
or Family Therapy, has been a work in progress since 2003. She has plans to finish it after cirKus's 2008 CD release and tour ends. The release is expected mid-2009.
CirKus
In 2006, Cherry announced the formation of a new band,
cirKusCirKus is a trip-hop band formed by Burt Ford, Karmil , Lolita Moon and Neneh Cherry.- History :DJ and producer Karmil was recruited by Burt Ford as a assistant recording engineer. They began to work on their own material at Karmil's home studio in London. Ford was singing, then Karmil's girlfriend...
. In addition to Cherry, cirKus members are:
- Neneh's husband Burt Ford a.k.a. Booga Bear a.k.a. Cameron McVey
Cameron Andrew McVey is a British music producer, best known for his work with Neneh Cherry, Massive Attack, Portishead, All Saints, and Sugababes.-Family:...
- Lolita Moon (Neneh and Cameron's daughter Tyson, also Karmil's girlfriend)
- Karmil a.k.a. Matt Kent a.k.a. Matt Karmil
CirKus has toured extensively in smaller venues in Europe, with a single North American performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival in July 2006 and a few dates in Brazil in 2008. The band's first album, Laylow
, was released in France in 2006. A remixed/recorded version of the album, Laylower
, was released in 2007. A second CirKus album, Medicine, was released in France in March 2009.
Other collaborations
Although Cherry has only released a handful of albums, she has frequently collaborated with other artists.
- Cherry rapped on the B-side of the Morgan/McVey single "Looking Good Diving With The Wild Bunch" in 1987 (CBS MORG T1). As stated above, McVey became Cherry's husband. "The Wild Bunch" was the name used by a collective DJ/sound system group that later became Massive Attack
Massive Attack are a British music duo from Bristol, UK, considered to be progenitors of a genre referred to as trip hop, that assemble a collective of various favoured session musicians and guest vocalists with whom they make records and tour live...
.
- "7 Seconds
"7 Seconds" is a song composed by Youssou N'Dour, Neneh Cherry, Cameron McVey and Jonathan Sharp. Released as a single by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry, the song was a huge international hit in 1994. It remained on the charts for nearly half a year and reached the top three in many countries,...
", a collaboration with Youssou N'DourYoussou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known by its Wolof language name of...
, was a huge international hit in 1994, remaining on the charts for nearly half a year.
- Cherry also contributed guest vocals on Pulp
Pulp were an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Upon their split in 2002, their lineup consisted of Jarvis Cocker , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
's UK #1 album This Is HardcoreThis Is Hardcore is an album by English band Pulp, first released in March 1998. It came three years after their breakthrough album, Different Class, and was eagerly anticipated. It lived up to the commercial success of the previous album reaching number one in the charts. And being well received...
, singing on the track "Seductive Barry".
- Cherry collaborated with Edward Kowalczyk
Edward Joel Kowalczyk is the lead singer of the band Live. He counts among his influences the speaker Jiddu Krishnamurti, the spiritual teacher Adi Da Samraj and integral thinker Ken Wilber. His lyrics often reflect his mystical and spiritual tendency...
the lead singer of the band LiveLive is an American alternative rock/post-grunge band from York, Pennsylvania, comprising Ed Kowalczyk , Chad Taylor , Patrick Dahlheimer and Chad Gracey...
. They contributed a duet entitled "Walk into this Room" written by Kowalczyk for the soundtrack to the movie Playing by HeartPlaying by Heart is a 1998 comedy-drama film, which tells the story of several seemingly unconnected characters.-Plot:Among the characters are a mature couple about to renew their vows ; an anti-social woman who accepts a date offer from a stranger ; a man dying of AIDS and his mother who...
in 1998.
- In 1999 she covered the ESG
ESG are a band from the South Bronx, New York, U.S.. The band originally consisted of sisters Maria Scroggins , Renee Scroggins , and Valerie Scroggins , and friends David Miles and Leroy Glover...
song "Moody" on Christian FalkChristian Falk is a Swedish music producer and musician.Falk was born in 1962 and raised by his grandparents.In his early twenties he kick-started his music career as the bass player of Imperiet - possibly the most influental band in Sweden in the 1980's - and then went on to being a producer in...
's debut Quel Bordel.
- Also in 1999, "Twisted Mess", a collaboration with Craig Armstrong, was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Best Laid Plans
Best Laid Plans is a movie with Reese Witherspoon and Alessandro Nivola. The genre is crime, drama thriller and the movie was directed by Mike Barker. It co-starred Terrance Howard and Jamie Marsh....
. It was also included on the soundtrack to The Dancer (2000) and released as a promotional single on France's Delabel label.
- She contributed vocals alongside Speech and Ulali
Ulali, founded in 1987, was the first Native American women's a cappella group to create their own sound from strong traditional roots and personal contemporary styles. They created a new genre of Native American music and inspired the creation of other Native women's groups...
on 1 Giant Leap1 Giant Leap is a concept band and media project consisting of the two principal artists, Jamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman.-Information:...
's 2003 song "Braided Hair".
- In the 2005 release of Gorillaz
Gorillaz is a English virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band is composed of four animated band members: 2D , Murdoc , Noodle and Russel...
's Demon DaysDemon Days is the second studio album and a concept album by Gorillaz, released on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom and on 24 May in the United States...
, she contributed vocals to the tracks "Kids With Guns". She performed the song in the Demon Days LiveDemon Days: Live at the Manchester Opera House is a Grammy Award nominated live DVD by Gorillaz, released 27 March 2006 in the UK...
concerts in 2006.
- In 2006 she collaborated with Swedish rapper Petter
Petter Alexis Askergren, , who simply uses his given name Petter as a stage name, is a rap artist from Stockholm, Sweden, rapping in Swedish. He debuted in 1998 with the album Mitt sjätte sinne , which became a success and started the Swedish hip hop boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s...
on his album P, singing in her native language Swedish.
- She contributed vocals to the Groove Armada
Groove Armada are a big beat duo Andy Cato and Tom Findlay from England. They are now primarily based in London, and continue to produce and record music as well as hosting semi-regular club nights in London and an annual London festival under the Lovebox banner.The group has collaborated with a...
tracks "The Groove Is On" and "Think Twice", featured on the band's album Love Box.
- In 2006 she was featured in the song "Yours to Keep" by Stockholm electro-dub punks Teddybears on their album Soft Machine.
- In 2006 she featured on the Agoria track "Million Miles".
- In 2007 Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known by its Wolof language name of...
and Neneh collaborated on one track, "Wake Up Africa", in 2007. The song was released on his 2007 album Rokku Mi Rokka.
- In 2008 she appeared on Swedish producer Kleerup's
Andreas Kleerup, known professionally by his last name, is a Swedish record producer, drummer, and member of the Swedish group The Meat Boys, from Stockholm, Sweden...
self-titled album, contributing vocals to the track "Forever".
Other work
In the spring of 2004, Cherry presented Neneh Cherry's World of Music
, a six-part series broadcast on BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the UK. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
.
In April 2007, Cherry presented a six-part cookery show Neneh and Andi – Dish it Up
with her close friend Andrea Oliver-Early career:Andrea "Andi" Oliver is a British Television and Radio Broadcaster, and former member of the band Rip Rig & Panic, one of their notable television appearances came when they performed in an episode of the cult comedy show The Young Ones...
for BBC2. The pair would later appear on Gordon RamsayGordon James Ramsay, OBE, is a Scottish-born British chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded a total of 16 Michelin Stars, and in 2001 became one of only three chefs in the United Kingdom to hold three Michelin stars at one time...
's The F-WordThe F Word is a British food magazine and cooking show featuring chef Gordon Ramsay. The programme covers a wide range of topics, from recipes to food preparation and celebrity food fads...
as part of the amateur brigade.
Awards and other recognition
- Due to the impressive performance of "Buffalo Stance," Cherry was nominated for a Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
in 1990 in the Best New Artist Category; she lost out to Milli VanilliMilli Vanilli was a pop/dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988, fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The group's debut album achieved high sales internationally which earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990. The act became one of the most popular pop acts in...
, who later had their Grammy revoked when it was discovered that they had not performed on their recording.
- Neneh won the Brit Award, The British Phonographic Award, in 1990 for Raw Like Sushi. Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul is a British double award-winning Grammy act that emerged from London at the end of the 1980s . The group initially attracted attention as a sound system, playing records at house and street parties...
founder Jazzie B is quoted as saying: "Neneh smashed her Brit Award in half and gave Soul II Soul a piece of the trophy."
- She received her second Grammy nomination in 1994 for the Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known by its Wolof language name of...
duet "7 Seconds." Despite worldwide acclaim, the song failed to win the award.
- For the MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
in 1995, Cherry's "7 Seconds" won Best Song.
- On December 8, 1994, Neneh hosted Top Of The Pops 2
Top of the Pops 2 is a British television music show broadcast on BBC Two, showing archive footage from the long-running Top of the Pops show, some dating back to the 1960s when the programme first aired on British television.-Original format:...
(BBC).
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Chart Positions |
Album |
| UK The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
|
U.S. The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
U.S. Dance Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
|
AUS |
NZThe Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists in New Zealand. Membership of RIANZ is open to any record label operating in New Zealand.-Piracy:...
|
GER The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband der phonographischen Wirtschaft...
|
NL The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the pirate radio channel Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the pirate radio channel was forced to stop. Joost den Draaijer was the initiator of...
|
SWISwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
|
FR The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organisation which protects the interests of the French record industry...
|
| 1987 |
"Slow Train To Dawn" (with The The The The is a British musical and multimedia group that has been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter/frontman Matt Johnson being the only constant band member...
) |
64 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Infected (album) Infected was The The's second album , released in 1986.It is reputed that the album used 67 different musicians and 3 producers...
|
| 1989 |
"Buffalo Stance "Buffalo Stance" is a song by Neneh Cherry from her album Raw Like Sushi.-History:An early version of the song appeared as the B-side on the 1986 single "Looking Good Diving" by group Morgan-McVey...
" |
3 |
3 |
1 |
21 |
14 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
— |
Raw Like Sushi |
| "Manchild" |
5 |
— |
— |
51 |
4 |
2 |
— |
4 |
41 |
| "Kisses on the Wind "Kisses on the Wind" is the third single released from Swedish singer Neneh Cherry's debut album Raw Like Sushi. It reached the Top 20 in the UK, peaking at #20. It did even better on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #8. Her previous single "Manchild" had not even charted in the US. The song...
" |
20 |
8 |
19 |
52 |
8 |
23 |
— |
9 |
— |
| "Heart" |
— |
73 |
— |
91 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| "Inna City Mama" |
31 |
— |
— |
— |
15 |
— |
— |
17 |
— |
| 1990 |
"I've Got You Under My Skin "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by Cole Porter. It became a signature song for Frank Sinatra and, in 1966, became a top 10 hit for The Four Seasons...
" |
25 |
— |
— |
61 |
32 |
23 |
— |
25 |
— |
"Red Hot + Blue Red Hot + Blue is the first in the series of compilation albums from the Red Hot Organization. The recording was the first in the Red Hot Benefit Series...
" |
| 1992 |
"Money Love" |
23 |
— |
— |
85 |
31 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Homebrew |
| 1993 |
"Buddy X" |
35 |
43 |
4 |
— |
— |
— |
23 |
— |
— |
| 1994 |
"7 Seconds "7 Seconds" is a song composed by Youssou N'Dour, Neneh Cherry, Cameron McVey and Jonathan Sharp. Released as a single by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry, the song was a huge international hit in 1994. It remained on the charts for nearly half a year and reached the top three in many countries,...
" (with Youssou N'DourYoussou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known by its Wolof language name of...
) |
3 |
98 |
— |
3 |
7 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Man |
| 1995 |
"Love Can Build a Bridge "Love Can Build a Bridge" is a hit single from American country music mother-daughter duo The Judds from their 1990 album of the same name. The Judds' rendition was a Top 5 country hit in mid-1990....
" (with CherCher is an American pop singer-songwriter, actor, director and record producer. She has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards and a People's Choice Award for her work in film, music and television.Cher began her career at the age of seventeen and came to...
, Chrissie HyndeChrissie Hynde is an American rock musician, best known as the leader of the rock/new wave band The Pretenders. She is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and has been the only constant member of the band throughout its history...
& Eric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds, of Cream, and as a solo performer, being the only person ever to be inducted three times...
) |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
62 |
41 |
21 |
— |
Single Only |
| 1996 |
"WomanA woman is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
" |
9 |
— |
— |
17 |
35 |
52 |
22 |
12 |
14 |
Man |
| "Kootchi" |
38 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| 1997 |
"Feel It "Feel It" is a song by The Tamperer featuring Maya, released in 1998. The song became a number one single in the United Kingdom, and samples the Jacksons' Top 10 hit "Can You Feel It"...
" |
68 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
| 1999 |
"Buddy X '99" (with Dreem Teem) |
15 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Single Only |
| 2000 |
"Long Way Around (with Eagle-Eye Cherry Eagle-Eye Cherry is an American-Swedish musician. He is the son of jazz artist, Don Cherry, and step - half brother of singer Neneh Cherry.-Career:...
) |
48 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
81 |
45 |
60 |
Living In the Present Future Living In the Present Future is the second studio album by Eagle-Eye Cherry. It was released in 2000.-Track listing:# "Been Here Once Before" – 3:48
# "Are You Still Having Fun?" – 3:11
# "One Good Reason" – 3:26
...
|
| 2003 |
"Braided Hair" (1 Giant Leap 1 Giant Leap is a concept band and media project consisting of the two principal artists, Jamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman.-Information:...
featuring Neneh Cherry & SpeechSpeech is the stage name of Todd Thomas , an American rapper and musician. He is a member of the progressive hip hop group Arrested Development...
) |
78 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
96 |
— |
— |
1 Giant leap 1 Giant Leap is the self titled debut album by UK duo Jamie Catto and Duncan Bridgeman under the name 1 Giant Leap. It was created by the two members travelling the world and recording vocals and music by numerous artists....
|
| 2006 |
"Kids With Guns" (with GorillazGorillaz is a English virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band is composed of four animated band members: 2D , Murdoc , Noodle and Russel...
) |
27 |
— |
— |
31 |
— |
97 |
— |
— |
— |
Demon DaysDemon Days is the second studio album and a concept album by Gorillaz, released on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom and on 24 May in the United States...
|
Albums
| Year |
Title |
UK The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
|
U.S. The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
AUS |
GER The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband der phonographischen Wirtschaft...
|
SWESweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
|
FR The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organisation which protects the interests of the French record industry...
|
| 1989 |
Raw Like Sushi Raw Like Sushi is the debut album of rapper Neneh Cherry, released May 2, 1989 on Virgin Records.An early version of "Buffalo Stance" appeared on the B-side of the Morgan McVey single "Looking Good Diving"...
|
2 |
40 |
30 |
10 |
3 |
— |
| 1992 |
Homebrew Homebrew is the second studio album by Neneh Cherry. The overall success of the album is limited, especially in comparison with her debut album. The overall feeling of the album is experimental, with an attempt at fusion between jazz, funk and trip-hop which was too far off mainstream for the...
|
27 |
— |
49 |
— |
29 |
— |
| 1996 |
Man Man is the third solo album by Swedish singer Neneh Cherry, released in 1996. The album was a reasonable success; however, the track which ironically does not fit in the overall feeling of the album and often feels like the odd song out, "7 Seconds", became a hit...
|
16 |
187 |
10 |
20 |
22 |
4 |
| 2006 |
Laylow (with CirKus CirKus is a trip-hop band formed by Burt Ford, Karmil , Lolita Moon and Neneh Cherry.- History :DJ and producer Karmil was recruited by Burt Ford as a assistant recording engineer. They began to work on their own material at Karmil's home studio in London. Ford was singing, then Karmil's girlfriend...
) |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
95 |
| 2008 |
Medicine (with CirKus CirKus is a trip-hop band formed by Burt Ford, Karmil , Lolita Moon and Neneh Cherry.- History :DJ and producer Karmil was recruited by Burt Ford as a assistant recording engineer. They began to work on their own material at Karmil's home studio in London. Ford was singing, then Karmil's girlfriend...
) |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
110 |
| 2009 |
Reborn (TBC) |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
See also
- Swedish hip hop
Emerging in the first half of the 1980s, Swedish hip hop was first heard from the cities of Stockholm and Malmö. In the early days, most rappers in Sweden rapped in English. Funkalics and The Latin Kings, two very different acts united by their innovative use of the Swedish language, debuted a...
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
External links