Diane Nadia Adu-Gyamfi (born 1991), better known by her stage names Moko or Nadiah Adu-Gyamfi, is a Ghanaian-British soul singer. She rose to fame after featuring on the

Chase & Status Chase & Status are an English electronic music duo composed of Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status). In addition, Andy Gangadeen is the drummer when the band performs live. MC Rage formerly performed as MC with the group, but left in Ju ...

single " Count on Me". Moko has released two EPs, ''Black'' (2013) and ''Gold'' (2014), on MTA and

Virgin EMI Virgin EMI Records was a British record label owned by the Universal Music Group that was formed in 2013. In June 2020, the label was rebranded as EMI Records, and operates Virgin Records as an imprint of the new EMI Records. History Virgin ...

. Under the stage name Nadiah Adu-Gyamfi, she won the £500,000 jackpot on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

music game show ''

Walk the Line ''Walk the Line'' is a 2005 American biographical musical romantic drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies authored by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, 1975's '' Man ...

'' in December 2021.

Early life and education

Moko was born and raised in

New Cross New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich, ...

, London. Her mother is of Ghanaian descent and her grandmother is Chinese. She began singing in her local church choir as a child. She enrolled on a music scheme at

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...

when she was 15 years old, and later returned to the university to study English literature, practising in the institution's music facilities in her spare time. Moko has spoken about her experiences with the neurological condition

chromesthesia Chromesthesia or sound-to-color synesthesia is a type of synesthesia in which sound involuntarily evokes an experience of color, shape, and movement. Individuals with sound-color synesthesia are consciously aware of their synesthetic color assoc ...

, in which sounds invoke images of colour: "I always had to listen to each song with my eyes shut, because then I could feel technicolour circles and holograms inside of my eyelids. After a while, I’d associate certain colours with sounds. It’s always been a part of me, so sharing it with the world is really nice."

Music career

During her studies at Goldsmiths, Moko began recording music with two of her fellow students, a production duo called the Impostors. She debuted the song "Summon the Strength" online in February 2013, followed by "Hand on Heart" in May 2013. The same month, Moko performed with Rocket Number Nine and

Neneh Cherry Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, occasional DJ and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a number of punk roc ...

on the internet channel Boiler Room TV. She subsequently headlined the

BBC Introducing BBC Music ''Introducing'' is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent. It gives artists the opportunity to be played on Local BBC Radio and nationally on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, 6 ...

stage at that year's

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

. Dance producers

featured Moko on two tracks on their album ''

Brand New Machine ''Brand New Machine'' is the third studio album by English drum and bass production duo Chase & Status. It was released on 7 October 2013 by MTA Records under exclusive license to Mercury Records. The album features vocal contributions from ...

'' (released in October 2013): " Count on Me" and "Like That". The former track was released as a single in September 2013 and peaked at number five on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Moko signed to the duo's own label,

MTA Records For the defunct U.S. record label see MTA Records More Than (MTA) Records is an independent record label founded by Chase & Status in 2009, specialising in "exceptional" music. The label releases a large variety of music including rap, soul, dr ...

(part of

Virgin EMI Records Virgin EMI Records was a British record label owned by the Universal Music Group that was formed in 2013. In June 2020, the label was rebranded as EMI Records, and operates Virgin Records as an imprint of the new EMI Records. History Virgin ...

), and in October 2013 she released her debut EP, ''Black'' (produced in its entirety by the Impostors), and a video for its track "Freeze". During October and November 2013, she supported Chase & Status on their ''Brand New Machine'' UK arena tour. In 2014, Moko collaborated with singer-producer

MNEK Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK (, ), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Awards, Brit Award, and has received the ...

on the track "Judgement Day", which is scheduled for release as a single from his upcoming debut album. Moko released her second EP, ''Gold'', in August 2014, preceded by the single "Your Love". ''Gold'' features production from Chase & Status,

Kwes Kwes (; sometimes stylised as ''kwes'', ''kwes.'', ''Kwes.'' or '' =o'' ) is a British music producer and artist from London, England. Kwes is also currently signed to Warp as a solo artist and released his debut album, '' ilp'' in October 2013. ...

, and Two Inch Punch. She was working on a full-length album by early 2015. Moko appeared under her real name (excluding first name), Nadiah Adu-Gyamfi on

's music game show, ''

'' in December 2021, winning episodes 4, 5 and 6 - winning the £500,000 jackpot.

Artistry

Moko has cited 1990s music as an influence on her own output, including artists such as

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album ''Blue Lines'' was release ...

Shara Nelson Shara Nelson (born 1965) is an English singer and songwriter. She worked with Massive Attack in the early 1990s, and as a solo artist had five UK top 40 hit singles. Her 1993 debut album, ''What Silence Knows'', was shortlisted for the Mercury ...

, Portishead,

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

Candi Staton Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton (, ) (born March 13, 1940) is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's " Stand by Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper "Young Hearts Run Free". In E ...

, and

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

. During her childhood, she was exposed to

Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...

and Ghanaian folk music as well as

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

and

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

. She describes her musical style as "alternative electronic soul". As a performer, Moko takes inspiration from Asian, rhythm and blues, and West African dance traditions. ''

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

'' has called Moko a "

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...

revivalist", with ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' describing her as "southeast London's answer to Massive Attack". ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' named Moko one of "dance's new leading ladies" in 2014 and compared her success to that of

Ella Eyre Ella McMahon (born 1 April 1994), known professionally as Ella Eyre, is a British singer and songwriter. She is known for her collaborations with Rudimental on their UK number-one single "Waiting All Night" (2013), which won the 2014 Brit Awar ...

and

Becky Hill Rebecca Claire Hill (born 14 February 1994) is a British singer from Bewdley, England. She rose to prominence after appearing on the first series of the then BBC (now ITV) talent contest ''The Voice UK'', auditioning with John Legend's "Ordin ...

Discography

Extended plays

* ''Black'' (2013) * ''Gold'' (2014)

As featured artist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nadiah Adu-Gyamfi 1991 births 21st-century English singers 21st-century English women singers Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London British trip hop musicians English dance musicians English people of Chinese descent English people of Ghanaian descent English soul singers English women singer-songwriters Living people People from New Cross Singers from London Virgin Records artists