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 Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

bands in her youth, including

the Slits The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma R ...

and

Rip Rig + Panic Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace. ...

. Cherry has released five studio albums under her own name. Her first, ''

Raw Like Sushi ''Raw Like Sushi'' is the debut studio album by Swedish musician Neneh Cherry, released 5 June 1989 by Virgin Records. The album includes the commercially successful single "Buffalo Stance". Background An early version of "Buffalo Stance" appe ...

'', was released in 1989 and peaked at number three on the

UK Album Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, thanks in large part to the worldwide hit single "

Buffalo Stance "Buffalo Stance" is a song by Swedish singer Neneh Cherry, released from her debut album, '' Raw Like Sushi'' (1989), in November 1988. The song peaked at 3 on both the UK Singles Chart and the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it reached No. 1 in ...

". Her second studio album was 1992's '' Homebrew''. Four years later she released ''

Man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

'', with her next studio album, ''

Blank Project ''Blank Project'' is the fourth studio album by Neneh Cherry, released by Smalltown Supersound on 25 February 2014. The record is Cherry's first album of solo music in 18 years. It was recorded and mixed over a 5-day period in Woodstock, NY. It w ...

,'' coming in 2014. Her most recent album, ''

Broken Politics ''Broken Politics'' is the fifth solo album by singer Neneh Cherry, and her second to be produced by Four Tet. The album was released on 19 October 2018, and has been called "quieter and more reflective" than its predecessor '' Blank Project''. T ...

'', was released in 2018. In addition to releasing these studio albums, she formed the band

cirKus CirKus are a trip hop band formed by Burt Ford (Cameron McVey), Karmil (aka Matt Kent), Lolita Moon and Neneh Cherry. History DJ and producer Karmil was recruited by Burt Ford (Neneh's husband Cameron McVey) as an assistant recording engi ...

in 2006 and has collaborated with the Thing, releasing an album entitled ''

The Cherry Thing ''The Cherry Thing'' is an album by vocalist Neneh Cherry and jazz trio The Thing, consisting of saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. It was recorded in 2011 and released the following yea ...

'' in 2012. Cherry has won two

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

and an

MTV Europe Music Award The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...

(with

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, wo, Yuusu Nduur; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine describe ...

). She has also been nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

Early life and family

Cherry was born as Neneh Mariann Karlsson in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden, the daughter of Monika "Moki" Karlsson (1943–2009), a Swedish painter and textile artist, and the musician Ahmadu Jah (1936–2018). Jah was born in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

, West Africa, the son of a

tribal chief A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...

, and went to Stockholm to study engineering at university. Her paternal grandmother was called Neneh, and her maternal grandmother was called Mariann, a name she has never been referred to as. Cherry's parents separated early and her mother married the American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musician

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

, who helped raise Cherry since birth. Cherry took her stepfather's surname. From her mother's side, Cherry also has a half-brother, musician

Eagle-Eye Cherry Eagle-Eye Lanoo Cherry (born 7 May 1968) is a Swedish singer and stage performer. His 1997 single "Save Tonight" achieved commercial success in Ireland, the United States and the United Kingdom, and was voted song of the year in New Zealand. Cher ...

. From stepfather Don Cherry's side, she has a stepsister, violinist Jan Cherry, and a stepbrother, jazz musician David Ornette Cherry. Through her father Ahmadu Jah's marriage to Maylen Jah (née Bergström), Cherry is the half-sister of singer

Titiyo Titiyo Yambalu Felicia Jah (born 23 July 1967) is a Swedish singer and songwriter who has won four Grammis. Biography Early life Titiyo was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Ahmadu Jah, a Sierra Leonean drummer, and Maylen Bergström. She is the ha ...

and record producer Cherno Jah. In 1970, Cherry's parents, Moki and Don Cherry, bought and converted an old Swedish schoolhouse in rural Tågarp in

Hässleholm Hässleholm (older da, Hasselholm) is a locality and the seat of Hässleholm Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 18,500 inhabitants in 2010. Overview Hässleholm was gradually developed from 1860 in connection with the construction of the ...

. In the early 1970s, the family moved to the United States, when Don Cherry taught at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

. In 1977 the family bought a loft in New York City in the same building as

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

members

Chris Frantz Charton Christopher Frantz (born May 8, 1951) is an American musician and record producer. He is the drummer for both Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, both of which he co-founded with wife and Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth. In 2002, Frant ...

and

Tina Weymouth Martina Michèle Weymouth (born November 22, 1950) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and a founding member and bassist of the new wave group Talking Heads and its side project Tom Tom Club, which she co-founded with her husband, Tal ...

whom they befriended. Cherry dropped out of school at age 14 and moved to London.

Music career

Early career

Cherry moved to the United Kingdom when she was 15, in the midst of the punk era, and she remembers finding "her people" there. Cherry had met

Tessa Pollitt Teresa Mary Clare Pollitt (born 1 January 1959) is an English musician who is best known as the bass guitarist for the punk rock band the Slits between 1976 and 1982. Music career At 16 years old, Pollitt replaced the Slits's original bassi ...

Viv Albertine Viviane Katrina Louise Albertine (born 1 December 1954) is an Australian-born British musician, singer, songwriter and writer. She is best known as the guitarist for the punk band the Slits from 1977 until 1982, with whom she recorded two studio ...

and

Ari Up Ariane Daniele Forster (17 January 1962 – 20 October 2010), known by her stage name Ari Up, was a German vocalist best known as a member of the English punk rock band the Slits. Biography Ari Up was born in Munich, West Germany. Both her pare ...

from

earlier as her stepfather, Don Cherry, was touring with them and took the 15-year-old Neneh along. She and Ari lived in a squat in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

. She felt at home, after ending up there because The Slits invited Don Cherry to go on tour with them with

Prince Hammer Beris Simpson, better known as Prince Hammer, is a Jamaican reggae deejay, singer, and record producer. Biography Simpson was born at the Jubilee Hospital in Kingston and grew up in a Christian family in Kingston.Peter I (2005)Prince Hammer: ...

and Creation Rebel. In London, Cherry joined the punk rock band The Cherries. She moved through several bands, including

New Age Steppers New Age Steppers were a dub collective from the United Kingdom, formed by producer Adrian Sherwood and featuring members of various prominent 1970s UK post-punk groups, including Ari Up and Viv Albertine of the Slits, Mark Stewart and Bruce Smi ...

, and Float Up CP. She also DJ'd, playing early rap music on the reggae pirate

Dread Broadcasting Corporation Dread Broadcasting Corporation, also known as DBC, was a 1980s West London pirate radio station which is credited as Britain's first black music pirate radio station. History It broadcast from the Neasden and Ladbroke Grove areas, and was fou ...

. Cherry has stated that she found her voice singing along with

Poly Styrene Marianne Joan Elliott-Said (3 July 1957 – 25 April 2011), known by the stage name Poly Styrene, was an English musician, singer-songwriter, and frontwoman for the punk rock band X-Ray Spex. Early life Poly Styrene was born Marianne Joan Ell ...

from

X-Ray Spex X-Ray Spex were an English punk rock band formed in 1976 in London. During their first incarnation (1976–1979), X-Ray Spex released five singles and one album. Their 1977 single " Oh Bondage Up Yours!" and 1978 debut album '' Germfree Adol ...

. She grew up in a musical family; she remembers singing with her father at the piano.

Albums

''Raw Like Sushi''

Cherry began a solo career in 1982 with "Stop the War", a

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

about the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

. She worked with

Jonny Dollar Jonathan Peter Sharp (20 February 1964 – 29 May 2009), better known by the pseudonym Jonny Dollar, was an English record producer and songwriter. Jonathan was born in Westminster, London and his father was the Australian film director, ...

The The () are an English post-punk band. They have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer-songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member. achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK, with 15 chart singles ...

and

Cameron McVey Cameron Andrew McVey (born 11 March 1957) is an English singer, songwriter and music producer. He worked with the bands Massive Attack, Portishead, All Saints, Sugababes/Mutya Keisha Siobhan and his wife Neneh Cherry. He is the father of Ma ...

(aka Booga Bear), who co-wrote most of her 1989 debut album ''Raw Like Sushi'', and whom she later married. She was intimately involved in the Bristol Urban Culture scene, working as an arranger on

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 ...

's ''

Blue Lines ''Blue Lines'' is the debut studio album by English electronic music group Massive Attack, released on 8 April 1991 by Wild Bunch and Virgin Records. The recording was led by members Grantley "Daddy G" Marshall, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "T ...

'' album, through which she met Dollar. Both

Robert Del Naja Robert Del Naja (; born 21 January 1965), also known as 3D, is a British artist, musician, singer and songwriter. He emerged as a graffiti artist and member of the Bristol collective the Wild Bunch, and later as a founding member and sole cons ...

and

Andrew Vowles Andrew Lee Isaac Vowles, also known as Mushroom, is an English musician, known for being a founding member of the trip hop/abstract art collective Massive Attack, along with Robert Del Naja (3D), Adrian Thaws (Tricky) and Grantley Marshall (Da ...

of Massive Attack contributed to ''Raw Like Sushi''. The single "

" eventually peaked at number 3 in 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 ...

and the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number 1 on the US Dance chart. More singles released between 1988 and 1990 included "Manchild", "

Kisses on the Wind "Kisses on the Wind" is the third single released from Swedish singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry's debut album, '' Raw Like Sushi'' (1989). Like many songs on the album, "Kisses on the Wind" refers to Cherry's schooldays; the song is about a girl ...

", "Heart", and "Inna City Mama". She also found success with "

I've Got You Under My Skin "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by American composer Cole Porter in 1936. It was introduced that year in the Eleanor Powell musical film ''Born to Dance'' in which it was performed by Virginia Bruce. It was nominated for the Acad ...

", a reworking of the

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

song, which appeared on the ''

Red Hot + Blue Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

'' AIDS fundraising album. The single reached number 25 in the UK. Cherry was nominated for a

in 1990 in the Best New Artist category (but lost to

Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli were a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Their debut album, '' All or Nothing'' in Europe, reconfigured as ''Girl You Know It's True'' in ...

who eventually had their award revoked). She won a

Brit Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

in 1990 for ''Raw Like Sushi''. Cherry caused a press furore when she performed "Buffalo Stance" on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' while pregnant (with her second child, Tyson).

''Homebrew''

Cherry's second album was 1992's ''Homebrew''. ''Homebrew'' was not as commercially successful as its predecessor. The album had some success on various ''Billboard'' charts with songs "

Buddy X "Buddy X" is a song by Swedish musician Neneh Cherry, released as the third and final single from her second album, '' Homebrew'' (1992). It was a top 40 hit in both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in 1993, peaking at numbers 23 and 35, r ...

" and "Trout". "Buddy X" reached number 4 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Dance Club Music Charts where it spent a total of 11 weeks. The track also spent some time on ''Billboard''′s Pop Songs Charts as well as the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

Charts, where it peaked at number 22 during its 8-week run and peaked at number 43 in its 12-week run, respectively. The music video for "Buddy X" earned Neneh Cherry an

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

VMA nomination at the ceremony in 1993 for the

Best Female Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Y ...

category, alongside

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician D ...

, and

k.d. lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the s ...

, with lang winning the moonman. "Trout" features additional vocals by

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

singer

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Poss ...

who helped to co-write the track along with Cherry, McVey, and Jonathan Sharp and contains samples of a guitar riff from Steppenwolf as well as drums by

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove,J ...

. With airplay on college radio and increased popularity, "Trout" spent a total of 14 weeks on ''Billboard''′s

Alternative Music Alternative music may refer to the following types of music: *Alternative rock *Alternative pop *Alternative R&B *Neo soul, sometimes known as alternative soul *Alternative reggaeton *Alternative hip hop *Alternative dance *Alternative metal *Chris ...

Charts where it reached number 2. ''Homebrew'' also included the work of

Geoff Barrow Geoffrey Paul Barrow (born 9 December 1971) is an English music producer, composer, and DJ. He is a member of the bands Portishead, Beak and supergroup Quakers, and has scored several films. Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the s ...

(on "Somedays"), who later became part of Portishead. Additional recognition was attributed to remixes of track "Buddy X". First was the 1993 remix by The Notorious BIG, which is considered by some to be "one of the great Biggie rarities in the world." Cherry stated that she and McVey picked up Biggie for the studio where they remained for the session. The song was completed in one take. "Buddy X" found success yet again in the 1999

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. It ...

remix by

Dreem Teem The Dreem Teem are a British DJ, music production and remixing trio consisting of DJ Spoony, Mikee B, and Timmi Magic. They formed in 1996 through pirate radio, and were instrumental in developing the UK garage sound. They presented radio show ...

. "Move with Me" was co-written by Cherry, McVey and

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...

''Man''

1996's ''Man'' is a solo record produced by McVey,

and

Christian Falk Christian Falk (25 April 1962 – 24 July 2014) was a Swedish record producer and musician. Falk started his recording career with the band Madhouse in the early 1980s. He later moved on and became a founding member of post-punk band Imperiet. In ...

. The lead track is "

Woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

", her take on

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

's 1966 track "

It's a Man's Man's Man's World "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song written by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966, in a New York City studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached No. 1 on the '' Billboard'' R&B ...

." It featured the worldwide hit single, " 7 Seconds", featuring

; and "Trouble Man" a cover of a

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

track. Another track, "Together Now", featured Tricky. In France, "7 Seconds" made number one for a record 16 weeks in 1994. The song earned Cherry her second Grammy nomination and an

for Best Song. ''

Remixes A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

'', a French remix album of ''Man'' songs, was released in 1997.

''Blank Project''

''Blank Project'' was written by Cherry and her husband McVey. Paul Simm co-wrote six tracks on the record. The record was deeply influenced by the death of her mother. To promote the album, she toured Europe in February and March 2014. In January 2015, Cherry performed as a solo artist in New York City. Cherry is very connected to New York, as she has visited or lived there off and on since 1966.

''Broken Politics''

''Broken Politics'', her second album to be produced by

Four Tet Kieran Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting UK albums such as '' Rounds'' ...

, was released on 19 October 2018, and has been called "quieter and more reflective" than ''Blank Project'' by Cherry. The lead single, "Kong", was released earlier in August. Writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Laura Snapes labeled the album "revelatory" and gave it a 5-star review. To support the album, Cherry toured across North America, Australia and Europe in late 2018 and early 2019.

''The Versions''

On June 10, 2022, Cherry released her next studio album, ''

The Versions ''The Versions'' is the sixth studio album by Neneh Cherry, released on 10 June 2022 via EMI Records. The album consists of reworked versions of songs from Cherry's back catalogue, featuring guest appearances by artists including Robyn and Sia. ...

''. The album features reworked and reimagined versions of her previous singles. It features vocals from

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...

and

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

Bands/collaborations

The Cherry Bear Collective, Cherry's former company with McVey, is now called Nomad Productions and is based in west London.

CirKus

Tauron Nowa Muzyka 2014 - Neneh Cherry (06)

In 2006, Cherry formed a new band,

, with Cameron McVey, Lolita Moon (Neneh and Cameron's daughter) and Karmil. CirKus toured Europe, with a single North American performance at the

Montreal Jazz Festival The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal ( en, Montreal International Jazz Festival) is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz fest ...

in July 2006 plus a few dates in Brazil in 2008. The band's first album, ''

Laylow Jeremy Larroux (born 1993), better known as Laylow is a French rapper from Toulouse. In 2018, Laylow released the EPs ''.RAW'' and ''RAW-Z''. His debut album, ''Trinity'', featuring collaborations with Lomepal, S.Pri Noir, Jok'Air, Wit. and ...

'', was released in France in 2006. A remixed/recorded version was released in 2007. A second CirKus album, ''Medicine'', was released in France in March 2009.

''The Cherry Thing''

In March 2011, Cherry collaborated with the experimental jazz group The Thing, to release the record ''

''. The Thing is a Norwegian/Swedish

trio, consisting of

Mats Gustafsson Mats Olof Gustafsson (born 29 October 1964) is a Swedish free jazz saxophone player. Career Gustafsson came to the attention of lovers of improvised music as part of a duo with Christian Munthe (started in 1986), as member of Gunter Chri ...

(saxophones),

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (born 23 September 1971 in Oppdal, Norway) is a Norwegian bassist active in the jazz and free jazz genres. (in Norwegian) Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) Career Flaten played electric bass in local funk trio ' ...

(double bass), and

Paal Nilssen-Love Paal Nilssen-Love (born 24 December 1974) is a Norwegian drummer and composer in the jazz, free jazz and free improvisation genres. (in Norwegian) Early life Nilssen-Love was born in Molde, Norway. His parents ran a jazz club in Stavanger, and ...

(drums). The Thing took their name from the third track on stepfather Don Cherry's album '' Where Is Brooklyn?''. The album ''The Cherry Thing'' was released in June 2012 and was recorded at Harder Sound Studios in London, England and Atlantis Studios in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropoli ...

. During a 1 June 2012 interview with

Kirsty Lang Kirsty Lang (born July 1962) is a British journalist and broadcaster who works for BBC Radio and Television. Earlier in her career, she was on the staff of ''The Sunday Times'' and ''Channel 4 News'', working as a presenter and reporter. Lang w ...

, broadcast as part of the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

's '' Front Row'' daily podcast, Cherry discussed the jazz-inspired album, saying that The Thing were inspired by Cherry's stepfather's work, but that the band makes this inspiration their own. "I think that we're taking it on, to another place. I think that's really important," Cherry said. One of the songs from the album, "Golden Heart", was written by Don Cherry; Christer Bothén, a musician who played with Don Cherry, was invited to play on the album, and brought the song to their attention. The album includes tracks originally performed by an eclectic mix of artists, including hip-hop artist

MF Doom Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

Martina Topley-Bird Martina Gillian Topley-Bird (''née'' Topley; born 7 May 1975) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky's debut album, ''Maxinquaye'' (1995). Sh ...

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

, and

The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...

'. Most of the tracks were recorded together live.

Other music projects

Although Cherry has released only a handful of albums, she has frequently collaborated with other artists. In 2005, she collaborated with

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

on the track "

Kids with Guns "Kids with Guns" is a song from the British virtual band Gorillaz' second album, ''Demon Days''. It was released on 10 April 2006 in the United Kingdom as a double A-side as the fourth and final singles from the album. "Kids with Guns" and its ot ...

" from the album ''

Demon Days ''Demon Days'' is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was first released on 11 May 2005 in Japan and on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. Produced by the band, ...

''.

RocketNumberNine

In 2013, Cherry collaborated with London duo RocketNumberNine (named after a

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...

track), aka the Page Brothers – Ben and Tom Page – to record an album called ''MeYouWeYou''. She also joined them to perform the entire album live at the

Manchester International Festival The Manchester International Festival is a biennial international arts festival, with a specific focus on original new work, held in the English city of Manchester and run by Factory International. The festival is a biennial event, first taking ...

in July 2013. The record is an album of 10 tracks that Cherry wrote with McVey, which they took with only vocals to RocketNumberNine, who then did their musical interpretation to all the tracks. They recorded the album live in

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 in 2000 ...

, with Vortex. The 10 tracks were recorded in five days. Cherry calls it fearless and hardcore.

Musical style

Cherry said she has never really thought of herself as a rapper. She sees herself as a "singer that does a bit of rapping." Breaking into the U.S. music industry was not a positive experience for Cherry. She said that while "Buffalo Stance" gave her a mainstream crossover moment in the U.S. she found the American music industry stiflingly attached to labels and genre identities.

Other work

In the early 1980s, Cherry was a DJ on DBC radio,

, a

pirate radio Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially w ...

station. Cherry appeared in a non-singing capacity in Big Audio Dynamite's videos for "Medicine Show" (1985), and "C'mon Every Beatbox" (1986), dancing onstage with others during the band's performance. In the late 1980s, she helped bankroll the band

In early 2004, Cherry presented ''Neneh Cherry's World of Music'', a six-part series broadcast on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

. In April 2007, she presented a six-part cookery show ''Neneh and Andi – Dish It Up'' with her friend Andrea Oliver for

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

. Neneh and Andi appeared on

Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a tot ...

's '' The F-Word'' as part of the amateur brigade. In November 2013, Cherry contributed to the art project/audio book ''Ällp'' written by Lars Yngve. Singer

Peps Persson Per-Åke Tommy Persson (20 December 1946 – 27 June 2021), known by the stage name Peps Persson, was a Swedish blues and reggae musician and social critic from Tjörnarp, Scania. Throughout his career he mostly made music in Swedish and was we ...

contributed music, while Cherry,

Björn Ranelid Per Björn Sigvardson Ranelid (born 21 May 1949) is a Swedish author from Malmö. Since the beginning of his career in 1983, Ranelid has published twenty novels and written about five hundred articles in different magazines and newspapers. The ...

and a few other celebrities, all with their roots in Sweden's most southern county

Skåne Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...

, recorded the book in Skånska/

Scanian dialect Scanian ( sv, skånska , da, skånsk) is an East Scandinavian dialect spoken in the province of Scania in southern Sweden. Present-day speakers of "Scanian" speak the Scanian dialect of Swedish. Older Scanian formed part of the old Scandina ...

(not "standard Swedish", aka Rikssvenska) ''Cherry'', a short documentary about Neneh Cherry, was released by ''

The Face The face is a part of the body, the front of the head. Face may also refer to: Film * ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face'' * ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film * ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antonia ...

'' magazine on YouTube on 23 March 2022.

Personal life

In 1983, Cherry married drummer

Bruce Smith Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Virginia Tech, where he was ...

and had a daughter, Naima. They divorced in 1984. Naima is a London photographer, who had a son named Louis Clyde Flynn Love (who goes by Flynn) in 2004. In 1986, Cherry met producer and

Morgan-McVey "Looking Good Diving" is a 1987 song performed by Morgan-McVey, who were vocalists Jamie Morgan and Cameron McVey. It was their only single. The single was released through Sony Records in 1987, produced by SAW and mixed by Phil Harding. The B- ...

member Cameron "Booga Bear" McVey at Heathrow Airport. Cherry and McVey were en route to Japan as fashion models as part of London designer Ray Petri's Buffalo Posse. Cherry proposed, and the couple married in 1990. Cherry and McVey have two daughters: singers Tyson, born in 1989 (also known as Lolita Moon), and

Mabel McVey Mabel Alabama-Pearl McVey (born 19 February 1996), known professionally as Mabel, is an English singer and songwriter. She had her breakthrough in 2017 with her single "Finders Keepers (Mabel song), Finders Keepers" which peaked at number eight ...

, born in 1996. The former (who releases singles with her name stylised as TYSON) was the daughter whom Cherry was pregnant with on ''Top of the Pops'' in 1988 and is featured in the " Manchild" video, while the latter is the singer who has collaborated on singles with Clean Bandit, Tiësto and Joel Corry. Cherry and Cameron McVey have a collaborative work relationship: McVey produced and co-wrote ''

''. Together they have supported a variety of British acts and they were in the group

together, with Cameron McVey known as Burt Ford and Tyson as Lolita Moon during this time. Cherry has a stepson,

Marlon Roudette Marlon Roudette is a British singer, songwriter and producer. He is the former front man for the duo Mattafix, who had their first number 1, "Big City Life", in 2006. After the group split, Roudette embarked on a solo career with two number one ...

(former frontman of

Mattafix Mattafix were an English electronic duo, consisting of vocalist Marlon Roudette and producer and keyboardist Preetesh Hirji. Their sound was a fusion of hip hop, R&B, reggae, dancehall, blues, jazz, soul and world. Known for their 2005 hit ...

), via McVey's prior relationship with Vonnie Roudette. The Cherry-McVeys have lived throughout Europe. In 1993, they moved near

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and lived there until 1999. In 1995, they briefly lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. They bought a home in the Fort Greene section of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. However, soon after moving, the couple was held up at gunpoint and robbed by a teenage hoodlum. The entire family packed up again and headed back to Berkley Grove in London's

Primrose Hill Primrose Hill is a Grade II listed public park located north of Regent's Park in London, England, first opened to the public in 1842.Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) It was named after the natural hill in the centre of ...

. They next returned to Cherry's childhood home in Hässleholm, Sweden, living in the same schoolhouse turned home (featured in '' Homebrew'' album artwork) in which Cherry was raised as a child. The family has a country house near

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

and

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

, apartments in London and

, plus the family home in the old schoolhouse in

Skåne County Skåne County ( sv, Skåne län, link=no ), sometimes referred to as Scania County in English, is the most southern county, or , of Sweden, basically corresponding to the traditional province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronobe ...

that she and her half-brother inherited when their mother died in 2009. As of 2014, Cherry says she commutes between London and Stockholm.

Style

Since the late 1980s, Cherry has frequently worked with the stylist and jewelry designer

Judy Blame Judy Blame (12 February 1960 – 19 February 2018) was a British fashion stylist, accessories designer and punk iconoclast. Early life Judy Blame was born Christopher Barnes in 1960 in Leatherhead, Surrey, and grew up in Spain and Devon. He ran ...

. On her street style, Cherry cites

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

as an influence, as well as the photographer

Jean-Baptiste Mondino Jean-Baptiste Mondino (born Aubervilliers, France on 21 July 1949) is a French fashion photographer and music video director. He has directed music videos for Madonna, David Bowie, Sting, Björk, Don Henley, Neneh Cherry, Axel Bauer and Les Ri ...

, and designer

Ray Petri Ray Petri (16 September 1948–August 1989) was a fashion stylist and creator of the Fashion house (disambiguation), fashion house, Buffalo. Born Ray Petrie in Dundee, Scotland, Petri moved to Brisbane, Australia with his family at age 15 ...

Discography

* ''

'' (1989) * '' Homebrew'' (1992) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (2014) * ''

'' (2018) * ''

'' (2022)

Awards

Brit Awards

, - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3", 1990 , rowspan="2" , Herself , Best International Breakthrough , rowspan="2" , - , Best International Solo Artist , - , " Manchild" , Best Video , rowspan="3" , - , style="text-align:left;", 1991 , rowspan="2" , Herself , rowspan="2" , Best International Female , - , style="text-align:left;", 1997

Danish Music Awards

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1995 , " 7 Seconds" , Best International Single ,

Grammy Awards

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1990 , Herself , Best New Artist ,

Grammis

, - , 1990 , rowspan=2, Herself , Best Female Pop/Rock Artist , , - , 1993 , Best Modern Dance , , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013 , ''

'' , Jazz Recording of the Year , , - , 2019 , ''

'' , Best Electronic/Dance ,

Ivor Novello Awards

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1990 , "

" , International Hit of the Year , , - , 1995 , " 7 Seconds" , International Hit of the Year ,

MTV Europe Music Awards

, - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, " 7 Seconds" , Best Song , , - , rowspan="2", Herself , rowspan="2", Best Female , , - ,

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

MTV Video Music Awards

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1989 , "

" , Best New Artist , , - , rowspan="2" , 1991 , rowspan="2" , "

" , Best Special Effects , , - , rowspan="2" , Best Female Video , , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993 , "

" ,

Music & Media Year-End Awards

!Ref. , - , 1989 , ''

'' , Debut Album of the Year , ,

NME Awards

!Ref. , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, Herself , Icon Award , ,

Nordic Music Prize

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014 , ''

'' , Album of the Year ,

Rober Awards Music poll

, - , 2012 , "

Dream Baby Dream "Dream Baby Dream" is a song by the electro-punk band Suicide, written by its members Martin Rev and Alan Vega. It was released as a single in 1979 by Island Records. It has been covered by Neneh Cherry and The Thing on the 2011-recorded album T ...

" (with The Thing) , Best Cover Version , , - , 2014 , Herself , Best R&B ,

Smash Hits Poll Winners Party

, - , 1989 , Herself , Most Promising New Solo Artist ,

UK Video Music Awards

, - , rowspan="2", 2018 , rowspan="2", "Kong" , Best Styling in a Video , , - , Best Color Grading in a Video ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cherry, Neneh 1964 births Living people Singers from Stockholm Swedish people of Sierra Leonean descent English-language singers from Sweden Swedish DJs Swedish women musicians Swedish hip hop musicians Swedish women rappers Swedish singer-songwriters Brit Award winners MTV Europe Music Award winners Trip hop musicians Virgin Records artists Swedish emigrants to the United Kingdom Rip Rig + Panic members 20th-century Swedish women singers 21st-century Swedish women singers Electronic dance music DJs People from Fort Greene, Brooklyn Swedish women in electronic music 20th-century women rappers 21st-century women rappers Hip hop singers Women hip hop musicians Women hip hop singers Smalltown Supersound artists