Skye Edwards (born Shirley Klaris Yonavieve Edwards; 27 May 1974), sometimes simply Skye, is a British singer-songwriter. Her career began in 1994 when she and the Godfrey brothers (Paul Godfrey, a DJ, and Ross Godfrey, a multi-instrumentalist) formed the band
Morcheeba
Morcheeba is an English electronic band formed in the mid-1990s with founding members vocalist Skye Edwards and the brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey. They mix influences from trip hop, rock, folk rock and downtempo, and have produced ten regula ...
, which released five albums with Skye as lead vocalist. In 2003, the band split, after which Skye released two solo albums: ''
Mind How You Go'' in 2006, and ''Keeping Secrets'' in 2009. In 2010, Edwards returned to Morcheeba, again as lead vocalist. In 2012, she released her third solo album, ''Back to Now'', while in 2015 she released her fourth one, ''In A Low Light''.
Edwards decided to shorten her name to Skye by taking the first letter of each of her names and putting them together. She is married to bass player Steve Gordon and they have four children. Edwards has sung on two charity collaborations: "
Perfect Day" (1997, in aid of
Children in Need) and
Band Aid 20 (2004, in aid of
famine relief in Sudan, Africa).
Early life
Edwards was born in London and grew up in the East End. Of Jamaican heritage, she was fostered by ethnic
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
parents from an early age. She described her growing up as 'I always say it was
fish and chips, not
rice and peas
Rice and peas (or peas and rice) is a traditional food within the West Indian Caribbean islands. The 'peas' are traditionally pigeon peas, but more often substituted with kidney beans, and the dish is frequently served with curry goat.
In 19 ...
in our house'. Her first musical influences were the
country and western records of her mother.
[Teddy Jamieso]
"Skye Edwards interview"
heraldscotland.com, 15 November 2013.
Solo music career
''Mind How You Go'' album
Produced by
Patrick Leonard
Patrick Ray Leonard (born March 14, 1956) is an American songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer, best known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna. His work with Madonna includes her albums '' True Blue'' (1986), ''Who's ...
, Edwards' first solo album, ''
Mind How You Go'', was released on 27 February 2006 in Europe. The first single, "Love Show", was a radio hit throughout Europe.
The next single was "What's Wrong With Me". Music videos were released with both songs. She has said: "People ask what this record means to me, but that's an alien question because I've been living and breathing it. It's not a question of what it means to me. This record is me."
''Keeping Secrets'' album
In October 2009, Edwards released her second album, ''Keeping Secrets'' independently via her own label, Skyewards Recordings. Produced by Alexis Smith and
Emmy nominated
Grace Jones collaborator
Ivor Guest. A single, "I Believe", was released along with a music video and she completed a tour of several weeks around Europe.
''Back To Now'' album
This album was released on 29 October 2012 and produced by
Steve Fitzmaurice, Irish record producer of, among others,
Depeche Mode and
U2.
Cover songs
In 2007 Edwards has performed the
Gorillaz song "
Feel Good Inc." live on
KCRW
KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to program ...
radio station, along with other tracks from her album, and also at some live shows. In 2008, Edwards collaborated with
Marc Collin
Marc Collin is a French musician, film music composer and record producer. He is best known as the founder, with Olivier Libaux, of the project Nouvelle Vague, a cover band that covers new wave songs in a bossa nova style. Collin also released ...
of the French group
Nouvelle Vague
French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...
who put together ''Hollywood, Mon Amour'', an album of popular songs from movies from the 1980s. Skye sang several songs on this album, including
Blondie's "
Call Me" and
Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill" from the
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film of the same name.
As a Christmas gift to her fans, Edwards recorded a version of "River" by
Joni Mitchell, that was uploaded on YouTube in November 2011. On the
John Martyn
Iain David McGeachy (11 September 1948 – 29 January 2009), known professionally as John Martyn, was a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a 40-year career, he released 23 studio albums, and received frequent critical acclaim. ...
tribute album ''Johnny Boy Would Love This....A Tribute to John Martyn'', released also in 2011, Skye sang the track "Solid Air" from Martyn's 1973 album ''
Solid Air
''Solid Air'' is the fourth studio album by Scottish folk singer-songwriter John Martyn, released in February 1973 by Island Records.
Background
The album was recorded over eight days and features instrumental contributions by bassist Danny Th ...
''.
In February 2013, Skye performed "As Long As You Love Me" by
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
on
KCRW
KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to program ...
, ''
Morning Becomes Eclectic
''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' (MBE) is a three-hour adult album alternative radio program first aired in 1977 and broadcast live every weekday from KCRW in Santa Monica, California. The show's name is a play on the Eugene O'Neill trilogy of plays, ...
''. She also sang on ''Uncovered: QOTSA'', by
Olivier Libaux of the French band Nouvelle Vague: it is an album of
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout mul ...
songs covered by female singers, which was released on June 10, 2013 digitally and on vinyl in limited edition.
In 2020, Edwards performed the
Yazz
Yazz (born Yasmin Evans; 19 May 1960) is an English pop singer, who remains perhaps best known for her 1988 UK number one single "The Only Way Is Up". Some of her records are credited to Yazz and the Plastic Population.
Career
Yazz was born i ...
song "
The Only Way Is Up" for the compilation ''Goodnight Songs for Rebel Girls'' produced by
Rebel Girls, which involved a lineup of 19 female singers including
Ani DiFranco,
Macy Gray
Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday.
Gray ha ...
,
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
,
Carole King and
Anastacia.
Discography
*''
Mind How You Go'' (2006)
*''Keeping Secrets'' (2009)
*''Back To Now'' (2012)
*''In A Low Light'' (2015)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Skye
1974 births
Living people
English women singer-songwriters
Singers from London
21st-century Black British women singers
British trip hop musicians
Atlantic Records artists
English people of Jamaican descent