Cleopatra Zvezdana Nikolic[2] (born 24 March 1991), better known by her stage name Cleo Sol, is a British singer-songwriter. Working closely with the producer Inflo, she has released two solo studio albums, Rose in the Dark (2020) and Mother (2021), and is a member of the R&B collective Sault.
Cleo Sol | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Cleopatra Nikolic |
| Born | (1991-03-24) 24 March 1991 (age 31) Ladbroke Grove, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2008-present |
| Labels | Forever Living Originals |
| Member of | Sault |
| Website | www |
Cleo Sol was born and raised in Ladbroke Grove, London. Her mother is Serbian-Spanish and her father is Jamaican. Both are musicians.[3]
Cleo Sol made her debut in 2008 featuring on the single "Tears" by Tinie Tempah.[4] In 2011, Cleo Sol signed to DaVinChe's record label Dirty Canvas and Island Records, releasing singles such as "High" and "Never the Right Time (Who Do You Love)".[5][6]
She took a musical hiatus from 2012 to 2017.[1] She returned with the EP Winter Songs, released on 9 March 2018.[7]
In 2019, Cleo Sol was featured on the single "Selfish" by British rapper Little Simz, reconnecting in 2021 with the rapper for the song "Woman".[8][9]
She released her debut studio album, Rose in the Dark, on 27 March 2020, included by Complex and Clash in their end-of-year lists.[10][11] The following year, Nikolic released her second studio album, titled Mother, on 20 August 2021.[12]
She is rumoured to be a member of the pseudonymous collective SAULT who have released five studio albums.[13][14][15]
Cleo Sol has cited influences from Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott while growing up on genres such as reggae, Motown and Latin music.[3][16][17]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Rose in the Dark |
|
| Mother |
|
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Winter Songs |
|
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "High" (featuring Gappy Ranks) |
2011 | Non-album single |
| "Never the Right Time (Who Do You Love)" | 2012 | |
| "Code to Crack" (with Toddla T featuring Scrufizzer) | ||
| "Why Don't You" | 2017 | Winter Songs & Rose in the Dark |
| "Try and You Try" | Winter Songs | |
| "One" | 2019 | Non-album single |
| "Sweet Blue" | ||
| "Butterfly" | 2020 | Rose in the Dark |
| "Shine" | Non-album single | |
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Tears" (Tinie Tempah featuring Cleo Sol) |
2008 | Non-album single |
| "Selfish" (Little Simz featuring Cleo Sol) |
2019 | Grey Area |
| "Woman" (Little Simz featuring Cleo Sol) |
2021 | Sometimes I Might Be Introvert |
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Ladder" | 2012 | Angel, Mark Asari | 7 Minutes Before Time |
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | MOBO Awards | |||
| Best R&B/Soul Act | Herself | Won | ||
| Video of the Year | "Woman" | Nominated | ||
| Album of the Year | "Mother" | Nominated | ||
| Best Female Act | Herself | Nominated |