MPHO

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She was the voice behind the massive Bugz in the Attic track “Booty La La” and most recently toured and collaborated with the Elektrons on “Classic Cliché”.

Mpho (pronounced Mm’poh) Skeef has certainly made her mark on the underground circuit and is a real contender to blow up this year.  Her quirky eclecticism and genre defying  pop mix - stands out in a sea of identikit “urban” artists. 

“Equally influenced by Mary J Blige, Kraftwerk and Kate Bush, Skeef’s solo work is cheeringly uncategorisable, unbound by the constraints of the genre, but commercial enough for crossover success.”  The Guardian

“My music has many different influences and it comes from where I am which is cross-cultural.  I was born in South Africa and I was brought up with a lot of South African music.  At school I was into Prince, Kate Bush and Michael Jackson and later bashment and hip hop……. especially artists like Andre 3000 who were pushing the boundaries.  I have been to all of these different places musically and they all inform what I do now.”

Mpho (meaning “gift”) was born to a mixed race couple in South Africa at the height of the struggle against apartheid.  Mixed relationships were illegal and she spent her first birthday in jail when her mother was arrested.  Her biological dad Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse, is a giant in South African music. However, although she grew up listening to legends Miriam Makeba, Fela Kuti, Joni Mitchell and John Coltrane - she was encouraged to explore her own love of music, and whatever was contemporary at that time. Mpho, her mother and stepfather (percussionist Eugene Skeef) fled to Brixton in the 80’s, where Mpho still lives.

As a professional singer, Mpho has performed with many artists and has already established a fierce reputation as a live artist in her own right.  She made a huge impact at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards, causing New Nation to comment:  “Judging by her recent stage shows she’s definitely got the stuff superstars are made of.” High praise indeed but there are many who agree.

Releasing her EP “Don’t Like You” on indie label Documented, Mpho got not only the public talking about her but also industry insiders. After signing a new deal with WALL OF SOUND Mpho’s debut album produced by Switch (M.I.A, Santogold), Future Cut (Lily Allen, Estelle) and new producerrs Nglish & Labrinth is ready to go.

With writing collaborations from Rick Nowels (Nelly Furtado, John Legend) Anonymos & Rob Davis (Kylie, Spiller), her new sound is something to be experienced for yourself, enjoy the journey.