Cleo Sol | |
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Birth name | Cleopatra Nikolic |
Born | Ladbroke Grove, London, England | 24 March 1990
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Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 2008–present |
Labels | Forever Living Originals |
Member of | Sault |
Website | www |
Cleopatra Zvezdana Nikolic[2] (born 24 March 1990), better known by her stage name Cleo Sol, is a British singer-songwriter. Working closely with her partner, the producer Dean Josiah Cover, she has released five solo studio albums, beginning with the EP Winter Songs (2018), followed by full-lengths Rose in the Dark (2020), Mother (2021), Heaven (2023), and Gold (2023) and is a member of the R&B collective Sault.
Cleo Sol was born and raised in Ladbroke Grove. Her mother is Serbian-Spanish and her father is Jamaican. Both are jazz 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] Surprise albums Heaven and Gold followed in September 2023.
She is a member of the UK based musical collective SAULT who have released eleven studio albums.[13][14][15] The group rarely appears live or does interviews, and Sol rarely performs live.[16]
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][17][18]
Cleo Sol is married to the English record producer Inflo, who is the father of their child born in 2021.[19]
Title | Details |
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Rose in the Dark |
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Mother |
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Heaven |
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Gold |
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Title | Details |
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Winter Songs |
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Title | Year | Album |
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"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 |
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"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 |
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"Ladder" | 2012 | Angel, Mark Asari | 7 Minutes Before Time |