Titiyo - 13 Garden (2015)

The title of Sweden's Queen of Soul might not seem one of modern music's most coveted crowns but, in Sweden itself, there is little doubt that Titiyo not only merits all the acclaim lavished by her homeland, but that international acclaim has already demolished borders across much of Europe too.

Titiyo Jah was born in Stockholm in 1967, the half sister of singer Neneh Cherry - their father is Sierra Leone-born percussionist Ahmaduja of the Africa Hi-Life Orchestra. It was Cherry who first pointed Titiyo in the direction of performing, encouraging her to sing and prompting her, too, to seek out musical directions that Swedish pop had rarely visited in the past. By 1987, Titiyo was fronting her own band, performing rare groove covers on the Stockholm circuit before signing to the local Telegram label in 1989.

In 2015, Titiyo returns with a brand new album - her first ever in the Swedish language. Teaming up with producers and writers Jonathan Johansson, David Lindvall, Dante Kinnunnen and Martin Sakarias, "13 Garden" issomewhat a collaborative effort. The album also spots aliiances with the likes of Linnea Henriksson, Moto Boy, Ludwig Bell, Martin Renk, Vaz and Adjan XX.