PaperTrail: Cleo Soul
Author: Jamal Jordan, Detroit Hub | jamal@thepapertag.com
Because London has yet to disappoint regarding underground talent, PaperTag is taking yet another trip there to highlight another of their local artists. This week's installment of the PaperTrail series revolves around none other than British-Jamaican singer and songwriter, Cleo Sol!
Cleo Sol grew up in the Ladbroke Grove part of West London with her Serbian-Spanish mother and Jamaican father. Most of her musical influences, namely Motown, Reggae, Latin, and Acid Jazz, derive from her parents who originally met in a jazz band. At the age of 16, Sol began transitioning from singing as a hobby to a serious profession. After posting a few songs on her MySpace page, she was soon discovered by underground producer Davinche, which started their partnership within the music industry. In 2011, one of her promo tracks entitled Call for Me was selected as the "Best British Track of the Week" by BBC Radio 1Xtra. Sol then began to work with artists like Tinie Tempah, Wretch 32, and other artists within the UK music scene before releasing her solo project in 2017.
In 2017, Sol released her debut EP entitled Winter Songs. This 4-track EP reflects her songwriting and vocal abilities. Her beautiful and uniquely recognizable singing voice are on full display within this project, especially on the track Try and You Try. Her performance of this song on A COLORS SHOW has received over 12 million views on YouTube. Her debut EP is among one of the best to release within the UK in 2017.
Following the success of her debut EP, Sol released two solo singles entitled One and Sweet Blue and a collaboration with fellow UK artist Little Simz entitled Selfish in 2019.
Almost one whole year later in March 2020, Sol released her amazing debut album Rose in the Dark. Her album combines elements of jazz and soul to create a wonderful body of work. Rose in the Dark can easily be identified as one of the best albums of 2020. Standout tracks from this album include Rose in the Dark, Sideways, Butterfly, and Her Light.
Stream Cleo Sol's music, and join us next week for another installment of PaperTrail!
