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Neneh Cherry

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Neneh Cherry (born Neneh Marianne Karlsson on March 10, 1964 in Stockholm) is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, DJ, and occasional broadcaster. Cherry blended hip hop with other influences, and experienced some moderate mainstream success with several of her recordings.

Biography

Cherry was born as Neneh Mariann Karlsson, to a Sierra Leonean father, Amahdu Jah (a drummer) and a Swedish painter/textile artist mother, Monika Karlsson, known as Moki Cherry. Her siblings include the singers Titiyo Jah and Eagle-Eye Cherry. Her step-father Don Cherry raised her since birth so Neneh took his name on. Cherry lived the first years of her life in the small Swedish town Hässleholm. Regarding her childhood, Cherry said:
"My mother is Swedish and she's an artist. She's an amazing lady. When I was a baby and she was going to design school, she used to take me along in a basket!"
Soon Mokie met Don and the family accompanied him on his tours through Europe and North America. In the early 1970s the Cherry family nestled into a small apartment on East 9th Street in New York City. Moki still lives in New York : either in Garden City or in a loft in Queens New York just across the East River from East 60th Street . Moki has exhibitions in major museums and galleries in New York and Stockholm.

Cherry and then-husband Bruce Smith (drummer Rip Rig & Panic ) had their first daughter Naima ; they divorced in 1984. In 1987 she met producer Cameron McVey at Heathrow airport. Cherry and Cameron were en route to Japan as fashion models as part of London Designer Ray Petri's Buffalo Posse. Cherry proposed and the two married in 1990. Together they have daughters Tyson (1989) and Mabel (1996) . Their relationship is also work-related, as McVey produced and co-wrote "Raw Like Sushi" ; together they have supported a variety of heavyweight British acts; and they are in group cirKus together.

In 2004, Cherry became a grandmother when Naima had son Louis Clyde Flynn Love .

The Cherry-McVeys have lived throughout Europe. In 1993 they moved to Spain, and lived there until 1999. In 1995, they briefly attempted to live in New York. They bought a home in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York. Soon after moving in, the couple was held up at gunpoint and robbed by a teenage bandit. The entire family packed up again and headed back to London's Primrose Hill . They next returned to Cherry's childhood home in Hässleholm,Sweden; living in the same schoolhouse-turned home (featured in Homebrew (Neneh Cherry album) album artwork ) that Cherry grew up in .

Today they split their time between their country house near Malmö and Stockholm and London.

Other Family

Many members of her family are musicians or artists.

Early days in London

Cherry dropped out of school at 14 and moved to London, where she joined the punk rock band The Cherries. She was close friends/house mates with Ari Up and worked at Better Badges, which was a centre of punk culture. Cherry moved through several bands, including The Slits, New Age Steppers, Rip Rig & Panic, and Float Up CP. She also dj'd, playing early rap music on the reggae pirate Dread Broadcasting Corporation.

Solo career:

Raw Like Sushi

She began a solo career with "Stop the War", a protest song about the Falkland Islands. She also worked with The The and musician Cameron McVey (a.k.a. Booga Bear), who co-wrote most of her debut album Raw Like Sushi, and whom she would eventually marry. She was intimately involved in the Bristol Urban Culture scene, working as an arranger on Massive Attack's Blue Lines album and helping out in various other ways in the scene. Famously, she gave birth while Shara Nelson was recording the vocals for the album in the same house. Robert Del Naja and Andrew Vowles of Massive Attack had in turn contributed to Raw Like Sushi.

Her single "Buffalo Stance" was an international blockbuster and she caused controversy when she performed the song - complete with gyrating choreography - on UK television show Top Of The Pops while 7-8 months pregnant. Buffalo Stance eventually peaked at number 3 on the UK pop charts and number 1 on the American Dance charts, becoming one of 1988's biggest club anthems.

More singles released between 1988 and 1990 included the slower "Manchild," "Kisses On The Wind," "Heart," and "Inna City Mama." She also found success with "I've Got U Under My Skin," a dramatic reworking of the Cole Porter song, which appeared on the Red Hot + Blue AIDS fundraising album. Lyme disease kept her away from the limelight until 1992.

Homebrew

Back in Sweden in 1991, Neneh began work on her second album Homebrew.
"I suppose the second album took a long time in pop terms, but that's the way it is with me, I need to have a life, lived at my own pace, in between the albums".
This was a more developed and crafted album - the sound of someone stretching out. Led by the single "Money Love", it was not as commercially successful as its predecessor, but received great critical acclaim . The album had some success on the dance charts with songs "Buddy X" and "Trout". "Buddy X" was an even bigger hit years later in a remix by Dreem Teem and on college radio the "Trout" duet with Michael Stipe) was popular. Homebrew included the work of a Bristolian lad called Geoff Barrow ('Somedays'), who would later turn up as the studio architect of the group Portishead.

Man

Her most recent solo album 1996's Man, was led by the track "Woman", a take on the James Brown's 1966 track "It's a Man's Man's Man's World". It featured the major hit single "7 Seconds (song)" featuring Youssou N'Dour, and "Trouble Man" - a remake of the old Marvin Gaye classic. Man was recorded mainly in London and Spain. Neneh's stepfather Don Cherry recently had died in her Spain home so many of "Man"'s songs have recurring themes of death, longing, and moving on. "Woman" 's video garnered Neneh with many British music honors .

"Feel It " features a very vulnerable Neneh singing the tale of a young man's growing up. The funky,agitated rock of "Kootchi" shows a return to Neneh's appealing, sass-filled sexual side. "Carry Me" gracefully tells the tale of a young girl's death from the dying girl's perspective. "Golden Ring" is a power ballad sung in a flamenco, Spanish style which exhibits the influence that living in the flamenco scene has had on Neneh's dwelling of Spain. International hit "7 Seconds (song)" is a haunting anthem about racism and "Together Now" features Tricky.

"Man" is more atmospheric and leaning towards trip hop and rock than Neneh's previous albums.

Neneh Chérie Remixes

A remix album of Man songs released in 1997.

  • 01. Kootchi (Air Remix) -
  • 02. Beastiality (Christophe Monier Remix) -
  • 03. Carry Me (Emmanuel Top Mix) -
  • 04. Everything (Sulee B Wax Remix) -
  • 05. Feel It (Sub-Vision Remix) -
  • 06. Feel It (Doctor L Remix)
  • 07. Woman (La Funk Mob Remix)

Reborn (or Family Therapy)

New solo album, a work in progress since 2003. Neneh plans to finish it after Cirkus's 2007 tour finishes and release should be around mid 2008.

CirKus

In 2006, Cherry announced the formation of a new band, cirKus. In addition to Cherry, CirKus members are :

  • Neneh's husband's Burt Ford a.k.a. boogabear a.k.a Cameron McVey ,
  • Lolita Moon (also Karmil's girlfriend), and
  • Karmil a.k.a. Matt Kent

The band's first album, Laylow was released in France in 2006.

Other collaborations

Although Cherry has only released a handful of albums, she has frequently collaborated with other artists.

  • "7 Seconds", a collaboration with Youssou N'Dour, was a huge international hit in 1994, remaining on the charts for nearly half a year.
  • Cherry also contributed guest vocals on Pulp's UK #1 album This Is Hardcore, singing on the track Seductive Barry.
  • Cherry collaborated with Edward Kowalczyk the lead singer of the band Live. They contributed a duet entitled Walk into this Room written by Kowalczyk for the soundtrack to the movie Playing by Heart in 1998.
  • In 1999 she covered the ESG song Moody on Christian Falk's debut Quel Bordel.
  • She contributed vocals alongside Speech and Ulali on 1 Giant Leap's 2003 song Braided Hair.
  • In the 2005 release of Gorillaz's Demon Days, she contributed vocals to the tracks Kids With Guns.
  • In 2006 she collaborated with Swedish rapper Petter on his album P and Stockholm electro-dub punks The Teddybears international release Soft Machine.
  • She also contributed vocals to the Groove Armada tracks The Groove Is On and Think Twice, featured on the band's album Love Box.
  • In 2006 she was featured in the song Yours to Keep by Teddybears.
  • In 2006 She is featured on the Agoria track "Million Miles". Released 9 December, 2006
  • In 2007 Youssou N'Dour and Neneh release track "Wake Up Africa". Premiered 10 July, 2007

Other work

In the spring of 2004, Cherry presented Neneh Cherry's World of music a six part series broadcast on BBC Radio 2.

In April 2007, Cherry presented a six-part cookery show Neneh and Andi - Dish it up with her close friend Andrea Oliver for BBC2.

Awards and other recognition

  • Due to the impressive performance of "Buffalo Stance," Cherry was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1990 in the Best New Artist Category; she lost out to Milli Vanilli, who later had their Grammy revoked when it was discovered that they had not performed on their recording.

  • She received her second Grammy nomination in 1994 for the Youssou N'Dour duet "7 Seconds." The single received worldwide acclaim but did not win the Grammy Award.

  • MTV Europe Music Awards 1995 "7 Seconds" Winner Best Song

Trivia

  • December 8, 1994 Neneh hosted Top of Pops 2 (BBC)
  • In 2004, Cherry became a grandmother.
  • In April 2006 Neneh Cherry appeared with the Gorillaz at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York. Neneh appeared in the CD/DVD on the track "Kids With Guns".
  • Cherry's duet with Youssou N'Dour, 7 Seconds, remained at number1 in France for a record 17 weeks in 1994.
  • Cherry is mentioned in the 1995 book Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex, and Hair by Lisa Jones. Lisa is the daughter of Poet LeRoi Jones a.k.a Imiri Baraka
  • During Cherry's 1996-1997 World Tour to support the Man cd, she closed each show with the 80s punk anthem "Germ Free Adolescents"
  • In April 2007 Cherry accidentally swore on live daytime TV whilst being interviewed on Channel 4's "The Paul O'Grady Show".

Discography

Singles

Year Title UK singles US Hot 100 Australian singles NZ singles German singles
1988 "Buffalo Stance" 3 3 21 14 2
1989 "Manchild" 5 -   4 2
1989 "Kisses on the Wind" 20 8   8 23
1989 "Heart" - 73 91 - -
1989 "Inna City Mama" 31 - - 15 -
1990 "I've Got You Under My Skin" 25 - 61 32 23
1992 "Money Love" 23 - 85 31 -
1993 "Buddy X" 35 43 - - -
1994 "7 Seconds" (with Youssou N'Dour) 3 98 3 7 3
1995 "Love Can Build a Bridge" (with Cher, Chrissie Hynde & Eric Clapton) 1 - - - 62
1996 "Woman" 9 - 17 35 52
1996 "Kootchi" 38 - - - -
1997 "Feel It" 68 - - - -
1999 "Buddy X '99" (with Dreem Teem) 15 - - - -
2000 "Long Way" Around (with Eagle-Eye Cherry) 48 - - - -
2003 "Braided Hair" (1 Giant Leap featuring Speech) - - - - -
2006 "Kids With Guns" (with Gorillaz) 27 - 31 - 97
2006 "Starved" (with cirKus) - - - - -
2006 "Is What It Is" (Tiger HiFi Mix) (with cirKus and Martin Jondo) - - - - -
2006 "Is What It Is" (with cirKus) - - - - -
2007 "Yours to keep" (remake with Teddybears STHLM) - - - - -

Albums

Year Title UK albums US albums Australian albums German albums
1989 Raw Like Sushi 2 40 30 10
1992 Homebrew 27 - 49 ?
1996 Man 16 - 10 20
2006 Laylow - - - -
2007 Laylower - - - -

See also

References

External links



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Last updated on Friday March 07, 2008 at 15:46:23 PST (GMT -0800)
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