| Cleo Sol | |
| Birth Name: | Cleopatra Nikolic |
| Birth Date: | 24 March 1990 |
| Birth Place: | Ladbroke Grove, London, England |
| Years Active: | 2008–present |
| Label: | Forever Living Originals |
| Current Member Of: | Sault |
Cleopatra Zvezdana Nikolic[1] (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.[2]
Cleo Sol made her debut in 2008 featuring on the single "Tears" by Tinie Tempah.[3] 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)".[4] [5]
She took a musical hiatus from 2012 to 2017. She returned with the EP Winter Songs, released on 9 March 2018.[6]
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".[7] [8]
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.[9] [10] The following year, Nikolic released her second studio album, titled Mother, on 20 August 2021.[11] 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.[12] [13] [14] The group rarely appears live or does interviews, and Sol rarely performs live.[15]
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.[2] [16] [17]
Cleo Sol is married to the English record producer Inflo, who is the father of their child born in 2021.[18]
| Details | |
| Rose in the Dark |
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|---|---|
| Mother |
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| Heaven |
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| Gold |
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| Details | ||
| Winter Songs |
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|---|
| Year | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| "High" | 2011 | rowspan="3" |
| "Never the Right Time (Who Do You Love)" | 2012 | |
| "Code to Crack" | ||
| "Why Don't You" | 2017 | Winter Songs & Rose in the Dark |
| "Try and You Try" | Winter Songs | |
| "One" | 2019 | rowspan="2" |
| "Sweet Blue" | ||
| "Butterfly" | 2020 | Rose in the Dark |
| "Shine" | ||
| Year | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| "Tears" | 2008 | |
| "Selfish" | 2019 | Grey Area |
| "Woman" | 2021 | Sometimes I Might Be Introvert |
| Year | Other artist(s) | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Ladder" | 2012 | Angel, Mark Asari | 7 Minutes Before Time |