Neneh Cherry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Neneh Cherry
Neneh Cherry in 2016
Born	Neneh Mariann Karlsson (1964-03-10) 10 March 1964 (age 61) Stockholm, Sweden
Occupation	Singer songwriter rapper disc jockey broadcaster
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Bruce Smith ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 1984)​ Cameron McVey ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	3, including Mabel
Parents	Ahmadu Jah (father) Moki Cherry (mother)
Relatives	Don Cherry (step-father) Eagle-Eye Cherry (half-brother)
Musical career
Origin	London, England
Genres	Hip-hop post-punk trip hop dance
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Virgin Smalltown Supersound

Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born on March 10, 1964), known as Neneh Cherry, is a talented Swedish singer, songwriter, rapper, and DJ. She also works as a broadcaster. Her music journey began in London in the early 1980s. She was part of several punk and post-punk bands when she was young, like The Slits and Rip Rig + Panic.

Neneh Cherry has released six studio albums. Her first album, Raw Like Sushi, came out in 1989 and was very popular, reaching number two on the UK Albums Chart. This was largely thanks to her hit song "Buffalo Stance". She has won two Brit Awards and an MTV Europe Music Award with Youssou N'Dour. She was also nominated for a Grammy Award.

Early Life and Family

Neneh Cherry was born in Stockholm, Sweden. Her mother was Monika "Moki" Karlsson, a Swedish painter and artist. Her father was Ahmadu Jah, a musician from Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Neneh's parents separated when she was very young. Her mother then married the American jazz musician Don Cherry, who helped raise Neneh. She took her stepfather's last name. Her half-brother, musician Eagle-Eye Cherry, was born when Neneh was four years old. She also has a stepsister, Jan Cherry, and a stepbrother, David Ornette Cherry, from her stepfather's side. Through her father, Ahmadu Jah, she has two other half-siblings: singer Titiyo and record producer Cherno Jah.

In the early 1970s, Neneh's family moved to the United States. Later, in 1977, they bought a home in New York City. Neneh left school at age 15 and moved to London, England.

Music Career

Starting Out in Music

Neneh Cherry moved to the United Kingdom when she was 15. This was during the punk music era, and she felt like she found her place there. She had met members of the band The Slits earlier because her stepfather, Don Cherry, was touring with them. Neneh even lived in a shared house in London with Ari Up from The Slits.

In London, Neneh joined a punk rock band called The Cherries. She then moved through several other bands, including The Slits, New Age Steppers, and Rip Rig + Panic. She also worked as a DJ, playing early rap music on a pirate radio station called Dread Broadcasting Corporation. Neneh grew up in a musical family and remembers singing with her father at the piano.

Studio Albums

Raw Like Sushi

Neneh Cherry started her solo music career in 1982 with a song called "Stop the War." This song was a protest against the Falklands War. She worked with Jonny Dollar, The The, and Cameron McVey, who helped write most of her first album, Raw Like Sushi, released in 1989. She later married Cameron McVey.

Her song "Buffalo Stance" became a huge hit, reaching number 3 in the UK and US charts. Other popular songs from this album included "Manchild" and "Kisses on the Wind". She also had success with "I've Got You Under My Skin", a new version of an old song. Neneh was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1990 and won a Brit Award for Raw Like Sushi. She famously performed "Buffalo Stance" on the TV show Top of the Pops while pregnant.

Homebrew

Neneh Cherry's second album, Homebrew, was released in 1992. It was not as big a commercial success as her first album. However, songs like "Buddy X" and "Trout" did well on various music charts.

The music video for "Buddy X" earned Neneh Cherry an MTV Video Music Award nomination in 1993. The song "Trout" featured vocals from R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe. This song was popular on college radio and reached number 2 on the Alternative Music Charts.

Man

Cherry performing in Vienna in 1996

Her album Man was released in 1996. A key song from this album was "Woman", which was her own version of James Brown's song "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." The album also included the worldwide hit single "7 Seconds", featuring Youssou N'Dour.

In France, "7 Seconds" was number one for a record 16 weeks in 1994. This song earned Neneh Cherry her second Grammy nomination and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song.

Blank Project

Blank Project was written by Neneh Cherry and her husband, Cameron McVey. The album was greatly influenced by the death of her mother. To promote the album, she toured Europe in 2014 and performed in New York City in 2015.

Broken Politics

Broken Politics was released on October 19, 2018. Neneh Cherry described it as "quieter and more reflective" than her previous album. The first song released from the album was "Kong." Critics praised the album, with one calling it "revelatory." Neneh toured North America, Australia, and Europe in late 2018 and early 2019 to support the album.

The Versions

On June 10, 2022, Neneh Cherry released her album The Versions. This album features new versions of her older songs. It includes vocals from other famous singers like Robyn and Sia.

Bands and Collaborations

Neneh Cherry has also been part of other music projects and worked with many artists.

CirKus

Neneh Cherry at Tauron Nowa Muzyka 2014 in Katowice, Poland

In 2006, Neneh Cherry formed a new band called cirKus. She created it with Cameron McVey, their daughter Lolita Moon, and Karmil. CirKus toured Europe and released their first album, Laylow, in 2006. A second album, Medicine, followed in 2009.

The Cherry Thing

In March 2011, Neneh Cherry worked with an experimental jazz group called The Thing. They released an album together called The Cherry Thing in June 2012. The Thing is a jazz trio from Norway and Sweden. The album included songs originally performed by a variety of artists, including hip-hop artist MF Doom and The Stooges. Many of the songs were recorded live.

Other Music Projects

Neneh Cherry has often worked with other artists throughout her career. In 1987, she sang a duet with Matt Johnson on the song "Slow Train to Dawn" by The The. She also appeared in the music video. In 2005, she collaborated with Gorillaz on the song "Kids with Guns" from their album Demon Days.

RocketNumberNine

In 2013, Neneh Cherry teamed up with a London duo called RocketNumberNine. They recorded an album together called MeYouWeYou. Neneh wrote 10 songs with Cameron McVey, and RocketNumberNine added their musical interpretation. They recorded the album live in Woodstock, New York.

Musical Style

Neneh Cherry says she doesn't really think of herself as just a rapper. She sees herself as a "singer that does a bit of rapping." When she first became popular in the U.S., she found the American music industry focused too much on putting artists into specific music categories.

Other Work

In the early 1980s, Neneh Cherry was a DJ on a pirate radio station called Dread Broadcasting Corporation (DBC). She also appeared in music videos for the band Big Audio Dynamite in the mid-1980s. In the late 1980s, she helped support the band Massive Attack.

In 2004, Neneh Cherry hosted a six-part radio series called Neneh Cherry's World of Music on BBC Radio 2. In 2007, she presented a cooking show called Neneh and Andi – Dish It Up with her friend Andrea Oliver for BBC Two.

In 2016, she starred in a drama and musical film called ‘’Stockholm, My Love’’. The film was set in Stockholm and featured music by Benny Andersson from ABBA. A short documentary about Neneh Cherry, titled Cherry, was released on YouTube in March 2022. In 2024, Neneh Cherry published her autobiography, A Thousand Threads.

Personal Life

In 1983, Neneh Cherry married drummer Bruce Smith. They had a daughter named Naima. They later divorced in 1984. Naima is now a photographer in London and has a son named Louis Clyde Flynn Love, born in 2004.

In 1986, Neneh met producer Cameron McVey at Heathrow Airport. They were both traveling to Japan as fashion models. Neneh proposed to Cameron, and they married in 1990. Neneh and Cameron have two daughters who are also singers: Tyson (born in 1989) and Mabel (born in 1996). Tyson, also known as Lolita Moon, was the daughter Neneh was pregnant with when she performed on Top of the Pops. Mabel is a well-known singer who has worked with groups like Clean Bandit.

Cherry in Stockholm, February 2013

Neneh Cherry and Cameron McVey often work together on music projects. Cameron produced and helped write her album Raw Like Sushi. They were also both part of the band cirKus. Neneh also has a stepson, Marlon Roudette, from Cameron's previous relationship.

The family has homes in London and Stockholm, as well as a country house in Sweden. Neneh Cherry speaks both English and Swedish fluently.

Style

Neneh Cherry has often worked with stylist and jewelry designer Judy Blame since the late 1980s. She has mentioned that her street style was influenced by artists like LL Cool J and designers like Ray Petri.

Discography

• Raw Like Sushi (1989)
• Homebrew (1992)
• Man (1996)
• Blank Project (2014)
• Broken Politics (2018)
• The Versions (2022)

Awards

AIM Independent Music Awards

Brit Awards

D&AD Awards

Danish Music Awards

Grammy Awards

Grammis

Ivor Novello Awards

MTV Europe Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

Music & Media Year-End Awards

NME Awards

Nordic Music Prize

Rober Awards Music poll

Silver Clef Awards

Smash Hits Poll Winners Party

UK Video Music Awards

Images for kids

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  Cherry performing in 2012

See also

In Spanish: Neneh Cherry para niños