MPHO
| Mpho | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mpho Skeef |
| Born | 1982/1983 (age 33–34) South Africa |
| Genres | Pop, new wave, broken beat, nu jazz, synthpop, neo soul, electro |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Documented, Wall of Sound/PIAS, Parlophone/EMI |
| Associated acts | Bugz in the Attic, Us3, Coldcut |
| Website | mphosounds |
Mpho Skeef (pronounced Mmm'po), known by her stage name of Mpho, is a South African-born British singer-songwriter based in London.
Skeef was born during the apartheid regime in South Africa to Sipho Mabuse and her mother, Mary Edwards. Her first name is a SeSotho word meaning "gift". Mpho spent her first birthday imprisoned in Caledon Square, Cape Town with her mother who was an anti-apartheid campaigner. She moved to the United Kingdom at the age of four and was brought up in , Clapham and Brixton by her mother and her stepfather, Eugene Skeef. She attended the BRIT School in Croydon.
Mpho began working in the music industry in 2004, initially as a backing vocalist for artists such as Ms Dynamite, Natasha Bedingfield, Ty, Terri Walker, Skinnyman, Rodney P, and Spacek. She was a lead vocalist on the Bugz in the Attic single "Booty La La", which reached number 44 on the UK Singles Chart. She signed to the Arts Council-funded record label Documented Records and, in 2005, released her debut single, "Comin' for Ya", and the four-track EP Don't Like You.
By late 2006, Mpho had joined PIAS Recordings/Wall of Sound on the strength of Don't Like You, and was preparing an electro-influenced album titled To Spite My Face with producers including Spacek, dBridge, and Yan Murawski. She also sang on the track "This Island Earth" on Coldcut's 2006 album Sound Mirrors, and released a second solo single, "What You Waiting For?", the same year.
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