Zarif (singer)
| Zarif | |
|---|---|
Zarif performing at Rise Festival in 2008
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Zarif Davidson |
| Also known as | Mona Lisa Veto |
| Origin | Harrow, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | |
Zarif Davidson, known professionally as Zarif or Mona Lisa Veto, is a British singer-songwriter of Anglo-Scottish-Iranian descent whose music incorporates soul, funk, and pop. She performs with a nine-piece band and sometimes plays keyboard and guitar.
Zarif grew up in Harrow, London with her Scottish father and her Iranian mother. As a child, Zarif loved listening to music and some of her favourite artists are Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Aretha Franklin. She wrote her first song as an entry to a Blue Peter competition and formed a girl band with her friends called Girls of Tomorrow. Zarif was educated at North London Collegiate and went on to study at University College London, where she graduated with a human sciences degree.
Zarif started her career performing in a series of venues in London in the city's soul singer-songwriter open mic circuit. The Nextmen saw her at one of these gigs and asked her to perform on three tracks on their album This Was Supposed to Be the Future as well as tour with them during mid 2007. At another of her open mic gigs, Zarif was spotted by a talent scout from Sony BMG. She was signed to RCA Records in 2007, performed with John Legend, and supported Taio Cruz and Chris Brown. She has performed live on BBC Radio 2, BBC London and GMTV.
...
Wikipedia