Selah Sue has won this year a MIA (Music Industry Award) in the category Solo Female Artist.
Only those devoid of any sensory capacity whatsoever would wrinkle their brow when hearing the name Selah Sue. At 21 years of age, this young singer-songwriter from Leuven is still a spring chicken but she effortlessly captures the entire world. Just recently opening his concert in the Sportpaleis at the request of Prince himself. What's more, as we speak, she's scoring a hit with the single ‘Crazy Vibes’ from her new E.P. ‘Raggamuffin’ (‘more than a pacifier: a shrewd mix of pop, R&B, electronica and – that's right – a dash of reggae’ - HUMO). Moreover, this E.P. proclaims the last stretch prior to her debut album... to be released on 4 March by French label Because, which also houses other talented acts like Amadou & Mariam, Justice and Charlotte Gainsbourg. This same album also forms the theme for her concert 'with band' in the AB one week later, on Friday 11 an Saturday 12 March to be precise.
Selah Sue, our artiest-in-residence in 2009, has worked extremely hard on her debut album over the last few months. In the meantime she has accumulated quite some live experience, mainly solo and in support of an EP that she was able to record in the ABstudio. You're sure to know the hit 'Black Part Love' from that period. Selah Sue was discovered by Milow during an Open Mic evening in the Depot in Leuven and now shares a manager with Gabriel Rios. No surprise really if you've seen her perform, then you already know that she is one of Belgium's most promising performers. "I write as a singer-songwriter but I most like singing 'black music'. Soul or blues or ska or ragga or drum'n'bass. Rhythm and colour." In the meantime, foreign lands are fully falling for this talented young lady too - with an appearance in the immensely popular French TV-show Taratata where she performed a duet with Moby - and tours of full halls aside performers like Patrice, Jamie Lidell and Keziah Jones. What's more, she's made friends with half of Gnarls Barkley, that is: Cee Lo Green. He sings on one of the tracks on her album and she plays his vocal counterpart on the delicious Cee Lo track 'Please'.
The On-Point label from Brussels, a small and independent label, was established barely 1 year ago. At record speed, the label released four 7-inch vinyl albums. They will be providing a different act for each of the three Selah Sue concerts in the AB in March 2011.
JtotheC & The Bad Mothas will play on Saturday 12 March. JtotheC (previously known from DJ Grazzhoppa's DJ Big Band) is referred to as the Flemish Jamie Lidell and surprised everyone at the end of last year when he played an overwhelmingly energetic and tight live-set as opener for Aloe Blacc in the Vooruit in Ghent.