Lianne La Havas

Offering a mostly acoustic and hushed hybrid of alternative folk and soul, Lianne La Havas was born and raised in London, England, the daughter of a Jamaican mother and Greek father. The singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist was a member of the Paris Parade with Christian Pinchbeck (a future member of Elephant), but the act proved to be short-lived. La Havas eventually shifted to solo work and released Lost & Found, a four-track EP featuring a duet with Willy Mason, in October 2011. Two months later -- the same month she opened for Bon Iver during a North American tour -- it was announced that she had been nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2012 poll. Is Your Love Big Enough?, La Havas' debut album for Warner Bros., was released in the U.K. in July 2012; the U.S. release through Nonesuch followed a month later. The set was produced almost entirely by songwriting partner Matt Hales (aka Aqualung). ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi