Cleopatra Humphrey (born 4 November 1988) formerly known by her stage name Mz. Bratt and currently known as Cleo., is an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
rapper and
neo-soul grime musician.
History
Humphrey was born in
Bow, London
Bow () is an area of East London within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is primarily a built-up and mostly residential area and is east of Charing Cross.
It was in the traditional county of Middlesex but became part of the County o ...
. Later, she moved to
Hainault and started producing her music. Her talent impressed the urban producer Terror Danjah who took her under their wing after hearing her at local MC battles and seeing her Myspace profile. Mz. Bratt was selected to be part of the
T4 entertainment show the ''
Musicool'', in which she was the lead female, at one point reducing guest judge
Jamelia to tears with her exceptional talent and vocal ability. Following this, Mz. Bratt embarked on a US and European tour with
The Count & Sinden
"Beeper" is the debut single by British music duo the Count & Sinden, featuring vocals from American hip hop artist Kid Sister. The song was released via Domino Records in April 2008.
Background and release
"Beeper" was released on Switch and ...
, which included shows at the
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
and at
Bestival
Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festival relocated to the Lulworth Estate in Dorset. The event was organ ...
.
Humphrey has a mixed race ethnic background.
Music career
Mz. Bratt's first single, "Who Do You Think You Are?", was released on
All Around the World Productions
Xploded Music is a British record label set up by Cris Nuttall and Matt Cadman. The label is a joint venture with Universal, and has developed from their previous partnership with the All Around the World dance music label. All Around the Wor ...
on 27 July 2009, and received plays on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...
and
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been ...
. The second single, "I Like You", followed in November, and was also played by Radio 1Xtra.
In February 2010, Mz. Bratt joined a new collective group formed by
Wiley called A-List.
She released her third single, "Selecta", in mid-2010, under A-List Music Ltd, produced by
Redlight. She is expected to release her first album at the
American Airlines Arena
FTX Arena (known as American Airlines Arena from 1999 to 2021) is a multi-purpose arena located in Miami, Florida, along Biscayne Bay. It was constructed beginning in 1998 as a replacement for the Miami Arena and designed by the architecture f ...
in Miami, Florida, in February 2012 alongside the likes of
Usher
Usher may refer to:
Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place:
* Usher (occupation)
** Church usher
** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony
** F ...
and
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
.
Mz. Bratt has also appeared on remixes and records with other artists including Wiley,
Taio Cruz,
Sadie Ama
Sadie Ama (born Mersadie Louise Hall; 19 August 1987) is an English R&B singer who grew up in Kilburn, London. She is best known for featuring on the Tom Zanetti track " You Want Me", which peaked at number #22 on the UK Singles Chart. Sadie sta ...
,
Dionne Bromfield and
Jazmine Sullivan. A remix of
Tinchy Stryder
Kwasi Esono Danquah III ( ; born 14 September 1986), known by the stage name Tinchy Stryder, is a Ghanaian-British rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and investor.
Stryder has released three solo studio albums, '' Star in the Hood'' (2 ...
's "
Game Over" was promoted online in November 2010 under the name "Female Takeover Remix", with the female MCs
Ruff Diamondz,
Envy, Lioness, Cherri V,
Baby Blue,
A.Dot,
Lady Leshurr, RoXXXan and Mz. Bratt.
Mz. Bratt and Wiley also appeared in
Fugative
Harry James Byart (born 11 March 1994), better known by his former stage name Fugative, is an English rapper. He worked with Kirk Burrowes in April 2009 in Atlanta the former manager of Mary J. Blige and co-founder of Bad Boy Records after Bu ...
's song "Go Hard".
She recently took part in the MOBO tour and supported
Roll Deep
Roll Deep (formerly Roll Deep Entourage) are a British grime crew. They were founded in 2001 by Wiley shortly before the disbandment of UK garage crew Pay As U Go Cartel.
The group have had two UK No. 1 singles, "Good Times" and " Green Lig ...
on their tour. She is currently supporting
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...
on the UK leg of his tour.
Mz. Bratt supported
Example
Example may refer to:
* '' exempli gratia'' (e.g.), usually read out in English as "for example"
* .example
The name example is reserved by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as a domain name that may not be installed as a top-level ...
on his winter 2011 tour. Other support came from
Fenech-Soler.
In 2015, Bratt announced her professional name would be Cleo.
2012 and album
Mz. Bratt released a video for her upcoming single "Falling Down", on 16 April 2012 on YouTube. The single is officially released on iTunes on 6 May 2012. Bratt has confirmed that she is recording songs for her first studio album, but won't release the album until there's a demand and people want the album.
[ She has so far recorded about 50 tracks, but she only wants 5 tracks to be used on her album. She has also confirmed that she wants features on her songs, but only after she has recorded all of her songs.][ Mz Bratt has also stated in various interviews that she would love to work with Chris Martin from ]Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...
,Labrinth
Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record lab ...
[
]
Personal life
Cleo's father was MC Scallywag from the early 1990s acid house sound system Spiral Tribe.
Discography
Extended plays
*2015: ''Beauty For Ashes''
Mixtapes
*2007: ''Give It To Em, Vol. 1''
*2009: ''Give It To Em, Vol. 2''
*2011: ''Elements''
Singles
As featured artist
Soundtrack appearances
Filmography
*2011 ''Anuvahood
''Anuvahood'' is a 2011 British urban comedy film directed by Adam Deacon, who also plays the film's lead character. It also stars Paul Kaye, Wil Johnson, Ollie Barbieri, Femi Oyeniran, Jocelyn Jee Esien, and Ashley Walters. Critics of the f ...
'' (as Shay)
References
External links
Soundcloud
{{Authority control
Living people
1988 births
21st-century Black British women singers
Grime music artists
People from Bow, London
People from Hainault
Rappers from London
Black British women rappers