Jodie Melanie Connor (born 8 May 1981) is an English singer, songwriter and Goodwill ambassador. Connor's first number-one charted song was as a guest vocalist on

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 ...

's number-one single "

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

". She was later signed by

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

and

Takeover Entertainment Takeover Entertainment was a British entertainment company. The organization operates an independent record label, talent agency, a music production company, as well as its own music publishing house. The company was founded in 2006 and is run ...

and released her debut solo single " Now or Never" on 16 January 2011, which peaked at number 14. A second single, " Bring It" featuring

Tinchy Stryder Kwasi Esono Danquah III ( ; born 14 September 1986), better known by his stage name Tinchy Stryder, is a British rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and investor. Stryder has released three solo studio albums, '' Star in the Hood'' (2007 ...

was released on 20 February 2011 following its first play 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 Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

and debuted at number 11 on the

UK R&B Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...

. Connor's latest release was in 2018 on Solo Suspex's single “Back To You”.

Music career

Early career

Early in Connor's career, she attended

Saddleworth School Saddleworth School is a community secondary school in Diggle, England, for students in years 7–11. History First built in 1911 as a junior and infants school, Saddleworth School was expanded to a secondary school sometime between 1960 and ...

for her high school education before attending

Oldham College Oldham College, is a further education college based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. History Oldham College was established in 1893 after a donation from the Platt family, a famous textile machinery manufacturer. This led to the institu ...

where she studied

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

and graduated. Connor worked as receptionist in a sports club by day and gigged and performed in the evenings and on weekends. In 2003, Connor appeared as a contestant on the second series of the hit British television talent show ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...

''. She was an early favourite of the judges, and made it to the final fifty of the competition, earning her the chance to perform live to the nation, but was eliminated after failing to finish in the top two in her group, instead placing fourth of ten. Connor was given a second chance by the judges, and was invited back for the Wildcard round, but again was unsuccessful in making it through to the next round, and was eliminated for good.

2010–present: Breakthrough and first studio album

Connor returned to the spotlight in 2010, when she featured on

grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust Music * Grime music, a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * "Grime", a 2023 song by Macklemore from ''Ben'' * "Grime", a 2024 song by Kittie from ''Fire ...

collective

's comeback single "

"; which she helped to co-write. On 2 May 2010, the single debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 1,Roll Deep claim first ever UK number one
''

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...

'', 2 May 2010. where it remained for three consecutive weeks.Ex-Pop Idol contestant Jodie Connor set for chart success eight years on
. '' Oldham Advertiser'', 5 January 2011. The single not only marked Connor's first chart performance, but also Roll Deep's first top 10 hit. Connor then continued her breakthrough, appearing on videos "Electric Boogaloo (Find a Way)" and "Higher State" by

Wiley Wiley may refer to: Locations *Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town *Wiley, Georgia, an U.S. unincorporated community * Wiley, Pleasants County, West Virginia, U.S. * Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany People *Wiley (musician), ...

and Bailey respectively. Following the success of Connor's breakthrough, she was signed to

and

,Artists – Jodie Connor
''

''. spending the remainder of 2010 recording material for her debut album. On 16 January 2011, Connor released her debut single, " Now or Never" featuring Wiley, in the UK, which debuted at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and number 6 on the

. On 20 February 2011, Connor released her second single, " Bring It" featuring

, also in the UK, which debuted at number 11 on the UK R&B Chart, following its first play on

. In December 2010, Connor announced that she is to be spending time between

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

working in the studio with

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Headquartered in New York City, the company is a successor to his previous Roc-A-Fella Records label, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. It serves as a re ...

Songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

Makeba Riddick Makeba Riddick-Woods, also known as Girl Wonder, is an American songwriter and singer who has been active in the music industry since 2002. Born and raised in West Baltimore, Maryland, she signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2008. Background Ri ...

and James Fauntleroy II on her debut album, and that the album would be scheduled for release in the fourth-quarter of 2012. The third single from the album entitled " Take You There" and featuring American rapper

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

was released on 29 July 2012.Jodie Connor (No 925)
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. Thursday, 7 December 2010. Retrieved Thursday, 14 September 2011.

Other ventures

In February 2011, Connor was announced as the new face of

's '' Star in the Hood'' female clothing line. In March 2011, Connor was appointed as a goodwill ambassador for

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

The Prince's Trust The King's Trust (formerly the Prince's Trust) is a United Kingdom-based charity founded in 1976 by Charles III, King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds w ...

Personal life

Connor's family are of

Afro The afro is a hair style created by combing out natural growth of afro-textured hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" '' Ebo ...

- Barbadian/

White Barbadian White Barbadians or European Barbadians are Barbadian citizens or residents of European descent. The majority of European Barbadians are descended from English, Portuguese, and Scottish settlers and Irish indentured servants and settlers, wh ...

descent. Her mother is named Kathleen. Connor lived in

Shaw and Crompton Shaw and Crompton is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, and lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines. It is located north of Oldham, south-east of Rochdale and north- ...

. She has two sons, one born in 2014 and one born in November 2016.

Discography

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

Music videos

Cameo appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connor, Jodie Living people 1981 births Takeover Entertainment artists English lyricists English people of Barbadian descent Pop Idol contestants People from Oldham 21st-century Black British women singers 21st-century English women singers People from Shaw and Crompton English women pop singers