NENEH CHERRY
Thirty years after her breakthrough with “Buffalo Stance”, the 54-year-old singer has just released her fifth studio album, Broken Politics (out now), and tells WHO what song …
… she first remembers listening to as a child My earliest musical memory is hearing my stepdad playing John Coltrane or Thelonious Monk, something like that. But the first music that became my music was listening to The Jackson 5. I had a swing in my house, and I used to sit on that and listen to it. … was the first she bought for herself
The first record I bought was a Donny Osmond record, which is really weird because I didn’t really like it but all of my friends at my school in Sweden were obsessed with Donny Osmond and I was trying to keep up. … she wishes she had written
Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th Street”. I love a song that tells a story and when you hear it, you’re there. It’s really visual. … always manages to lift her mood
“Don’t You Worry ’Bout A Thing” by Stevie Wonder. After the last day of Notting Hill Carnival in August, around 80 people descended on my house and everyone was singing that song together. … reminds her of being young and in love Deniece Williams’ “Free”. It’s beautiful. … she likes that might surprise people “Liquor Store Blues” by Bruno Mars and Damian Marley. I was in Jamaica a while ago and that song was everywhere. I have nothing against Bruno Mars, but he’s not my chosen artist to listen to.