b. Jackie Joyce, 1963, Dundee, Scotland. This talented singer-songwriter mixes disparate music styles in a manner that defies categorisation. Having never known her Ghanaian birth father, Joyce spent an itinerant childhood with her mother and stepfather. She later studied music at school and found work as a backing vocalist for a Latin-orientated combo and was featured vocalist on Mouth Music’s early 90s releases, Mo-Di and Shorelife. She also spent several years working with the band Ambisonic. During this time Joyce began to develop her songwriting and hit upon the ‘helicopter girl’ persona. In the late 90s, she became one of the first signings to ex-Warner Brothers Records’ chief Rob Dickens’ new Instant Karma label. Her 2000 debut How To Steal The World fused soul, jazz, and trip-hop rhythms in such an audacious, striking manner that many critics felt compelled to pronounce it as one of the most assured debut albums of the year. Joyce’s intense, personal lyrics on stand-out tracks such as ‘Escape Cloud’ and ‘Cry Mississippi’ perfectly complemented the heady atmosphere of the tribal rhythms. The album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in July, but commercial success failed to follow and press coverage quickly disappeared. Joyce made a low-key return to the recording market in summer 2004 with her second album, Voodoo Chic.