Jaki Graham

Jaki Graham is a singer-songwriter from Birmingham, United Kingdom, born in 1956. She has worked in contemporary R&B, dance-pop, pop soul and soul. Born Jacqueline Graham to Jamaican parents, she begins her recording career in the 1980s and becomes known for a run of UK chart hits and later dance and soul releases.

Career

In 1983, Graham records a session with the jazz-funk group Medium Wave Band and is then discovered by a talent scout, leading to a contract with EMI Records. She issues her first solo singles, "Heaven Knows" and "Once More with the Feeling", in 1984.

Her breakthrough comes in 1985 with a duet with David Grant, a version of the Detroit Spinners song "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", which reaches number 5 in the UK Singles Chart. Later that year, her solo single "Round and Around" reaches the UK top 10, and another duet with Grant, "Mated", peaks at number 20. In 1986 she releases "Set Me Free", which reaches number 7 in the UK and also succeeds in several European countries. Its follow-up, "Breaking Away", reaches number 14, and her second album, also titled Breaking Away, appears the same year. A remixed version of "Step Right Up" later reaches the UK top 20.

Her third EMI album, From Now On, appears in 1989 and includes the singles "From Now On" and "The Better Part of Me", neither of which reaches the UK top 40. In 1991 she joins Paul Hardcastle in the group Kiss the Sky, whose self-titled album is released on Motown Records. She is later signed by AVEX International in Japan after being discovered at the Midem music conference, and work begins on Real Life, released in 1994. Singles from that album include "You Can Count on Me (For Love)", "Absolute E-Sensual" and "Ain't Nobody". The last of these becomes her most successful international single, charting in Europe, Asia and Australia and spending five weeks at number 1 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

Later work and performances

In 2009 Graham performs at Birmingham Town Hall with the BBC Big Band in a concert of George Gershwin arrangements, which leads to further work in 2010 with Duke Ellington material. Later in 2010 she tours the UK with Michael McDonald and Al Green on the Legends Arena Tour, and the compilation Absolute Essential – The Very Best of Jaki Graham is issued. In 2011 she appears as a guest on Cliff Richard's Soulicious arena tour, with the concerts recorded at London's O2 Arena and released on DVD.

In 2012 she records For Sentimental Reasons in Leeds with her band, completing production later that year, and a new version of "Set Me Free" titled "Set Me Free 2012" is also released. In 2016 she presents the BBC Radio London programme Soul on Sunday. Her 2018 studio album When a Woman Loves is released on her own label, JNT Music Ltd.

Albums

Her studio albums include Heaven Knows, Breaking Away, From Now On, Real Life, Hold On, Rhythm of Life, Don't Keep Me Waiting, My Life, For Sentimental Reasons and When a Woman Loves.