Zarif

Zarif Davidson is a British soul, funk and pop singer-songwriter from North London. Her music draws on electro swing, nu jazz and pop, and she is associated with jazz, soul, funk and R&B as well as female vocal performance.

Career

She features on The Nextmen’s album Something Got You/This Was Supposed To Be the Future (Part 2), including the single Something Got You feat. Zarif (Radio). In 2008 she tours with The Nextmen, plays festivals including Glastonbury and Bestival, and supports Taio Cruz on his UK tour. She also duets with John Legend at the Tommy Hilfiger Sessions after he asks her to perform with him.

Her debut album Box Of Secrets is released in 2010 and receives strong critical attention. She is also tipped by The Guardian as “the next big thing in British soul.”

Later work

Zarif opens for Beyoncé on the UK and Ireland leg of the I Am... Sasha Fierce tour in 2009. After difficulties with her record company and a double bout of breast cancer, she returns with the EP Square One, which marks a renewed step in her career.

Style

Her songs combine the classic songwriting of Stevie Wonder with the 1980s pop influence of Cyndi Lauper, resulting in a quirky retro-tinged soul sound.