Labi Siffre

Author, composer, musician, singer, poet and committed writer, Labi Siffre was born in London on June 25, 1945, to a Nigerian father and a Barbadian-Belgian mother. A music student, he followed this path and accompanied jazz singer Annie Ross on guitar, before going solo. A prolific songwriter, he produced six albums between 1970 and 1975 and scored three chart hits: "It Must Be Love", later covered by Madness, "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" and "Watch Me". Her sophisticated soul, pop, folk and jazz musical style, and her commitment to the homosexual cause and anti-racism, were showcased on cult albums such as Labi Siffre (1970), Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying (1972) and Remember My Song (1975), whose track "I Got The" was sampled by Eminem and other rappers. Returning to music after a ten-year absence, Labi Siffre scored another hit with "(Something Inside) So Strong" and recorded four albums. Retired from the music world since 1998, he has published essays, plays and four volumes of poetry.