Tanita Tikaram

Tanita Tikaram made a splash on both sides of the Atlantic at a mere 19 years of age with her dramatic, singer/songwriter-influenced lyrics. The offspring of Malaysian and Fijian parents, Tikaram moved to England at age 12 and began writing songs as a teenager. She played her first gig at 17 in London and, after appearing on television, was signed to Warner and released Ancient Heart in 1988. Both "Twist in My Sobriety" and "Good Tradition" were European hits, and Tikaram toured the world. She later settled into the status of a cult act, a situation not changed by less consistent albums to follow, although she bounced back in the '90s and continued to record into the 21st century. ~ Steve Huey