Former session singer and music teacher MPHO has emerged as one of Britain's most interesting new talents thanks to her eclectic sound and refusal to be pigeonholed. Born in Apartheid South Africa, she moved to Brixton, South London with her family at the age of four to escape apartheid laws. Influenced by her father, musician Hotstix Mabuse, she began writing and performing her own songs and earned a place at the prestigious Brits School, where she later became a mentor for a pre-fame Adele. After providing backing vocals for Natasha Bedingfield and Ms. Dynamite, she appeared on tracks by Bugz in the Attic and Coldcut, before signing a five-album deal with Wall of Sound/Parlophone Records. Her first single, "Box N' Locks," which sampled Martha & the Muffins' "Echo Beach," reached number 49 in the U.K. charts. Her debut album, Pop Art, produced by the likes of Switch, Future Cut, and Rick Nowels, is due for release at the end of 2009. ~ Jon O'Brien