* En anglais uniquement
The versatile London, England-based
Katy B (aka
Baby Katy,
Baby Katie), a dance-oriented electronic pop artist inspired by the likes of
Mary J. Blige,
Faith Evans, and
Gwen Stefani, earned notice with "Tell Me," a 2006 single produced by DJ NG. A series of other features followed, including lead turns on Jelly Jams' "I Try,"
Geeneus' "Good Life" (a cover of the late-'80s
Inner City house classic), and
the Count & Sinden's "Hold Me." All of those tracks preceded the release of her first proper solo single. "Katy on a Mission," produced by
Benga, was issued on Rinse in 2010. The album
On a Mission was released the following April, with each song co-written by
Katy B and an array of collaborators, including
Geeneus (on seven of 12 tracks),
Magnetic Man,
Zinc, and
Benga. The set debuted at number two on the U.K. album chart. Nominated for the 2011 Mercury Prize, it was issued that September in the U.S.
After she toured Europe in support of her debut,
Katy teamed up with
Mark Ronson in 2012 for the track "Anywhere in the World," which appeared on a Coca-Cola Olympic sponsorship commercial.
Katy then reconvened with
Geeneus and connected with the likes of
Jacques Greene,
Sampha,
Joker, and
George FitzGerald.
Little Red, her second album, brought more of a pop edge to
Katy's dubstep-influenced sound. Preceded by the singles "5 AM" and "Crying for No Reason," it was released in February 2014 and topped the U.K. chart. The following year, she appeared on
KDA's "Turn the Music Louder (Rumble)," a number one U.K. pop hit. After a switch of labels -- from
Columbia to Virgin EMI -- she released
Honey in 2016. It featured an impressive variety of producers and guest artists, including
Kaytranada (on the title track),
Major Lazer and
Craig David,
Floating Points and
Four Tet,
D Double E, and Novelist. ~ Andy Kellman & John D. Buchanan