Sampha

At the beginning of his career, British R&B singer/songwriter Sampha spent years making high-profile guest appearances on other artists' songs before he finally really established himself as a singular solo artist to be reckoned with via his first full-length album. Born Sampha Lahai Sisay in the Morden section of London, England on November 16, 1988, he grew up playing piano. Crossing paths with British producer Kwes (Damon Albarn, Solange, etc.) early on proved to be crucial step in Sampha's musical evolution. Kwes helped Sampha to get involved with the Beggars Group imprint Young Turks, the label that would eventually release Sampha's music; it was through his association with Young Turks that some of his early musical partnerships were forged. The remix Sampha did of "Basic Space" by The xx in 2009 got his career started. He released his first EP, Sundanza, in 2010. It was in 2011 that he began popping up on other people's records-he guested on two tracks from Jessie Ware's Devotion album that year as well as a tune by the DJ Lil Silva. The ante was upped in 2013 when he sang on two Drake songs, "Too Much" and "The Motion" as well as putting out his second EP, Dual. Over the next few years, more collaborations followed, including appearances on Katy B's "Play," Emile Haynie's "A Kiss Goodbye," and Solange's "Don't Touch My Hair." In 2017, having laid plenty of groundwork, Sampha released the debut album he'd been working on for years. Process fully displayed his mix of fluid crooning, keyboard skills, and forward-looking, electronic-oriented production. The record won the 2017 Mercury prize, hit the Top 10 in the U.K., and earned Sampha plenty of praise in the music press.