Born on 28 May: Skye Edwards, the velvety voice of Morcheeba

The eldest of four children, born Shirley Klaris Yonabieve Edwards, she was born in London in 1972 and was raised in a foster family.

Legend has it that brothers Paul (then a DJ) and Ross Godfrey (a multi-talented multi-instrumentalist) discovered her while she was a backing singer for a small funk group at a party in Greenwich. They were, unsurprisingly, charmed by her—like so many others at the time—and quickly decided to form Morcheeba with her. Besides her divine singing, Skye also plays the guitar. What more could you ask?

In the British trip-hop scene of the mid-1990s, this velvety voice rose above the down-tempo beats and mellow atmospheres created by the two brothers right from the debut album "Who Can You Trust?" (1996), a first outing that already featured some gems like "Moog Island" or "Trigger Hippie". When I met her for the first time after the album's release, she was already answering journalists' questions herself, with a touching shyness. Of course, I asked her where that... airy name came from:

"My foster mother always called me Skye. It just stuck with me to this day," she explained.

Two years later, built on the same foundations, "Big Calm" (1998) catapulted the band to international success. The distant sensuality and captivating voice of Skye Edwards were obviously key to this. "I had never imagined becoming a professional singer. I was shy, introverted. It was the Godfreys who gave me confidence," she still admits today.

After a split in 2003, Skye went solo, releasing four more personal albums including "Mind How You Go" (2006), "Back To Now" (2012) and "In A Low Light" (2015). Since 2010, however, she has reunited with Ross Godfrey to bring Morcheeba back to life. "We realised our sound was the two of us together. It's a kind of magic that's hard to explain," she said in 2021 when "Blackest Blue" was released. Before heading out on tour again this autumn, Morcheeba has just released its eleventh studio album, "Escape The Chaos," a much-needed credo in these troubled times.

A mother of four, passionate about fashion (she often designs her own stage outfits), Skye is also committed to charitable causes. She took part in the recording of "Perfect Day" (1997) to raise funds for children in need, and notably in the "Band Aid 20" project in 2004 to help fight famine in Sudan.

Upcoming concerts:

31 July: Exhibition Centre - Colmar (France) with Texas

14 August - Crystal Palace - London (UK)

6 October: Paradiso - Amsterdam (Netherlands)

7 October: De Roma - Antwerp (Belgium)

8 October: Zénith - Paris (France)

9 October: Esplanade J4 - Marseille (France) with, among others, Kassav

15 October: Den Atelier - Luxembourg (Grand Duchy)

Photo: Skye Edwards performing with Morcheeba at La Madeleine in Brussels (Belgium) on 26 May 2022