Emilia Mitiku

An elegant soul singer with a penchant for catchy Euro-pop production, Emilia Mitiku was brought up on her Ethiopian father's traditional African music and her Swedish mother's Billie Holiday records. Raised in Stockholm, Mitiku studied classical music and played in school bands before being discovered by Lars Anderson (son of ABBA manager Stig) and launched onto the world as a 19-year-old. While still studying at university, Mitiku's debut single Big Big World went on to become a huge hit across Europe, reaching Number 5 in the UK charts and enchanting with its dainty melodies and Joni Mitchell-like, heartfelt lyrics. The ballad propelled her album, also called Big Big World (1999), to sales of over a million and an international tour, but follow-up Emilia (2000) failed to gain the same sort of recognition and Mitiku slipped from public favour. She returned after a lengthy absence with My World (2009), a more soulful collection of smooth, jazz-tinged songs and the retro I Belong To You (2012), which she described as "vintage pop", including cover versions of Dream A Little Dream and French classic Zou Bisou Bisou.

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