Rox (singer)

Early life

Born in Norbury, Croydon, Rox is half-Jamaican (Mother) and half-Iranian (Father). She cites living with her grandparents and being a regular churchgoer as her introduction to singing.

By age 10, Rox was a part of the National Youth Music Theatre and travelled across Britain appearing in various productions with them. By her 14th birthday she had her first guitar and was experimenting with several musical genres. She rehearsed her music at Scream Studios in Croydon.

Rox's musical influences include Lauryn Hill, Joni Mitchell, Sade, Mary J. Blige and Alanis Morissette.

Music career

After forming her first band in 2007, Rox attracted interest from a variety of labels before signing with Rough Trade in November 2008. Since signing, she has appeared on tours with the likes of Mark Ronson and Daniel Merriweather and on such television shows as Later... with Jools Holland (Series 35). She has also appeared at the Reading and Leeds Festivals with Wiley and BBC Electric Proms with Nitin Sawhney, whose London Undersound album she was one of the guest collaborators.

Rox's debut single, "No Going Back", was released on seven-inch vinyl on 15 December 2009. She told Steve Lamacq on his Radio 2 show that the song is about "leaving a relationship and not wanting to go back to that situation."

Rox's next single, "My Baby Left Me", was released on 15 March 2010 and made the BBC Radio 2 A-List and has received other critical success. It debuted at Number 91 in the United Kingdom in the week of its release. She also entered the Dutch Top 40 on 10 April 2010 at Number 35, moving to a new peak of 27 a week later.

Rox released her debut album, Memoirs, on 7 June 2010, which features the previously released singles and 10 other tracks. The album was partially recorded in New Jersey in April 2009 with "Commissioner" Gordon Williams (of Lauryn Hill fame) but mainly in London with Jay-Z and Lupe Fiasco producer Al Shux.

Her third single, "I Don't Believe", was released at the same time as her album. The music video was posted by Rox on her official Twitter on 4 May 2010. It was also used in an advertising campaign by Rimmel.

Her fourth single, "Rocksteady", was also included in the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa video game soundtrack.

Rox's single 'My Baby Left Me' has been used in the 2013 movie Girl Most Likely as background music for the 'sex-scene' between Kristen Wiig and Darren Criss.

Reviews

Rox was tipped for success in 2010, being selected as HMV's "Next Big Thing" and in February played a headlining performance at London's Jazz Cafe on the "Next Big Thing Night".

Rox was also featured in The Guardian, Sunday Times and The Independent as an act to watch out for in 2010.

Rox was featured as The Guardian's "New Band of the Day" on 23 November 2009. She also made the longlist of the BBC's Sound of 2010. As well as MTV UK's "10 for 10" list.

Support for Rox in the British Press has been widespread, with NME calling Memoirs "Back to Black, this time with feeling" and Music Week citing her as "one of 2010's most exciting new prospects".

The News of the World labelled the single "My Baby Left Me" as "stunning" and awarded it a five star review.

Mike Driver, writing for the BBC about her debut album was effusive about the singer but complained about the inconsistency of the album overall, saying that it "showcases a young singer bursting with potential" but that "like many a debut, Memoirs doesn't know quite where to settle style-wise, veering from excellence to excruciation. Heart Ran Dry retains the acoustic element of the preceding Forever Always Wishing, but is more sketchy X Factor audition than a track worthy of making any album's final cut.".