Cass Fox

Inspired by Dolly Parton, Annie Lennox, and Tracy Chapman, Cass Fox first came to prominence as the raw soulful voice behind Rui Da Silva's massive chart-topping dance anthem "Touch Me." Born in North London in 1982, the only daughter in a large Irish working-class family, Fox began performing in talent contests from a young age, but took on various jobs including servicing fruit machines and nursery nursing before realizing she wanted to pursue a career in the music industry. After being spotted by Portuguese producer Rui Da Silva while busking on the streets of the West End, she was invited to work in his studio, where she co-wrote the lyrics over one of his demos, a deep house track, which sampled Spandau Ballet's "Chant No. 1." The song, "Touch Me," became the first number one of 2001 and went on to sell 300,000 copies, but despite its success, Fox decided that a dance direction wasn't for her and she parted company with Da Silva. After working with producers Craig Dodds (Sugababes) and Faithless' Rollo Armstrong, she was due to release her acoustic folk-pop debut album, Come Here, in 2005, but due to legal wrangles over her name, it was canceled at the last minute. Following a support slot on Tom Baxter's U.K. tour and a guest appearance on Faithless' Top 40 hit "Music Matters," it was eventually released in 2006. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi