Liam Bailey

Falling into the same "male Amy Winehouse" category as Nate James, Bryn Christopher, and Leon Jean-Marie, soulful singer/songwriter Liam Bailey has more right to the label than most after being discovered by the Back to Black songstress herself. Born in Nottingham in 1983 to an English mother and Jamaican father, Bailey grew up listening to his parents' Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, and Jimi Hendrix record collection. As a member of hip-hop collective 1st Blood, who were briefly signed to Tricky's now defunct Brownpunk label, he appeared on the album Eat Defeat by Bloodleech and recorded an LP, There Were Wolves, as one quarter of short-lived folk outfit the Accidental in 2008. After moving to London to carve out a solo career, his emotive and heartfelt brand of acoustic guitar-driven soul soon attracted the attention of Winehouse, who tracked him down after hearing one of his tracks through a mutual friend. In addition to teen singer Dionne Bromfield, Bailey became the second artist to sign to her Lioness Records imprint and released two EPs through the label, 2AM Rough Tracks and So Down, Cold, in 2010. While working with her producer Salaam Remi on his debut album, he supported Ellie Goulding on her U.K. tour and provided vocals for Chase & Status' Loleatta Holloway-sampling number four hit "Blind Faith." After signing to Polydor Records, he released his debut single, "You Better Love Me," and its parent album, Out of the Shadows, in 2011. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi