Eska Mtungwazi, who goes by simply Eska, is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who defies categorization, blending soul, folk, jazz, and blues. The Zimbabwe-born native of Lewisham, South London built her genre-blind reputation as a background and featured vocalist. From the late '90s through the early 2010s, she was the secret weapon of numerous producers and acts, including New Sector Movements, Troubleman, the Cinematic Orchestra, and Herbert. With production help from the likes of Dave Okumu and Herbert, she recorded the Gatekeeper EP and issued it on her own Earthling label in 2013. The title track was featured on Gilles Peterson's tenth Brownswood Bubblers compilation. Two years later, she released her self-titled debut album. It was nominated for that year's Mercury Prize. ~ Andy Kellman