Lianne La Havas - Biography
Lianne La Havas is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, and piano player. Born Lianne Barnes to Greek and Jamaican parents in South London, she started teaching herself to play piano, write songs, and sing at the age of seven. During art school, La Havas (whose stage name is an adaptation of her father's Greek last name) began singing with other musicians, including touring as a backup singer for Paloma Faith, but eventually left college to focus on her own musical career.
La Havas signed to Warner Bros in the UK in 2010 and released two EPs in 2011 - Lost & Found and Forget. She made her television debut on the BBC’s Later ... with Jools Holland and impressed fellow guest Bon Iver so much that Justin Vernon invited her to open for them on their North American tour in December 2011. In the months leading up to the release of her debut full-length, Is Your Love Big Enough?, La Havas toured with Bombay Bicycle Club, sold out solo dates in the UK, was nominated for the BBC’s Sound of 2012 list of emerging artists, and was named one of MTV’s Hot Tips for 2012. Her album, which was produced by Matt Hales (aka Aqualung), debuted at number 4 in the UK and was released on Nonesuch Records in the US in August 2012. She performed a solo acoustic set at Amoeba Music in Hollywood on September 14, 2012. Is Your Love Big Enough? was nominated for the 2012 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year.