Neneh Cherry facts: Singer's age, husband, songs and famous daughter Mabel revealed

4 June 2022, 16:42

Neneh Cherry emerged as one of the most exciting new singers of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper and broadcaster began her career in London in the early 1980s, performing in various punk bands.

Youssou N'Dour - 7 Seconds ft. Neneh Cherry

She eventually released her debut solo album Raw Like Sushi in 1989, featuring the worldwide hit single 'Buffalo Stance'.

Among her other famous songs include '7 Seconds' with Youssou N'Dour, 'Love Can Build a Bridge' with Cher and Chrissie Hynde.

1. How old is Neneh Cherry and where is she from?

   

   Neneh Cherry was born Neneh Mariann Karlsson in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 10, 1964. She celebrated her 58th birthday in 2022.

   She was the daughter of Monika 'Moki' Karlsson (1943–2009), a Swedish painter and textile artist, and the musician Ahmadu Jah (1936–2018).

   Jah was born in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and was the son of a tribal chief, who went to Stockholm to study engineering at university.

   

   Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance (Official Music Video)

   Her parents split up early on, and her mother later married the American jazz musician Don Cherry, who helped raise Neneh since her birth. She took her stepfather's surname.

   Neneh also has a half-brother, musician Eagle-Eye Cherry, best known for the song 'Save Tonight'. From

   Having lived in the United States since the early 1970s, Neneh later dropped out of school at 14 and moved to London.

2. Is Neneh Cherry married and how many children does she have?

   

   In 1983, Neneh Cherry married drummer Bruce Smith, and they had a daughter, Naima. They divorced in 1984.

   Naima is a London photographer, who welcomed a son named Louis Clyde Flynn Love in 2004.

   In 1986, she met producer Cameron 'Booga Bear' McVey at Heathrow Airport. The pair were en route to Japan as fashion models as part of designer Ray Petri's Buffalo Posse.

   Neneh proposed, and the couple married in 1990.

   

   

   The pair have two daughters: singers Tyson, born in 1989, also known as Lolita Moon, and Mabel McVey, born in 1996.

   Mabel has since gone on to become a famous singer in recent years, having collaborated with the likes of Clean Bandit, Tiësto and Joel Corry. Her biggest hit single to date is 2019's 'Don't Call Me Up'.

   Mabel won the Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist in 2020.