Zarif

Her hair hasn't seen its own original shade in almost a decade. She says that if she wasn't blessed with the vocal ability of a diva twice her age she would almost certainly be involved in fashion, in some way.

If she looks the part, then her music amplifies her pop star kudos to maximum capacity. The Zarif sound is a bespoke take on the tailored soul tradition that allows every eccentricity and kook of her character a place in the mix. She called her debut album Box of Secrets for a reason. While the rip and curl of her voice has a distinctively familiar feel, of the kind of vintage that sounds like it might well have been honed in the early 70s, her production and beats are straight from the future. In part it was the classic nature of her vocals that alerted premiere US R&B talent John Legend to her voice. He has already put in the request for a duet at the forthcoming MTV Tommy Hilfiger sessions.

If her live credentials are top-notch, then her recorded CV is looking mightily impressive too. She featured on the dubstep maestro Breakage's Foundation LP and took on a dazzling solo on The Nextmen's This Was Supposed to be The Future. Forthcoming guest spots include work on albums by Danny Byrd and Krafty Kuts and she has been remixed by the cream of dance music talent. Irrepresible Sheffield soundsmith Toddla T, Ms Dynamite 2-step cohort Sticky and Redlight have all offered services.

Box of Secrets is already sounding hit-packed. The signature song is a doo-wop stomp with a rocking saxophone line that traces her roaring vocals round the chorus. 'I just wrote it to a drum loop.' As a result, the song charges along at full throttle, before breaking down to a jazz-inflected middle 8 which she introduces with the immortal line 'to the bridge, to the bridge.' It's clear that Zarif is working in a historical lineage of immaculately gifted soul singers but her youthful take on tradition is unmistakably 2010. The heartbreaking The Day The Music Left Me compares writers block to the end of a relationship and Zarif delivers it with the mature yearning of someone who has been there. If jazz and funk are in her veins, then there is a little place for rock in her heart, too. 'It's all pop music, really,' she says, without a moment's care for categories. 'Pop shouldn't be a dirty word. The mind-bending catchiness of Over and Let Me Back continue the theme of purging yourself of a broken heart through music but set the agenda to a gloriously uplifting, sunshine bounce. Zarif is not afraid to let rip vocally throughout.