Most people will be familiar with Kyla Reid’s voice by now, but it’s only in the past week that her face has been seen by many thousands.
The British singer is the female voice heard on Drake’s inescapable smash One Dance, which stayed at No 1 for 15 weeks in the middle of last year. Now Drake is over here, in the middle of eight nights at the O2 Arena, and he brings Kyla out every night for her big moment.
To say this was unexpected is an understatement. Kyla had never even met Drake when her voice was sampled from a 2008 club track in the dance subgenre known as UK funky.
Do You Mind, sung by her and produced by DJ Paleface, had also been covered in smouldering style by The xx on a B-side the following year, but after that her focus was elsewhere.
She married Paleface, aka Errol Reid, and raised their son. Now she’s well and truly back in business, also featuring on Naughty Boy’s infectious recent single Should’ve Been Me.
She’ll perform that with him at an all-star show organised by the BBC Asian Network later this month and, after that, the world is belatedly her oyster.
Drake, Feb 14-15, March 20, O2 Arena, SE10 (0844 824 4824, the02.co.uk)
BBC Asian Network Live, Feb 25, Eventim Apollo, W6 (0844 249 1000, eventimapollo.com)