Bold, unconventional and undeniably quirky, Sherelle McKenzie’s alter ego goes some way towards capturing her madcap character. The ‘A’ in ‘ShezAr’ stands tall and wears its cap with authority because, like the first letter in the alphabet, its bearer is about to set it off.

Introducing a 21st century soul sista with serious new skool swagger: an artist with a voice that takes you back to a time when gospel was first seduced by rhythm and blues; divas were better known for vocal prowess, than pouting for paparazzi; and recordings were... well, as real as the sounds laid down on the reel to reel.

Match those classic credentials with a driving ambition to push things forward and you have the makings of a special artist. ShezAr is a free-spirited force of nature; one week she’ll appear in a chorus of colour, with a blonde streak accenting her Afro cool; the next she’s the picture of understated sophistication. Attempts to pigeonhole are pointless. ShezAr is far too fly. It’s the reason why the 22 year-old East Londoner is perfectly at home cutting records with grime impresarios like Ghetts, voicing UK funky anthems and helping top rap producers get hip to the power of a good vocal hook.

In many ways, her ascension has been a long time coming. When your brother is singer, songwriter and production wunderkind Labrinth (hit-maker behind Tinie Tempah’s ‘Pass Out ’ and ‘Frisky’), your sister-in-law is electro soul siren MPHO and practically every member of your extended family raises the roof in a gospel choir… in your granddad’s church, it’s pretty hard to hide from fate. The McKenzie clan are truly blessed in the musical department; a fact that ShezAr learned as a child during a choir session.

“I was up with the rest of the youth choir performing one of our songs,” she recalls. “It was coming close to a verse when Auntie Lorraine decided to call my name, ‘Sherelle come sing this second verse!’ I froze like, ‘oh, my gosh… I didn’t just hear that!’ I took a step and then I found myself being pushed forward. Everyone started cheering. By the time I was ready to start the verse I was welling up. I think I got out the first three words before bursting into tears. They still cheered and allowed me to compose myself before trying again. I remember singing it… but very shyly!”

As her confidence grew, so did the list of admirers. It wasn’t long before the likes of Natasha Beddingfield, Terri Walker, Bashy, Omar and The Guillemots were seeking out the gifted singer for backing vocal duties. Experience has been an excellent teacher. Having moved the masses at Glastonbury, entertained the elite at Later With Jools Holland and built a reputation as a teacher and mentor for Urban Development’s highly respected vocal collective, ShezAr finds herself being pushed towards the spotlight once again. 

The timing couldn’t be better. Bubblegum pop is yesterday’s flavour. These days, the musically adventurous dip into dub-step, revisit R&B, explore electro and infuse indie with rap to get their fix. ShezAr’s raw, emotive vocals lend themselves effortlessly to the cause. Producers who have been wise enough to scoop her up for vocal cameos know the coup.

Future club monster, ‘Any Love’, stomps its way to the dancefloor in a frenzy of four-to-the-floor drums, retro synths and pleading vocals, DMP’s sneaky remake of ‘Creep’, finds ShezAr effortlessly updating TLC’s playette anthem for the UK funky massive, while her soulful contributions to Mentat’s album places her firmly in Motown mode.

Weaned on soul legends like Aretha Franklin, Al Green, The Clarke Sisters, Marvin Gaye, CeCe & BeBe Winans, The Winans and Chaka Khan; educated to the soundtrack of Brandy, Robbie Williams and Lauryn Hill; and grounded in the finest traditions of gospel, ShezAr has plenty of great music to shuffles in her mental iPod, as she draws inspiration for her yet untitled debut album.

Early studios stirrings make good on her promise. ‘Cold, Cold Love’ cries out like the sister act to Gnarls Barkley’s blues and ShezAr’s remake of ‘Woman Of The Ghetto’ would surely win approving nods from Marlena Shaw. The rest is under wraps for now, but rest assured that ShezAr is about to throw a big spanner in pop’s conveyor belt.

Likes Outkast, Danger Mouse and Erykah Badu, ShezAr’s music has the authority to take listeners back to the future. The smoke and mirrors behind today’s pop idols can only entertain the public for so long. Once the shards have been swept off the set and the smoke clears, only real music is left. And that’s where you’ll find ShezAr; bold, unconventional and undeniably quirky, and ready to make her mark.