N'Dea Davenport

Lore & Background

N'Dea Davenport attended Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) but left before completing her degree. After college, she relocated to Los Angeles and engaged in theatrical productions and commercial music videos. In 1988, she began her career as a session vocalist, performing background vocals for several singers. In January 1989, she provided backing vocals on American rapper Tone Lōc's songs 'Cheeba Cheeba' and 'Funky Cold Medina' for his album Lōc-ed After Dark. After that, she secured a record deal with Delicious Vinyl. Throughout 1989, she appeared on albums by Malcolm McLaren (credited as a backing vocalist on 'Algernon's Simply Awfully Good At Algebra'), Def Jef, Michael Paulo, Robert Kraft, and Belinda Carlisle.

At the recommendation of Delicious Vinyl owners Matt Dike and Michael Ross, Davenport joined English band The Brand New Heavies in 1990 to replace previous vocalist Jaye Ella Ruth. The group re-recorded their first album with her vocals, releasing it in 1991. It became their first charting album, peaking at number 24 on the UK Albums Chart and earning a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry.

Reader's Guide

N'Dea Davenport's significance lies in her role as the lead vocalist for The Brand New Heavies during their most commercially successful period, helping to define the sound of acid jazz in the early 1990s. Her vocals on the re-recorded debut album and the platinum-selling Brother Sister brought the genre to a wider audience, with singles like 'Dream On Dreamer' achieving crossover success. Her contributions earned the group a Brit Award nomination and an MTV Video Music Award nomination. After leaving the group, she pursued a solo career and later reunited with the band, though her later involvement was marked by disputes over her participation. Her legacy includes pioneering work in acid jazz and a career spanning session work, solo projects, and collaborations with artists such as Tone Lōc and Louie Vega.

Did You Know?

• Davenport made her debut as a guest lead vocalist on Tone Lōc's song 'Cheeba Cheeba' in January 1989.
• Her music video for 'Dream On Dreamer' received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best R&B Video.
• She formed an 'acoustic electronic' duo called Celectrixx with Japanese DJ Katsuya Everywhere in late 2009.
• After the September 11 attacks, her apartment became unlivable because it was two blocks from the World Trade Centers, prompting her to relocate to New Orleans.

Early Career and Session Foundations

N'Dea Davenport, born on September 22, 1966, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and producer whose path into the music industry began through the back door of session work. After graduating from Clark Atlanta University, she moved to Los Angeles, where she built her craft through theatrical productions and commercial music videos. In 1988, she started performing background vocals for various artists, quietly sharpening her vocal range behind the scenes. That groundwork paid off in January 1989 when she landed a guest lead vocal spot on Tone Lōc's "Cheeba Cheeba" for his album Lōc-ed After Dark. The appearance caught the attention of Delicious Vinyl, who offered her a record deal. Throughout the rest of 1989, she contributed vocals to a remarkable spread of projects, including a track on Malcolm McLaren and The Bootzilla Orchestra's Waltz Darling, as well as albums by Def Jef, Michael Paulo, Robert Kraft, and Belinda Carlisle. This whirlwind of collaborations established her as a versatile voice capable of moving fluidly across genres, from hip-hop to orchestral pop, and set the stage for her defining role in acid jazz.

The Brand New Heavies and Acid Jazz Breakthrough

In 1990, at the suggestion of Delicious Vinyl label heads Matt Dike and Michael Ross, Davenport stepped into the lead vocal chair of the English acid jazz group The Brand New Heavies, replacing vocalist Jaye Ella Ruth. The band re-recorded their debut album with her voice, and the 1991 release on Delicious Vinyl became their first charting record, reaching number twenty-four on the UK Albums Chart and earning silver certification from the BPI. Reissued singles including "Dream Come True," "Stay This Way," and "Don't Let It Go to Your Head" all cracked the UK top forty, and the group landed coveted slots on Soul Train, Showtime at the Apollo, and Top of the Pops. Their 1994 album Brother Sister was a landmark, peaking at number four in the UK and achieving platinum status. Its lead single "Dream On Dreamer" became a genuine crossover hit, charting in the top twenty across multiple countries and earning an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best R&B Video. By the 1995 Brit Awards, the group had a nomination for British Dance Act. Yet by year's end, Davenport departed the band citing irreconcilable differences, and Siedah Garrett took over the vocal role.

Solo Ambitions and European Dance Work

After leaving The Brand New Heavies, Davenport returned to the United States in 1996 to pursue her solo career. She signed a recording contract with V2 Music and spent the following years crafting her debut album, which arrived in June 1998 under her own name. Critics responded favorably to the record, yet commercial results fell short of expectations: the album reached only number fifty-six on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and its lead single "Bring It On" peaked at number seventy-six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Undeterred, Davenport threw herself into extensive touring, joining the Lilith Fair concert series to bring her music to audiences across the country. When her relationship with V2 Music eventually concluded, she pivoted her creative focus toward European dance music projects, continuing to write, produce, and perform in a genre landscape that valued the electronic textures she had helped pioneer through her acid jazz work. This period, while less visible to mainstream American audiences, allowed her to explore production and songwriting on her own terms, building a body of collaborative work that kept her artistic voice active and evolving.

Reunion, Celectrixx, and Ongoing Collaborations

In 2005, Davenport accepted an invitation to rejoin The Brand New Heavies, and the group reunited with Delicious Vinyl to record in London. Their seventh album, Get Used to It, arrived in June 2006, led by a cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Don't Know Why (I Love You)" that reached number twelve on the UK R&B Singles chart. The band headlined a touring cycle from 2006 through 2008, culminating in the live album Live in London, recorded at The O2 Arena and released in October 2009. That year, Davenport formed Celectrixx, an "acoustic electronic" duo with Japanese DJ Katsuya Everywhere, touring several countries with sets of remixed and new material. The 2013 album Forward proved complicated: Davenport contributed lead vocals alongside new addition Dawn Joseph but was not invited to finish recording, was absent from the "Sunlight" video, and stated she would not perform at shows marketed with her image. The band confirmed Dawn Joseph as full-time vocalist in October 2013. Davenport continued her work, appearing on Louie Vega's 2016 track "Magical Ride (Wave of Love)," reuniting with The Brand New Heavies for a two-month tour, and lending her voice to Horse Meat Disco's "Fight for Love" in October 2020.