Born into a volatile world of corruption and hardship in post-Communist Eastern Europe, she endured a difficult childhood largely spent without her mother, found salvation in the classics (Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole) and became ‘tour-hardened’ by jaunts to far-flung destinations such as India and Thailand in the company of her Olympian father (a weightlifting coach). From there, Koleva quickly developed into a rounded musician, spending an eye-opening year at the Hollywood Pop Academy and embarking on free-spirited excursions into several local scenes including soul, hip hop and the more ephemeral but nonetheless popular bass movement. All this before the age of 18.
Her debut album, RUTH, featured a diverse array of talent – including keyboardist Vincent Helbers (Seravince, Flowriders) and drummer Richard Spaven (Jose James, Guru, Flying Lotus) – and scooped the top prize at the BG Radio Awards in 2014. Hit-making producer Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen) called it “amazing” and radio DJs such as Huey Morgan (BBC 6Music) were lining up to spread the word. She was also named Best Female Vocalist at the Jazz Ain’t Jazz Awards in Japan, beating the likes of Coco from Quadron. A remix project featuring Mark De Clive-Lowe, Kaidi Tatham, Opolopo and Maddslinky (aka Zed Bias) will follow.