Nectar Woode

There's a quiet power to Nectar Woode -- a magnetic blend of soulfulness, sensitivity and spirited self-discovery that courses through every note she sings. Raised in the culturally layered town of Milton Keynes, and born to creatively-minded Ghanaian-British parents, Nectar's world was always painted with the colours of possibility. "I feel like my parents wouldn't be happy if I didn't follow the creative path," she laughs -- but even with their full encouragement, the small-town hush around her often made dreaming out loud feel like a radical act. Nectar's mother, a seamstress, encouraged expression from a young age, while her father's Ghanaian heritage infused the household with rhythm, melody, and ancestral depth. Sundays were for church, where the harmonies of gospel choirs made a deep imprint. At home, Nectar was immersed in a rich soundscape -- from Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu to Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway -- artists who taught her that soul isn't just a genre, but an emotion you feel deeply. That same emotional truth now pulses through her own music; earlier this year, Elton John likened her to none other than Nina Simone on his Apple Music show, Rocket Hour.