Kayo Shekoni


Kayode Maria Söderberg Shekoni , known professionally as Kayo, is a Swedish singer and actress.

Career

Kayo started out as a singer in the 1980s with Swedish synth-pop band Freestyle. Kayo left the group with the release of the fourth single Vill ha dej. She then worked as a backup singer and dancer for various Swedish artists such as The Creeps, NASA and Anders Glenmark. She is a classically trained ballet dancer and performed professionally for many years. In 1990 she became part of the Nordik beat scene and released a self-titled club-soul influenced album on The SweMix Label. The music was mostly new jack swing but some tracks were reggae and house and featured hip hop influences. It was produced by label co-founder Stonebridge with Christian Falk and Alexander Bard. She released 4 hit singles of the album. Her second album was a Swedish language soul-pop album entitled ‘'Kärleksland'’ and featured songs by Orup and was well received by radio.
After acting in a couple of teenage movies in the mid-1990s, she became one-half of Le Click, who had several hit singles in North America and Germany during the 1990s. Later on, she became part of the pop group Afro-dite in the early 2000s, reaching the finals at Melodifestivalen 2002 with the song "Never Let It Go" and representing Sweden in the Eurovision song contest in Tallinn the same year. In 2003 Afro-dite competed once again at Melodifestivalen with the song "Aqua Playa".
In 2006, Kayo sang at Melodifestivalen as a solo artist and did not reach the finals. She has released some solo singles, such as "Another Mother" in 1991, and " Feel Good" in 2006. Kayo Shekoni has also hosted Förkväll on TV4 and Fångarna på fortet.
She worked for a while as a skin therapist but never left showbiz assignments.
In spring 2010 she performed at the Melodifestivalen, not as a competitor, but performing a medley of past winning songs with several previous winners. In 2010 she co-hosted a four-episode series of pan-Scandinavian TV-show Inför Eurovision Song Contest 2010, analyzing all the competing songs submitted to that year's Eurovision Song Contest. She also works as a DJ, co-runs a night club and performs with disco & cocktail jazz band Cotton Club and Afro-Dite.
She returned to Melodifestivalen with Afro-Dite in 2012.
She has been very active on the theatre stages with B.U.S. directed by Josette Bushell-Mingo, “Raisin in the Sun” with the National Theatre, Norrbottens Teatern's production of “Cabaret”, "The Witches of Eastwick", "Taube Today" at Västmanlands Teater and Uppsala City Theatre.
She has also performed at Le Click reunion concerts.
In 2023, Shekoni is part of the main jury panel along with Swedish actor, performance artist, playwright and drag queen Robert Fux and radio and television host Farao Groth of the Swedish language reality television series Drag Race Sverige broadcast on SVT1 and SVT Play in Sweden and internationally on WOW Presents Plus.

Personal life

Shekoni was born to a Nigerian father and Swedish mother in Sweden.

Discography

Albums

  • Kayo
  • Kärleksland
  • Out There
  • Le Click
  • Never Let It Go
  • Sisters in Crime 2016

    Singles

  • Vill ha dej 1980
  • Time's on My Side 1984
  • Hot Stuff 1988
  • Hon sa 1990
  • Natural Experience 1990
  • Säg vad du vill/Tid för mig 1990
  • Change of Attitude 1990
  • Another Mother 1990
  • Gimme Your Love 1991
  • Brother 1991
  • Do You Know 1991
  • Thing Called Love 1992
  • Don't Leave Me 1992
  • Om natten 1993
  • Sommar 1993
  • Kärleksland 1993
  • Torka dina tårar 1993
  • Om du vill ha mig som jag är 1993
  • Let It Begin – Peace in Mind 1996
  • These Honest Hands 1996
  • Call Me 1997
  • Call Me-New Mixes 1997
  • Don't Go 1997
  • Voodoo Fever 1997
  • Show Me 1997
  • Tell Me That You Want Me 1997
  • Something To Dream Of 1997
  • If I Can't Have You 1998
  • Wannabe 1998
  • Never Let It Go 2002
  • Rivers of Joy/Shining Star 2002
  • I Love Clubbers 2002
  • Turn It Up 2002
  • Aqua Playa 2003
  • In Your Life 2003
  • Innan natten är över 2006
  • Feel Good 2007
  • I Am What I Am 2011
  • The Boy Can Dance 2012
  • You Got The Look 2012
  • Freeze 2016
  • Do You Love Me 2021
  • Never Let It Go 2022 2022
  • We're Back 2022
  • Every Queen 2023