Kayo

Kayo Shekoni, also known simply as Kayo, is a Swedish pop/dance singer, TV personality and actress of Nigerian descent, born on 17 April 1964. Her real name is Kayode Maria Söderberg Shekoni.

In the 1980s she became a major star in Sweden thanks to the hit Vill Ha Dig with the group Free Style, which she left in 1981. She then worked as a backing singer and dancer for various Swedish artists, including The Creeps and Anders Glenmark. Classically trained in ballet, she performed professionally for many years.

She released four solo albums: Kayo – The Album (1990), described as one of the first CDs featuring dance music, followed by Kärleksland (1993), Out There (1996), described as a world-music album, and Le Click feat. Kayo (1997), released only in the USA.

In 1994 she had the leading role in the Swedish film “Pillertrillaren”. Between 1994 and 1996 she was one of the hosts of the TV show “Fångarna På Fortet”. At the end of 1996 she moved to the USA and became a “Housestar”.

In 2000 she met Blossom and, together with Gladys, they performed as Afro-Dite, doing shows with music from the 1970s.

She later worked as a skin therapist while also taking on showbiz assignments. In spring 2010 she performed at Melodifestivalen, not as a competitor but as part of a medley of past winning songs with several previous winners. In 2010 she co-hosted the pan-Scandinavian TV show “Inför Eurovision Song Contest 2010”, a four-episode series 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 the disco & cocktailjazz band Cotton Club as well as with Afro-Dite.