Laura Mvula was inspired by girl groups.
Laura Mvula
The 'Phenomenal Woman' hitmaker has revealed she was a big fan of Eternal growing up and praised her parents, Paula and Elford Douglas, for introducing her to a range of music.
She said: "The popular British music of the day is still very much a part of what I do I think. You know all the girl pop groups and boy bands were in their heydey when I was growing up and for me, it was really Eternal that had the biggest impact on me. So I took inspiration from all around me, and I never really felt like anything was off limits ...
"My parents listened to all kinds of music and they managed to stay really open when it came to their listening habits. They would listen to a lot of church music, and a lot of Motown and a lot of classical music in the morning time. It was always broad. I mean I wasn't particularly conscious of it, it's just what I was exposed to and what I clicked with."
And the 30-year-old singer admits she was "moved" when she first Oleta Addams sing and wanted to use her voice "powerfully" like she did.
She told musicfeeds.com.au: "I guess I was always interested in jazz music, which I think is the root of my fascination with the black American experience. That was something that I was always interested by as a kid in particular when it came to making music.
"I remember the first time I heard Oleta Addams I was just so moved by how powerful her voice and her music was. Even more so because she was a dark skinned woman who played piano like me. I really identified with her and hearing her music made me want to sing and use my voice powerfully like her."
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