Cleo Sol's career began in earnest during the late 2000s with some high-profile featured appearances and a handful of promising pop-soul singles. After a few years away, the soul-rooted singer/songwriter returned during the late 2010s with a more artful and outward-looking approach with creative partner Inflo. The two have recorded extensively under the collaborative alias Sault, and they have also worked together on Rose in the Dark (2020), Cleo's debut solo album.

The London native, born Cleopatra Zvezdana Nikolic, grew up in a musical family and absorbed numerous styles of music, including classic R&B, with Motown a heavy favorite