Rhoda Dakar

Born in Hampstead, north London, Rhoda Dakar emerged from the late-1970s British ska scene, blending Jamaican rocksteady heritage, 2 Tone energy and new wave tension. In 1979 she joined The Bodysnatchers, an all-female band associated with the 2 Tone label, where she developed a direct, restrained and incisive vocal style carried by syncopated rhythms and a very straightforward approach to ska. After the group's split she collaborated with The Specials and The Special AKA: she sings with Terry Hall on "I Can’t Stand It", appears on "The Boiler" in 1982 and on the album In the Studio in 1984. Her solo trajectory continued this link between ska, reggae and English pop with Cleaning in Another Woman’s Kitchen (2007), Back to the Garage with Nick Welsh (2009), Rhoda Dakar Sings the Bodysnatchers (2015), in which she re-recorded her former band's repertoire, and Version Girl (2023), an album of covers. Over the years Rhoda Dakar has also appeared alongside Madness, Dub Pistols and The Interrupters, consistently within a register anchored in clear melodies, spare arrangements and a personal reading of the British and Jamaican songbook.