Who is Lobelia

In these days of musicians counting myspace plays and friend requests as a way of measuring popularity, it's easy to forget that not too long ago the much lamented MP3.com was making stars of its own (and paying them, no less!) with independent artists racking up ten of thousands of plays. And some whose play count went from tens to hundreds of thousands, and then to millions.

Enter singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist and self-proclaimed geekstress Lobelia, whose profile on that original indie music portal lead her to places most independent musicians only dream of - lucrative sponsorship deals, a publishing contract and a feature in Billboard magazine.

After stepping back from the live scene for a couple of years, 2007 has seen Lobelia log thousands of train and road miles (eschewing planes where possible in these enlightened days of climate change) touring across Europe and the US, playing to rapt audiences at festivals, clubs and house concerts and winning fans wherever she goes with a mixture of humour, humility and transcendent melodies.

Playing in a duo with acclaimed British bassist Steve Lawson, Lobelia's sound blends hook-laden adult pop with a more spacial ambient sensibility reminiscent of David Sylvian, Talk Talk and The Blue Nile. Singing songs of love and loss, her star is once again on the ascendancy, with the coming year promising at least two new albums and more touring in Europe, the US and further afield.