You may have heard of Zarif . She’s been around a while. Her 2010 debut album Box Of Secrets received widespread critical plaudits and she was tipped, by The Guardian to become “The next big thing in British soul.” She’s also toured extensively and was an opening act for Beyoncé (no less) on the UK and Ireland leg of her 2009 I Am… Sasha Fierce tour. But, despite seemingly being at the threshold of a major breakthrough, things unraveled. First when issues started to arise with her record company and then, devastatingly, when she suffered a double-bout of breast cancer. Her new EP, Square One, is a significant and determined step towards sweeping away past disappointments and having a second go. Some more information on her initial rise to fame: Bringing together the classic songwriting of Stevie Wonder with the 80s pop sensibilities of Cyndi Lauper, North London based singer songwriter Zarif creates her own brand of quirky retro-tinged soul. After featuring on hip hop production duo The Nextmen's critically acclaimed album Something Got You/This Was Supposed To Be the Future (Part 2) including the single Something Got You feat. Zarif (Radio), Zarif had a busy 2008 touring with The Nextmen, playing countless festivals such as Glastonbury and Bestival, and supporting Taio Cruz on his UK tour. She even caught the attention of the Grammy award winning John Legend, who asked her to duet with him at this year's Tommy Hilfiger Sessions. User-contributed text is available under