Born "Sonia Clarke" in London, England in 1968, of Trinidadian parentage. She was sort of written-off at school but had shown talents in sports. She dreamed of becoming a successful pentathlete up to the time ending up only second in a race. Then she turned to the music scene, dancing at clubs etc. and joined a reggae band as a singer at the age of 17. She was homeless in these times. Her band went defunct the same year, but she got a solo record deal leading to an immediate club hit in the UK.