Breeding ground for music talent. News to you? Well that’s because Ruth Koleva is a different breed of artist. Born into a volatile world of corruption and hardship in post-Communist Eastern Europe, she endured a difficult childhood.

More recently, Koleva has become an ambassador for the best of Bulgaria – the youngest recipient of GRAZIA’s Woman of the Year award and Best Female Singer award at 2012’s BG Radio Awards, no less – sharing the stage with imperious jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin, reaching the finals of TV show Music Idol, recording her highly acclaimed ‘warm-up album’ (Within Whispers) and garnering praise from a kindred spirit, N'Dambi.

Koleva also has a real writer’s instinct. Like her contemporary Jessie Ware, Koleva’s ability to straddle multiple genres and tempos has made her into a highly versatile artist. She knows what she wants to say, how and when. As a vocalist, her tone is imbued with warmth, sincerity and, particularly when speaking on matters of love, sensuality. Era-defining artists such as Erykah Badu and Jill Scott have cast such a huge shadow over this mood that it’s almost impossible to not be influenced by them.