Sia started to hide herself from the public eye when she was world famous already. Jimi Charles Moody however, is somewhat of a mystery from the start. He hardly does interviews and often appears with a cloth around his head. He is said to have stage fright, so it remains to be seen if he will ever perform live. It is even unsure whether he is an American (like he stated in one of his rare interviews) or a Brit (rumour has it that Jimi Charles Moody is the alter ego of a British Top 40 artist).

But wait… this article shines a little light on the man behind the mask. And the rumours appear to be true: Jimi Charles Moody is in fact Harley Alexander-Sule, one half of British hip hop act Rizzle Kicks, who should have become stars with their great singles Mama Do The Hump and Down With The Trumpets, but in fact only scored in the UK.

His solo project, Alexander-Sule says, was essentially inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Ray Charles. Hence the name. So far, under the moniker Jimi Charles Moody, he released the 4-track EP Islington in 2015 (containing Other Man, which has also been remixed by Gangstarr’s DJ Premier) and a few singles. Each and every one of them soulful pop songs.

And now, here is his latest song Shame. A track that already entered at #40 in the European Border Breakers Chart last week, based on airplay in the Netherlands alone, and deserves to be Jimi Charles Moody’s big international break-through. He’ll only have to figure out how to do things live…

Werner Schlosser

I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.