Born and raised in New Zealand, Ladi6 has brought a soulful creativity to her modern take on rap and R&B. On “Walk Right Up," the first single off her 2008 debut LP, she introduced herself with a warm reggae stride, crooning confident lyrics over a mellow background of tropical guitar and horns. "Like Water," her first big hit, saw Ladi6 singing coolly and forcefully with all the confidence of an Oceanian Lauryn Hill, shimmying over a slinky beat equal parts hip-hop and neo-soul. Her secret weapon is her slippery voice, which adds a human touch to electronic tracks like “Ikarus” that bubble with mysterious synth rhythms.