Carroll Thompson

“I’m So Sorry”, “Simply in Love”, “Just a Little Bit”, “Happy Song” and “Hopelessly in Love”.

Carroll Thompson is a British music legend, affectionately dubbed The Queen of Lovers Rock. As one of the original creators and architects of Lovers Rock, Carroll didn’t just shape her own unique sound, she was part of the zeitgeist that gave birth to a cultural movement that continues to resonate across generations: the first Black British musical genre, earning UNESCO cultural heritage recognition as part of reggae music’s global legacy.

Her self produced debut album “Hopelessly in Love” voted Best Lovers Rock Album of All Time by Mojo Magazine and with over a million copies sold worldwide remains the definitive statement of a genre she helped make her own. With hit singles including “I’m So Sorry”, “Simply in Love”, “Just a Little Bit”, “Happy Song” and “Hopelessly in Love”, over a four-decade career as a singer, songwriter, vocal arranger and record producer, Carroll has recorded and performed alongside some of the biggest names in music: Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Sade, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton, Natalie Cole, the Pet Shop Boys, Courtney Pine, Annie Lennox, BB King, Boy George, UB40 and Lee Scratch Perry, among others.

A classically trained pianist, her musicianship underpins every aspect of her work, from her intricate vocal arrangements to her deeply felt songwriting. She is also a trailblazer in the truest sense. As the founder of Carousel Records, she became the first Black British woman to own a Lovers Rock label - a landmark act of creative and commercial self-determination at a time when the industry offered Black British women neither ownership nor protection.

Her compositional work extends to screen: Carroll has scored for BBC1, BBC2, Channel 4 and multiple independent productions, and contributed to the soundtrack of Neil Jordan’s Oscar and BAFTA award-winning film The Crying Game.

On stage, Carroll Thompson is something else entirely. A magnetic performer with a rare ability to hold a room and move an audience, she has built a live reputation over four decades of international touring that few artists can match - from intimate theatres to festival stages across Europe, the Caribbean, the Americas and Japan.

Carroll is currently developing “Lovers Rock: The Musical”, with a forthcoming autobiography and her long-awaited new album “The Queen of Hearts” set to make this one of the most significant chapters of her already remarkable career.

She is a PRS Foundation Patron, a recipient of multiple Awards, and one of the Evening Standard’s UK 100 Best Black Britons.

Carroll Thompson isn’t just a pioneer - she is still touching hearts with her sultry voice and deeply authentic songwriting and production skills, she remains as vital, relevant and present as ever.