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‘My whole life’s interconnected’: Neneh Cherry on the relationships that inspire her, leaving home at 15, and the joy of a trashy box set

The celebrated musician answers questions from Observer readers and famous fans including Michael Stipe, Bernardine Evaristo, Questlove and Sadiq Khan

Photograph: Pete Still/RedfernsHer mother, Moki Karlsson, was a Swedish artist; her father, Ahmadu Jah, a Sierra Leonean composer, percussionist and lecturer; and her stepfather, Don Cherry, an American jazz trumpet player. Don and Moki’s work meant that they, Neneh, and her brother Eagle-Eye moved around a lot, from Tågarp and Stockholm in Sweden to Vermont and New York in the US (they lived in the Chelsea hotel; later in a Long Island City warehouse that also housed Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads). She also made friends with musician Cameron McVey, who became her husband; Massive Attack (who’ve said that their album Blue Lines only happened because Cherry “kicked our asses” and let them make it in her house); stylists Ray Petri and Judy Blame, and many others.

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