Kayo Shekoni

Kayo started out as a singer in the 1980s with Swedish synth-pop band Freestyle. Kayo left the group with the release of the fourth single Vill ha dej. She then worked as a backup singer and dancer for various Swedish artists such as The Creeps, NASA and Anders Glenmark. She is a classically trained ballet dancer and performed professionally for many years. In 1990 she became part of the Nordik beat scene and released a self-titled club-soul influenced album on The SweMix Label. The music was mostly new jack swing but some tracks were reggae and house and featured hip hop influences. It was produced by label co-founder Stonebridge with Christian Falk and Alexander Bard (from Army of lovers).^[3] She released 4 hit singles of the album. Her second album was a Swedish language soul-pop album entitled ‘'Kärleksland'’ and featured songs by Orup and was well received by radio.^[4]

After acting in a couple of teenage movies in the mid-1990s, she became one-half of Le Click, who had several hit singles in North America and Germany during the 1990s. Later on, she became part of the pop group Afro-dite in the early 2000s, reaching the finals at Melodifestivalen 2002 with the song "Never Let It Go" and representing Sweden in the Eurovision song contest in Tallinn the same year. In 2003 Afro-dite competed once again at Melodifestivalen with the song "Aqua Playa".

In 2006, Kayo sang at Melodifestivalen as a solo artist and did not reach the finals.^[5] She has released some solo singles, such as "Another Mother" (No. 11 in Sweden) in 1991, and "(If It Makes You) Feel Good" in 2006. Kayo Shekoni has also hosted Förkväll^[6] on TV4 and Fångarna på fortet ( the latter with cross-country skiing star Gunde Svan).^[7]

She worked for a while as a skin therapist^[7] but never left showbiz assignments.

In spring 2010 she performed at the Melodifestivalen,^[8] not as a competitor, but performing a medley of past winning songs with several previous winners. In 2010 she co-hosted a four-episode series of pan-Scandinavian TV-show Inför Eurovision Song Contest 2010, analyzing all the competing songs submitted to that year's Eurovision Song Contest. She also works as a DJ, co-runs a night club and performs with disco & cocktail jazz band Cotton Club^[9] and Afro-Dite.^[7][10] She returned to Melodifestivalen with Afro-Dite in 2012.^[11]

She has been very active on the theatre stages with B.U.S. directed by Josette Bushell-Mingo,^[12] “Raisin in the Sun” with the National Theatre (and touring with the play in Sweden and Finland, and taking the production to South Africa and the US),^[13][14] Norrbottens Teatern's production of “Cabaret”, "The Witches of Eastwick" (the latter with West End star Peter Jöback),^[15] "Taube Today" at Västmanlands Teater and Uppsala City Theatre.^[16]

She has also performed at Le Click reunion concerts.

In 2023, Shekoni is part of the main jury panel along with Swedish actor, performance artist, playwright and drag queen Robert Fux and radio and television host Farao Groth of the Swedish language reality television series Drag Race Sverige broadcast on SVT1 and SVT Play in Sweden and internationally on WOW Presents Plus.^[17]

Shekoni was born to a Nigerian father and Swedish mother in Sweden.^[18]

At the 2025 Oscar Award, she wore black shoes with “Free Congo” written twice on the soles, showing solidarity with the African country amid ongoing political violence.