Fleur East Is 'Ready to Deliver': Meet the 'Sax' Star

We don't need to explain to you, musically, why "Uptown Funk!" became the biggest song of last year. The Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars collaboration was equal parts instant nostalgia and feel-good Top 40 pop with a massive frontman and giant hook attached; with those ingredients "Uptown Funk!" ended spending a near-record-breaking 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Imagine that same funk sound and riotous energy getting a fresh female voice; the idea is worth getting excited about, right? America tends to have an issue recognizing great British pop singers (see the underappreicated careers of Marina & The Diamonds, Jessie Ware, Paloma Faith and the Girls Aloud members), but we're here to tell you why you can't ignore Fleur East or her single "Sax."

The 28-year-old London native initially broke out on the U.K.'s The X Factor in 2005 as a member of the girl group Addictiv Ladies, before returning to the same show in 2014 as a soloist and placing as its runner-up. The singer sealed her fate as a modern-day Tina Turner with a breakout performance of "Uptown Funk!," the cover that left East's mentor and current label boss Simon Cowell speechless and ultimately became a pivotal point in her solo career.