When Finley Quaye (born on 25 March 1974, in Leith, Edinburgh) won the 1998 Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist, he had been famous for less than a year. In 1997, he emerged from seemingly nowhere with a sunny mix of Reggae, Soul and jazzy Funk and claimed the hip Dance Pop throne previously occupied by the likes of Jamiroquai.

Son of Jazz composer Cab Quaye, the brother of noted guitarist Caleb and allegedly the half-uncle of Trip Hop artist Tricky, Quaye made his recording debut in 1995 on A Guy Called Gerald's "Finley's Rainbow". He scored a solo deal with Epic Records, and, in late 1997, hit the UK Top 20 twice with "Sunday Shining", a loose Bob Marley cover, and "Even After All". His reputation was established by Maverick A Strike, an adventurous but accessible album released in September 1997, which sold gold less than three weeks later and led directly to the Brit Award victory.

However, storm clouds started to gather when Tricky - with whom he collaborated on late 1997's "Duppy Umbrella" (also featuring Iggy Pop) - damned him on his "Can't Freestyle". Duppy means ghost in Jamaican patois, a duppy umbrella is a magic mushroom. Adrian Thaws a.k.a. Tricky and Finley Quaye are not related. There are currently no allegations that suggest the contrary.

In 2004 the song "Dice", in collaboration with William Orbit, and featuring Beth Orton was a minor hit, helped in part by its inclusion on The O.C. soundtrack.