Cleo

After years of quietly releasing center stage-worthy music yet averting the spotlight, British singer-songwriter Cleo Sol made her long-awaited debut on Friday night at the Hollywood Bowl.

Backed by an 11-member band including five background singers — all of whom had distinguishable tones and felt like they’d been handpicked by Cleo Sol herself — she opened the show at 9 p.m. with the introspective “Rewind” from 2020’s “Rose in the Dark,” before effortlessly flowing into the project’s next track, “Rose in the Dark.”

Clad in a gold-toned silk dress, Cleo Sol smiled brightly and playfully danced across the stage as she ran through other fan favorites from “Rose in the Dark” including the seductive and jazzy “When I’m in Your Arms,” romantic “Sideways” and the yearning “I Love You” and encouraging “Young Love.”

Cleo Sol, who is also the lead vocalist for the equally elusive U.K.-based collective SAULT, could’ve easily dipped into their robust catalog — which spans 11 studio albums and two EPs — during Friday night’s set.

During her song “Heart Full of Love,” which she dedicated to her son, Cleo Sol joined her background vocalists and sat on a stool.