Every artist has a story to share about their rise to stardom, but Walthamstow singer Jesuton has forged a path like no other.

Since choosing to pursue a musical career in Brazil she rapidly went from busking on the streets of Rio to being watched by 20 million people on some of Brazil’s biggest TV shows.

Growing up in east London, Rachel Jesuton Olaolu Amosu was always a divided soul in search for her place in the world.

Born to a Jamaican mother and a Nigerian father, she immersed herself in the multicultural influences of her hometown, whilst harbouring a love of Latin America as an undergraduate at Oxford University.

In pursuit of a childhood dream of making a living from music, she started singing on the streets of Rio de Janeiro in 2012.

Her powerful voice quickly captured the attention of the city and crowds would gather around her spontaneous street performances.

Within a month of the first street show, a video of Jesuton went viral and attracting hundreds of thousands of views as well as the attention of GLOBO, the largest entertainment network in Latin America.

Performances on the most popular TV shows in Brazil followed, as did a recording contact with the country’s largest national label, Som Livre, which led to a string of releases and a slot at the prestigious Rock in Rio concert.

Now she has released her debut album Home and has set her sights on returning to the UK with a more Euro-centric collection of songs that blend R’n’B, indie rock and trip-hop.

The 32-year-old explains why her music is the soundtrack of her life…

Why did you decide to move to Brazil to pursue your music career? 

For as long as I can remember, I had a certain curiousity about Latin America. I made my first trip there during a summer break from university and from then on I was hooked and wanted to see how I could go back. After uni, I found an internship and lived in Peru for two years. But I always heard things about Brazil in particular that made me want to spend time there in particular. It's the biggest country in the continent with a completely different language and has its own universe of music and culture. When I made my decision to give up my job and give myself a year to try making music work - I immediately thought about Brazil. I thought, if I am going to start again, I might as well start again in an entirely new country. I'm a bit addicted to multitasking.

You were discovered by Brazil’s biggest TV show while you were busking? 

It was a total surprise. I arrived in Brazil in March 2012, not speaking a word of Portuguese. By June, I was on national TV. It wasn't something I could have imagined. But it was a great lesson. Not understanding the full cultural lay of the land, my only option was to follow my gut instincts. I think great things happen when you put all your eggs in one basket and follow your passion, no looking back.

Did you ever think you could achieve something like this? How does it feel?

I grew up in a family that was very focused on education, studying hard, achieving all you could academically. I didn't give music much thought as a career. Growing up, a career in music was synonymous with being a celebrity. That part didn't interest me much, and I also thought that it was totally out of reach. That said, I think within that focus on education, I was being taught that determination is what matters. I strongly believe that whatever you put your mind to, you can go for. It feels great to be able to be an example of this for my younger brothers and sisters and my niece and nephews.

Is life in Brazil very different to Walthamstow?

It is for sure! There is a beach to start with! It's more of a big city and its noisy and all jumbled. It can be hugely disorganised but an exciting and stimulating place to be. I guess the similarity would be the diversity, you never know who is going to walk around the next corner, and everyone somehow belongs. That's the part that makes me feel at home here.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

Write, write, write and tour as much as I can.

Jesuton’s music can be bought on iTunes and Amazon.