Before Erykah Badu returns to Australian shores, we’re taking a look at our favourite songs from her extensive discography.

Badu, known by most of the music industry as the Queen of Neo-Soul, is getting ready to tour Australia for the first time in 12 years.

The five-time Grammy-winning artist announced her plans to perform Down Under last month, with solo shows in Sydney and Melbourne confirmed alongside a headline slot at Byron Bay Bluesfest in April.

Before she touches down, we decided to look back through her biggest hits.

Badu’s own voice calls one to Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald, but her work as a whole draws inspiration from classic R&B, 1970s soul and 1980s hip-hop, and stands shoulder to shoulder with fellow neo-soul greats such as the late, great D’Angelo.

Her 1997 debut album, Baduizm, charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, was certified platinum and gold in the US, UK and Canada, and won the Grammy for Best R&B Album, cementing an early critical and commercial launchpad for the rest of her work.

Its been 16 years since her last full studio album (2010’s New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh), but a new project titled Abi & Alan, made in collaboration with The Alchemist, is in the pipeline for this year.

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A sample of the album was seen by Simon Pruitt of The Observer, who wrote, “Abi & Alan isn’t a concept album, but it can feel like one at times with how concentrated it is on its distinct sound and aesthetic. It marks Badu at her most lo-fi and electronic.”

Brush up on Badu’s best songs before her shows with our picks below.

1. On & On

The lead song from Baduizm, “On & On” is a perfect entry point to Badu’s music. A slow-paced, rich soul track that calls back to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, with rich bass backings and a jazzy keyboard that enriches its mystic lyrics with a contemporary flair. It spent two weeks at the top of the R&B/Hip-Hop charts in the US and landed Badu the Grammy for Best Female Vocal R&B Performance in 1998.

2. Didn’t Cha Know

On her third album, Mama’s Gun, Badu entered the 21st century on a high, with commercial success and critical acclaim in her professional life and a newborn baby in her personal life. After a bout of writer’s block, she produced the album, which includes this particularly smooth track, in which Badu sings about losing her way, produced by a fellow member of the Soulquarians, J Dilla.

3. Bag Lady

The lead song for Mama’s Gun, “Bag Lady” is a cautionary tale about getting into new relationships while carrying emotional baggage packed in with gentle percussion and bass. It also brought Badu into the Billboard top ten for the first time, peaking at number six and staying within the top 100 for the whole year, and brought her back into the R&B/Hip-Hop chart for a six-week stay in the top spot.

4. Love Of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)

In 2003, Badu released one of her more unconventional albums, Worldwide Underground, which she described as “one continuous groove,” less of a conventional album and more of a collection of jams. The standout entry though, is “Love Of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)”, which tips its hat to the genre as a whole and welcomes Common on a guest verse. Despite the more mixed reception to the album as a body of work, this track proved her enduring popularity, taking number nine in the Top 100 and the first place in Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts.