By 1998, Deeyah’s need to make music had become too strong to ignore and she joined with manager Steve Fargnoli (who had shaped the careers of superstars such as Prince and Sinead O’Connor) and started working on material for a new album. Towards the end of 1999, she signed a deal with Warner Records and went back into the studio in early 2000. Things seemed to be on track, but it was only the calm before the storm. Fargnoli, who had become Deeyah’s close friend and guardian, was diagnosed with aggressive pancreatic cancer. Distraught by her friend and manager’s illness, and unhappy with the situation at the label, Deeyah and Warner agreed to part ways before Deeyah had completed her album. Steve died in September of 2001.