Tag: ERYKAH BADU

OUT TODAY: Listen To Qbanaa’s Debut Single, ‘Truth and Desire’

Citing Erykah Badu, Hiatus Kaiyote, Kali Uchis, Khruangbin, Amy Winehouse and Greentea Peng as inspirations, Cuban/Irish jazzy neo-soul singer-songwriter OBANAA – pronounced Cubana- has released her debut single ‘Truth and Desire’.

With a catchy bassline and soulful vocals ‘Truth and Desire’ mixes Qbanaa’s Spanish and English native tongues to create a flirty song celebrating the euphoria of re-discovering love after long periods of loneliness and includes choir like sections resembling the honeymoon period of new lovers.

Qbanaa explains the inspiration of ‘Truth and Desire’: “The song was inspired by 1989 and 2008 movie ‘The Little Mermaid’ – I’m sure people will think ‘oh that’s a bit weird’. But if you look into it, there’s some insane soul and beautiful ethereal sounds in there that I took inspiration from. The movie is all about the unconditional nature of pure love, and the universal power of music, which really resonated with me growing up and carries the theme of Truth and Desire, it was the first thing I thought of when I opened the track.’

Qbanaa’s collaboration ‘Blue Skies’ and ‘New Day’ with Absentee was well received, featuring on BBC Across The Line, Hot Press, Peter Curtin RTE 2XM and Nialler9’s Best New Music playlist. With such warm feedback, she took to South East London by herself to immerse herself in the jazz/soul scene. Sharpening her skills with live performances at multiple jazz venues in London and venues in Dublin, Qbanaa has finally decided to take the plunge and write her debut single with R&B and hip-hop producer Mickzart – Truth and Desire.

‘Truth and Desire’ is out today (7th of October) across various music platforms. Have a listen below…

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Song of the Day: Confusion – M.anifest

award-winning Ghanaian rap veteran and UNICEF ambassador M.ANIFEST‘s latest single, ‘Confusion’ is rich in musicality from the very start. The lush guitar licks and percussion drums are the central elements of the alluring sonic bed of hip-hop and afrobeats which blends seamlessly together.

‘Confusion’ is driven by M.anifest’s captivating wordplay, assured cadence, and infectious melodic rap flow, as he weaves an enthralling tale about the beautiful chaos of living in a modern African city like his hometown Accra. According to M.anifest, “such is the paradox of life in our cities, that there is always a constant tension between the feeling of ‘hurry hurry’ and ‘ok wait’”.

A rap music veteran of over a decade, with six acclaimed projects spanning that time, countless awards over his career and over three million fans on social media, M.anifest is one of the most revered figures in the African music scene. Described as the foremost rapper on the continent by The Guardian UK, with further acclaim from BBC, CNN and Revolt, his musical reach extends beyond Africa, with collaborations that range from Damon Albarn and Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ Flea, to Erykah Badu and Tigga Da Author, to Kojey Radical and Burna Boy.

Have a listen to ‘Confusion’, produced by MOBO Award nominated artist and producer JULS (GoldLink, Kojey Radical, Pa Salieu, Ms. Banks)…

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Song of the Day: I Don’t Wanna Wake Up – Marie Dahlstrom (ft. James Vickery)

Danish/London based artist MARIE DAHLSTORM‘s single ‘I Don’t Wanna Wake Up’, featuring South London soul singer James Vickery, is one stunning soulful slow-burner. Pairing soft synth lines with a groove-laden rhythm section, ‘I Don’t Wanna Wake Up’ tells a story of desire.

Speaking on the collaboration, Marie said: “I’ve been a fan of James’ voice for a while. James and I had a session at mine, and this song just came about so naturally, we just started humming melodies over the chord progression and not long into the session we had the line ‘I don’t wanna wake up’. I produced this song myself and I remember leaving the production for a while before actually committing to finishing it and that’s when I got my friend Liam Joseph to jump on some bass and Qmillion to get involved for the mixing.”

Brought up on some of soul and R&B’s greats; recalling the likes of Edwyn Collins, Womack & Womack and Gloria Gaynor being on regular rotation in her family home in Roskilde, Dahlstrom also cites the discoveries of Dwele, Musiq Soulchild, SWV, Dire Straits, Lucy Pearl, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin and Fleetwood Mac in her teenage years as key points of inspiration in her musical upbringing.

‘I Don’t Wanna Wake Up’ is taken from the BBC 1Xtra-backed songstress’ debut album, ‘Like Sand’, out now via JFH Records. Smooth out your hump day and wrap your ears around this stunning track below…

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Song of the Day: A Work of Art – Lisabel

Italian-born/London based singer/songwriter, LISABEL has every potential to draw in the prospective listener with track, ‘A Work Of Art’. The soulful offering carries a nurturing tone that could be associated to the likes of Solange, Aretha Franklin and Erykah Badu.

Lisabel said of the single: “I wrote the song after falling in love with someone who to me represented a pure and loving soul that I trusted and wanted to celebrate.”

‘A Work Of Art’ is from her debut album bearing the same name, released earlier this month. Have a to this beautiful song listen below…

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Song of the Day: Run – Yvon (ft Dekar)

YVON uses music as a therapeutic outlet, expressing her thoughts and feelings through creating music, she has collaborated with Dekar to give us her single ‘Run’,  a smooth RnB infused track with a hint of tropical vibes resonating from its core.

Having modelled and walked on runways for the elites of the fashion industry, representing brands such as Victoria Beckham, Maison Margiela, Matches Fashion, Selfridges and Topshop to name a few, Yvon’s main passion and focus is her musical journey. After losing her father at a young age, Yvon started writing poetry at aged seven and writing became a daily therapy for her. Although singing since a young age, her desire to vocalise her poetry sparked an interest in rapping, further influenced by hearing her brothers write lyrics and perform around the house.

With a ‘Free Spirited’ musical style, Yvon combines mainly RnB and Soul, with influences ranging from the greats that include Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo and Jasmine Sullivan. She has spent the last two years honing her craft in the studio and gained support from tastemaker sites such as Dazed and HighSnobiety for her stepped back performance at Sofar Sounds HQ, she has also delivered impressive performed at the likes of Keakie, UN:HURD and The Hospital Club.

Bringing a captivating and unique musical experience, let your mind ‘Run’ with Yvon.

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