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…
New Lease Music 