Yuna
Yuna is used to transcending expectations - and she does so again with what Rolling Stone has hailed as one of the Best R&B albums of 2016. Chapters, released on Verve Music boasts her most confessional songwriting yet - combined with a surprising group of legendary creative collaborators, including Usher and DJ Premier the album is retro-futuristic urban groove that’s all new, and all her. “It’s not just a collection of songs, but a body of work” Yuna explains. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before.”
An early buzz on social media attracted the attention of US management company Indie-Pop, who quickly helped turn her from a law student playing in coffee shops into an award-winning household-name. “Live Your Life”, an uplifting yet haunting Pharrell-produced hit crossed her into a mainstream market and she hasn’t looked back.
Nicotine
Nicotine is a Texas-born, New York-based, singer/songwriter with the world in her hands and her heart. Nicotine not only has the inspiration, but also the talent, drive, and soul power it takes to make her listeners both feel and see her words. Ever since her first single, Projections (2014), Nicotine’s career has progressed rapidly. From back to back SXSW bookings in 2014/15 to selling out BK’s Elephant Room in 2016, to booking a LIVE performance at Nylon Mag for her long awaited mini-album, An Open Letter – she has been unstoppable.
Nicotine is currently in the creative process of her highly anticipated, first full-length, solo album, Edoghu, which is set to drop June 2019. While her loyal fan base continues to grow and wait for her second body of work, she will continue to gift them with singles, collaborations, visuals, and hints about everything else she has in store.
ASTU
Part retro soul, part nineties R&B pastiche, part New Wave-inspired synth-pop, ASTU’s music refuses to pledge allegiance to a single vibe. The Oakland-based singer/songwriter has the ability to find an easy, irresistible groove and turn it into a unhurried banger. The depth and complexity of her buttery alto on Patterns, her debut project, has garnered critical acclaim from Afropunk, Earmilk, KQED and more. From silky, slow jams to trip-hop-esque grooves, ASTU keeps us wanting more.
Variance Magazine describes her sound as "...kin to some of Solange’s recent material with the whispering confidence of Kelela..." while KQED raves, "...a particularly insightful and self-assured debut, sure to count as one of the Bay Area's most notable releases this year."