Juneteenth edition celebrating black excellence from KIRBY, honoring the unsung laborers who built the country, to Val Fleury sharing their global and afrobeat influences, + more.
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It’s Juneteenth week, a great time to focus on Black excellence in music. And as a vocalist, songwriter, and sought-after collaborator of Rihanna, Paul McCartney, and Beyoncé, Kirby is bringing just that. With a voice molded by the gospel church and a near preternatural handling of the deep-down intensity of the blues, the Mississippi artist presents a track honoring the unsung laborers who built the country in this stirring single.
Sometimes the ingredients come together and make a whole new flavor that you can’t live without. On this chapter-book of a single, Samara Cyn makes full use of her unique voice, sharp and tangy, catching on its own outer edges in rap bars and sailing smoothly over R&B asides. Backed by a rich tapestry of nu-jazz production, this single’s gorgeous musicality belies its lyrical message lamenting the pressure of creativity. Rapper Smino brings it all together.
Click quick on this playlist pleaser from rising star Hannah Jagadu. Blending the best of bedroom-pop with synthscape production that’s comfortingly '80s in a totally modern way, the singer-songwriter and producer paints an alluring picture of crushing and being crushed on. Watch for more from Jagadu — the Texas-born, Zimbawewan artist has an album on the way under Sub Pop Records.
If you’ve ever been “of two minds” about something, this changeable track from London-based singer-songwriter Joviale is gonna tickle both of ‘em. Offering up an array of sounds, styles and references, Joviale and collaborators John Carroll Kirby, Jkarri, and Kwaku Konadu play cat-and-mouse with your musical sensibilities while poking fun at the fallacy of sharing one’s artistic intent with the world in the music video.
Let’s end this week on the dancefloor. Submitted for your pleasure is a hedonism-inspiring electronic dance track from Liberian-born DJ Val Fluery. Kicking off as a techno/house slow burn, this satisfying single proceeds with global and afrobeat influences, adapting to your every need and desire to move, shake, shimmy, and smile. Paradise, baby!
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.png?upscale=true&width=1200&upscale=true&name=KIRBY%20PC%20Justin%20Hardiman(600x338).png "KIRBY - Photo By Justin Hardiman")
.png?upscale=true&width=1200&upscale=true&name=Samara%20Cyn%20PC%20Cosmo%20Free(600x338).png "Samara Cyn - Photo by Cosmo Free")
%20Member%20Texting%20Campaign%20-%20Add%20Banner%20then%20Joey%20will%20add%20link/Member%20Text%20Live%20From(600x74).png?upscale=true&width=1200&upscale=true&name=Member%20Text%20Live%20From(600x74).png "Member Text Live From(600x74)")
.png?upscale=true&width=1200&upscale=true&name=Hannah%20Jadagu%20PC%20Sam%20Wilbert(600x338).png "Hannah Jadagu - Photo by Sam Wilbert")
.png?upscale=true&width=1200&upscale=true&name=Joviale%20PC%20Evan%20Mason(600x338).png "Joviale - Photo by Evan Mason")
.png?upscale=true&width=1200&upscale=true&name=Val%20Fleury%20PC%20Damien%20Arbelaez-Castillo(600x338).png "Val Fleury - Damien Arbelaez-Castillo")
