By Neil Z. Yeung, AllMusic Chicago rapper and poet Noname (formerly Noname Gypsy) brings an observant eye and quiet patience to a soulful R&B-meets-hip-hop style influenced by Lauryn Hill, Andre 3000, and Buddy Guy. Born Fatimah Warner in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, Noname frequented open-mike nights and slam poetry competitions when she wasn’t volunteering with the local YOUMedia […]
By Last.fm The Toronto-based singer-songwriter, Charlotte Day Wilson may be fresh on the map, but she’s got the type of slow-burning, smoldering jazz and R&B-influenced sound that already feels classic. The 24-year-old has been quietly churning out hits all year, from the gospel-washed “Work” back in April to a guest spot in BADBADNOTGOOD’s “In Your […]
By Andy Kellman, AllMusic Left-field pop artist Naomie Abergel, who goes by the alias Mark Johns, was the first solo vocalist signed to Skrillex’s OWSLA label. Born to Moroccan parents in Canada and raised in Singapore, she started performing covers while attending college in Miami and uploaded them to SoundCloud. Abergel’s earliest uploads, including versions […]
By Suzette Fernandez, Billboard YouTube has become a key factor for the discovery of new talent. The latest YouTube stars, siblings Adexe & Nau, are ready to show that they are more than a social media sensation. After uploading a series of videos on YouTube, Adexe & Nau — born in Canary Islands, Spain — […]
By Heather Phares, AllMusic Combining a voice that sounds made for classic soul with cutting-edge music, Khalid is a singer/songwriter from El Paso, Texas. Raised by a military family, Khalid lived in Germany and upstate New York before settling in Texas. He was first inspired to make music by his mother, who was a singer […]
By Neil Z. Yeung, AllMusic Channeling the spirits of his hip-hop forebears, Walterboro, South Carolina rapper Nick Grant carried the old school into the 2010s with his gift for storytelling and tight delivery. Like contemporaries Vince Staples, Avenue, and Denzel Curry, Grant opted to focus on socially conscious rhymes inspired by real-life observations and packed verses buoyed […]
By Judy Cantor-Navas, Billboard Flamenco chill is over and out as frontwoman “dismantles” legendary Spanish band to perform under her own name. Spanish singer Lamari recently announced the end of Chambao, the group that laid claim to the term “flamenco chill,” the laid-back Spanish electronic groove that has reverberated on hundreds of Ibiza summer nights. […]
By James Christopher Monger, AllMusic Jorja Smith is an English R&B singer/songwriter whose soulful, jazz-tinged cadence, heartfelt lyrics, and retro sound invoke names like Alunageorge, Nao, Lulu James, and Amy Winehouse, the latter of whom the Walsall-based artist cites as her biggest influence. Smith issued her debut single, “Blue Lights,” in 2015, but it was 2016’s […]
By Last.fm Colombian musician, Mario Galeano, the force behind the band Frente Cumbiero, and English producer Will Holland (A.K.A. Quantic), have joined forces to create the Ondatrópica project. This project, which is supported by the British Council, exists to explore and expand the tropical sound of Colombia in its rawest form and to marry it […]
By Andy Kellman, AllMusic A singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer who is a native of the Washington, D.C./Maryland region, Kevin Ross seeks to combine classic soul and contemporary R&B while putting a personal spin on those sounds. After a period of development that involved studies at Berklee College of Music, contributions to albums by the […]