THE 5 UK R&B ARTISTS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Greentea Peng
South London based Greentea Peng (aka Aria Wells) has been making a name for herself since 2018 with lo-fi and smoked-out R&B mixes that are at once sensual and introspective. Her jazz-infused beats are effortlessly chill and evoke woozy soul-searching in the early hours of the morning.
Her newest track ‘Ghost Town’, takes a political and impassioned tone. Melding elements of ragga, ska and jazz, ‘Ghost Town’ is a soulful and melancholy lament of gentrification and corruption in the UK capital; “You can’t take my city from me” she sings defiantly on the refrain.
Beautifully shot in black and white and directed by The Mill’s Melody Maker, the ‘Ghost Town’ music video is set on Aylesbury Estate which is currently being demolished as part of a longstanding and sustained housing crisis.
The end of the video features an impassioned speech from Wells:
“This song is not just for London. This song is for all of us, all of our cities, all of our towns and all of us people who bring these places to life. It’s about our fundamental right to thrive in the communities we were born into and grew up in. It's about the loss of soul in these soon to be ghost towns.”
Kara Marni
Since graduating from BRIT School, Kara Marni has been generating buzz around her brand of R&B which mixes glossy and polished production with an earnest relatability.
In 2019 she released a killer EP ‘No Logic’ featuring the incredibly catchy bop ‘Caught Up’, along with other tracks like ‘Lose My Love’ and ‘Opposite’ that revamp the sounds of early 00s R&B and showcase her talent in writing compelling and heartfelt songs.
Marni cites artists like Diana Ross, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Minnie Riperton as major sources of inspiration and there are strong influences from contemporary acts like Ariana Grande too.
Most recently she released a stripped back version of the title track ‘No Logic,’ demonstrating that her vocal talent takes centre stage.
Ego Ella May
Ego Ella May is a neo-soul singer / songwriter from South London, with a deep-rooted love of Jazz. Her lyrics are imbued with a sense of intimacy and vulnerability and her vocals float delicately over jazz infused instrumentals.
Sonically her music has an old-school sensibility, but her song-writing has a distinctly modern feel. On ‘Girls Don’t Always Sing About Boys’, the title track from a forthcoming LP to be released later this year, May explores a variety of topics rarely touched upon by popular music. She sings: “I don't always think about boys, but I hear love is the only thing worth fighting for / As well as loving the same sex, sanitary kits for homelessness / Grenfell, mental health for all.”
While there’s nothing wrong with good old-fashioned love songs, May makes it clear she wants her music to take on the status quo and encompass more than standard woes of romanticism. Her newest single, ‘How Long ‘Til We’re Home’ was released back at the beginning of March and is a tender and muted song about longing for the world to make sense.
Pip Millet
Pip Millett’s music fuses chilled-out instrumentals with emotionally unadulterated vocals and lyrics. “F*ck you and your lies and your last goodbyes” she sings on the opening of the track ‘Make Me Cry’. She performed the song back in 2019 for the COLORS YouTube channel and her video currently sits at over 2 million views.
The Manchester born artist cites Lauryn Hill as a major influence and she definitely shares Hill’s ability to craft songs that convey deep personal feelings with an honesty and openness that cannot be faked.
‘Deeper Dark’, the newest track from her upcoming EP, is the epitome of less is more; a poignant and stripped-back song that highlights Millett’s talent as a songwriter. The sparseness of the instrumentation and the restraint in the production allows her vocals to truly soar with the elegant harmonies.
Lay FullStop
Manchester-based LayFullStop’s sound is distinctly her own, mixing elements of classic soul and jazz with hip hop.
Her debut project ‘Colour Reaction’ established her as one of the UK’s most exciting new talents. The nine-track mixtape demonstrates her razor-sharp word play and lyrical agility, and the lead single ‘Crown City’ is bursting with boldness and vibrance.
In 2019 she released her EP, ‘Cherries’, a tight selection of 5 tracks which broadened her creativity even further. LayFullStop’s lyrics paint vivid pictures and her willingness to bend genres means you’re always left wanting more.
So far in 2020 she’s collaborated with Brooklyn-born emcee Relz Glover on the new song ‘Shores’ and later this year she’ll be performing at the World Island Festival in Leeds in May.