MiLES.

Prodigy is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but MiLES. honestly deserves it. It’s incredibly rare that an artist this young has so much soul, sense of self, creativity, and the know-how to get it on tape. Unburdened by trends, MiLES. writes - his - music. Authentic, out-there, unique, and still ultimately relatable.

This week, we’re featuring their 2023 single “Advantage”. An electronic meditation filled with harmonies and digitization, it’s a captivating track touched ever-so-slightly by influences like Steve Lacy and Childish Gambino. “Advantage” is a dramatic, synth-driven absolutely brimming with old-school soul.

Azekel

A key voice in the future of contemporary R&B, Azekel merges an incredibly astute and nuanced take on the world with a sonic authenticity in a way few artists are able to accomplish. Superbly poetic lyricism with nods to James Baldwin blends elegantly with the Fela Kuti x Prince influences.

This week, we’re featuring their 2023 single “… Just Expectationz” featuring Ivy Sole. A very meditative track, both from the melody and beat, helps place you into Azekel’s mind and musings. The splashy cymbals create this effect of gently flowing water while Azekel’s flow creates a percussive counter-rhythm.

Cherise

A pure sunbeam of soul, bold attitude, and endless creativity, Cherise is at the front of the newest generation of genre. Fusing elements of soul, jazz, R&B to her personality and incredible songwriting skills has led to an explosively authentic sound. Every track filled to the brim with poetic lyrics and spectacular sound - but uncluttered and crisp.

This week, we’re featuring her 2023 single “Secrets”. What starts out plaintive and meditative builds to an enormously satisfying climax. Cherise’s outstanding and stunning vocal range is only matched by the deft songwriting. There’s an art to a writing a song that builds without giving away the game or lingering too long - and Cherise absolutely nails it here.

Tomike

With a sweet, crystalline, gleaming sound, Tomike has long been the breath of fresh air in the contemporary R&B space. Tapping into a wealth of influences, Tomike consistently puts her stamp on every track, regardless of the inspiration. A monumentally deft lyricist, Tomike writes about the entire spectrum of emotion. From frustration, anguish, to love and joy, Tomike’s poetic lyrics always hit the mark.

This week, we’re featuring her 2023 single “Some Fries”. A super high energy track, Tomike smoothly incorporates some techno elements into the beat for an intense futuristic vibe. And yet, even at the speedy tempo, Tomike’s brilliant voice still steals the show.

Luedji Luna

With a smooth sound that feels like healing waters on your soul, Luedji Luna is one of eastern Brazil’s most exciting voices. Luna is at once tapped into contemporary performance and production techniques, while also showcasing an immense authenticity. Her music covers everything from heritage to womanhood in an smooth, delicate, contemporary soul.

This week, we’re featuring “Pele” featuring Mereba. Off of Luna’s 2022 album “Bom Mesmo é Ester Debaixo D’Água Deluxe” the track revels in a simplicity of the individual parts and a complexity of vocal harmony. The melody travels all over only to return to the soft chant of the chorus.

Tora-i

With a sound that is at once soulful, electronic, and pensive, Tora-i is a fresh face on the scene - and already changing the landscape. Continually dropping tracks since her 2020 debut, the London-based talent has invited us into a unique musical slipstream connecting past and future.

This week, we’re featuring her 2023 single “Palace”. Featuring a quasi- New Orleans second line feel, Tora-i’s jazzy future sound simultaneously brings us to the year 3023 without losing any of the soul from the past.

Loie

Loie is still on a meteoric ride after her 2021 debut. Based in South London, she draws inspiration from everywhere, including her Bolivian and Chinese-Trinidadian background. Through the layers and weaving of harmony, Loie shines with authenticity.

This week, we’re featuring her 2023 single “Standing”. Featuring a quaint jazzy piano a deliciously tight backbeat, Loie’s vocal prowess is on full display. From the restrained power in the melody to a breathy top range, Loie paints with an incredible sonic palette.

Musiq Soulchild

There’s something particularly special about an artist who truly acts as a conduit between their art and the world. After years of beat-boxing, freestyling, and scatting all over Philadelphia, he got tired of being known as “that music guy” and choose a new moniker: Musiq. And in the time since, he’s only grown closer to his namesake and most authentic self.

This week, we’re featuring “beat of a slow dance” off his and Hit-Boy’s 2023 album “Victims & Villains”. The track is superbly orchestrated, and it blossoms under the motion of layers and layers and vocals, harmonies, and strings. Where a lesser artist wouldn’t be able to control the dozens of pieces at play here, the duo taps into each sound perfectly: creating a mosaic of sound without any sharp corners.

chiiid

Based in Montreal, chiiild is a collective of incredible eclectic talent. Merging elements of indie rock, groove, R&B, they lovingly call their sound “synthetic soul”. chiiild is led by producer and musician Yonatan “xSDTRK” Ayal (pictured) and features a rotating cast of incredibly musical characters.

This week, we’re featuring “Antidote” off their 2023 album “Better Luck In The Next Life”. Featuring a jangly, grunge-reminiscent, guitar, chiiild immediately puts “synthetic soul” front and center. With dreamy harmonies and a contemporary R&B inspired melody, “Antidote” is a perfect example of the immense genre bending these visionaries are capable of.

Nia Archives

Born in the UK, Nia Archives draws on a wealth of global influences to further refine her records, productions, and DJing. Especially noted for her drum-and-bass and jungle genres. With an insanely meteoric rise, you can be damn sure Nia Archives is going to be a major voice of the future.

This week, we’re featuring her 2022 single “Conveniency”. What starts almost like a lullaby or a serenade ends up kicking into the highest gear with a revved up hybrid trap/dance beat. The track is a beautiful blur, with driving beat and out of phase melodies creating this almost spinning sensation. Clearly drawing inspirations from all across the globe, Nia is also drawing from the energy of those around her.

Q

Artists who go by a single name are always expected to live up to the hype. Q (also occasionally known as Q Marsden) takes it one step further and does the unthinkable: actually surpasses it. The Florida-raised R&B wunderkind grew up surrounded by music. His father was a producer for Sean Paul, and his incredibly dynamic voice and striking falsetto range had been developed long before he ever put his voice on record.

This week, we’re featuring his 2022 single “STEREO DRIVER”, currently on the collection “LUV (I KNOW YOU WANT THIS FOR REAL)”. Immediately - the track pays homage to early Prince in beat, tempo, and tone. Effortlessly harmonizing with himself, the track builds in that indescribable 80’s fashion, and we’re treated to the vocal fireworks that make Q stand out so far above the crowd.

shiv

The Zimbabwe-born/Dublin-based shiv got her start young. Singing harmonies with her mother and performing 90’s R&B with her sister in front of the mirror has lead shiv to a deeply developed musical identity. Shaped by both her past experiences, the community that surrounds her, and her own authenticity, shiv’s sound is fresh, unique, and bursting with truth.

This week, we’re featuring her 2022 single “Late Now”. Featuring a momentum filled bassline and an 808 beat straight out of the 90’s, “Late Now” packs an incredible amount of energy and vibrancy into a smooth package. shiv’s delightful vocal riff’s not only show off her range and ability, but meld perfectly with the plucked guitar sounds in the background.

Jane Handcock

If you’ve listened to Dr. Dre, Kelly Rowland, Snoop Dogg, or Big K.R.I.T in the last couple years, chances are you’ve already heard Jane Handcock. A long time songwriter and collaborator, Handcock has now decided to take her rightful place in the spotlight with her smooth vocals and dynamic lyricism.

This week, we’re featuring “Layin Next to Me” from her 2023 album “World of Women”. Featuring a dreamy, almost-jazzy soundscape, Handcock’s smooth, sultry vocals pair perfectly with the jangly piano loop, evoking a deliciously tempting vibe.

Mack Keane

Born in LA, Keane (left, pictured here with collaborator ESTA) exploded onto the scene in 2019. Coming up in a musical family, Keane has fond memories of sitting on his dad’s lap behind the mixer at their home studios. Babysitters were local musicians, and by age 15 Keane was busy mixing beats. Today, the contemporary soul/R&B artist fills the atmosphere with an open, vulnerable, and ever evolving sound.

This week, we’re featuring his 2022 single “Super”. Partnering up with fellow R&B singer ESTA, the pair’s incredibly smooth vocals combine to make a lush, exhilarating track. Tinged with a palm tree vibe, “Super” is the kind of track to close your eyes too and let yourself fall back into bliss.

Oxlade

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Oxlade is at the head of a musical@movement combining the local Alte scene with contemporary pop and hip-hop. Seamlessly blending Afro-fusion with pop, R&B, and more, Oxlade’s vibrant creativity weaves a stunning sonic tapestry on every track.

This week, we’re featuring his 2022 single “KU LO SA”. Underpinned by the Alte that he grew up around, Oxlade’s strikingly smooth vocals provide perfect contrast. The bass tones of the percussion intertwine beautifully with the falsetto range of his voice, with digital effects adding a futuristic energy to the entire track.

Liv.e

At 25, one might expect Liv.e to be following the form - instead, she’s breaking boundaries, barriers, and the idea of genre. Fusing elements of jazz, hip-hop, soul, and more, Liv.e has crafted a unique sound, simultaneously reaching back into the past while still truly living in the future.

This week, we’re featuring her 2022 single “Wild Animals”. In a word, the track is hypnotic. Featuring a jangly, Latin-tinged piano loop, some jazzy drums, and a plaintive bassline, Liv.e creates a beautiful sonic palette. Liv.e’s own vocals and harmonies add to the sonically shifting sands of this track. It’s an incredibly enjoyable experience to lose yourself in the lushness of the track.

Lady Wray

Lady Wray has said that her 2022 album, “Piece of Me” is the album she always wanted to make. Turns out, it’s also the album we always wanted to listen to. Lady Wray joins an exclusive club of artists to be double featured on a single episode of Black Tea, and we could not be more excited to shine the spotlight on such an incredible artist. Wray’s dynamite vocals showcase a vulnerable authenticity on “Piece of Me”. Wray’s multitude of artistic dimensions are not only on display, but are so masterfully woven into a beautifully cohesive sound and narrative. Eminently relatable, Lady Wray is the voice we all needed right now.

This week, we’re thrilled to feature two tracks from “Piece of Me” - “Through It All” and “Where Were You”. Both tracks feature Lady Wray at her finest, deftly using her incredibly powerful voice front and center, unencumbered by overproduction.

The tracks are organic: live instruments and classic production choices, but Wray brings her own identity and experiences to create the music she’s always wanted to make. “Through It All” is a meditative love letter, reflecting on the ups and downs that come with a long-term romance. A lyrical reflection, the track features some vintage vibes: a shuffle groove that throws back to the southern rap scene of the 90’s, Wrays vocals elegantly dressed with a radio-esque filter, and the gentle strumming guitar prevalent in so many R&B classics. And while “Through It All” may be a musical reflection of the past “Where Were You” is Wray fully in the present moment. With a more industrial beat and a pop-tinged melody, Wray’s vocals shine as she musically interrogates those in her life who only showed up when things were good.

JVCK JAMES

With an incredibly smooth voice, fun lyrics, and an effortless blend of R&B and pop, Jvck James is the up-and-coming phenom that 2023 needs. James, however, almost seems to make his home in the future. Each track always looks to push the boundaries of the genre a little farther forward, with contemporary production choices, fresh beats, and undeniably catchy melodies - all without sacrificing any authenticity or sentiment. This year might be the first time you pick up on Jvck James, but James is already years ahead of the rest of us.

This week, we’re featuring his 2021 single “Love In The Club”. James somehow manages to catch that mid-2000’s dance-pop nostalgia while drenching the track in contemporary R&B vibes. James buttery-smooth vocals, tinged with a hint of influence from artists like D’angelo, float on a hip foundation of synth samples and the clever re-purposing of a classic dance beat. An eminently dance-able track, it’s the perfect choice for any summer celebration.

ELIZA

After distancing herself from the pop music machine, ELIZA returns with an incredible new sound. All at once jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and more - ELIZA delivers a cerebral, refined, and truly unique take on her own sound.

This week, we’re featuring “ME vs ME” from her 2022 album “A Sky Without Stars”. In what feels almost like a live performance, ELIZA’s smooth vocals and visceral lyricism take center stage. While maintaining the breathy, ethereal equality of her voice, she channels so much intensity through her lyrics and delivery. At once delivering frustration, anger, confidence, and conviction, “ME vs ME” is a perfect showcase of the nuanced and multifaceted musicality that pushes the genre forward.

Reuben James

One of the fastest rising ingenues in music, Reuben James does it all - a silky smooth vocalist, a dynamo pianist, and an incredibly gifted songwriter. But James doesn’t want this to be a one-man show. Instead, he brings the best musicians together to realize some absolutely incredible music.

This week, we’re featuring “Searching” from his 2022 album “Tunnel Vision”. Featuring an all-star group of musicians, James teams up with Vula, Jay Prince, and Conor Albert to bring this track to life. The pair of vocalists make for an incredible give and take, each bringing their own unique elements to the instrumentals and beat. All of this creative energy is distilled down into one of this years most quintessential tracks.