Mr Jukes

This is Mr Jukes third appearance on Black Tea, and for good reason. Featuring genre-blurring music and crisp, dramatic vocals, every track features something truly memorable. Whether showing us his soul or crate-diving for the perfect, deep-cut sample, there’s a genuine excitement overflowing from the music at every moment.

This week, we’re featuring “Magic” from his 2017 debut album, “God First”. What starts with a plaintive, steel-drum-remincesent motif and crystal clear vocals slowly burns into a hip, soul-meets-pop inspired anthem. Filled with earnest theatrics, a classic (and perfectly executed) beat, and Jukes melodic bass work, “Magic” smoothly turns from meditation into exclamation. The transition is smooth, expected almost, but in the best way possible. Mr Jukes isn’t trying to catch you by surprise - he wants you to enjoy the ride.

Charlotte Dos Santos

There is an unending elegance and beauty in Charlotte Dos Santos’ music. Beyond the undeniable authenticity that permeates each track, her music feels connected to the world in a very genuine sense. Connected to her own stories, the stories of others, nature, and the world around her. It’s as if each track works off a fundamental sonic frequency of the environment. And it’s not like Dos Santos is playing within the confines of a single environment. A self-described nomad, Dos Santos draws inspiration from every part of her journey. Valencia to Berlin, Boston to Oslo, there is a piece of her history in every track.

This week, we’re featuring her 2021 single “Patience”. A meditative, trance-inducing track that bursts with a plethora of bright sonic colors. If the harmony is like a field of wildflowers blooms in slow motion, Dos Santos’ ethereal vocals are the golden sunbeams bursting through clouds. A plaintive harp and luxurious strings serve as the perfect setting for the complex vocal harmonies and lifting melodies, and a hip, almost 90’s inspired beat drives the track forward with perfectly complementary energy.

Ricki Monique

The most important thing is the story. Stories connect us, heal us, teach us, and lift us. We celebrate stories, sometimes intimately, sometimes with crowds - but a story is only as good as its storyteller. Without question, Ricki Monique is one of the next great storytellers. With a visceral, intimate, and powerful lyrical style, she effortlessly combines elements of spoken word, hip-hop, soul, and jazz to weave witty rhymes with deep contemplations. Each track is undeniably authentic, straight from the soul. There isn’t a single note, word, or beat that isn’t fully “Ricki Monique”. Her tracks delve into complex, intimate topics. Ideas like artistic permanence, the intertwining of her story with stories of past and future, and the internal struggle of creating new art. Ideas that can sometimes crush an artist instead flourish under Monique’s style and lyricism.

This week we’re featuring her brand new single “IMMORTAL”, produced with yourbeautifulruin. Monique describes the collaboration as “less spontaneous, but more like we’re connecting.” They speak with each other about how their feeling, what’s happening with their lives, and then - as if they were attuned to each other in some cosmically sonic way - they write in tandem. yourbeautifulruin produces a beat and chorus that serves as the perfect foundation for the deep introspection that Monique is so gifted with. The collaboration is more symbiotic; the beat can’t exist without the lyrics and vice-versa. If Monique is the storyteller, then yourbeautifulruin is the illustrator, serving the story but never overshadowing it.

At the end of it all, Ricki Monique describes collaboration as the secret to artistic immortality. The stories we tell together serve as our combined, shared legacy. That collaboration continues in her community with the Tangible Collective - an arts and education collective co-founded by Monique and her best friend Za’Nia Sephra Coleman. The collective engages their local community through art, conversation, activism, and holding space. Going into their 5th year, the collective continues to provide a platform for artists to engage the community in thought, providing new curriculum, events, and performances. You can find out more about Tangible Collective here.

Amaria

A relative newcomer to the scene (her first single dropped in 2020), Amaria is absolutely an artist you’re going to want to know before her inevitable stardom. With a supernatural talent of balancing influences, each of her tracks deftly combines classic and contemporary R&B with elements of psychedelic rock, trip-hop, and indie pop. Her breathy, ethereal voice floats over the top of each track while simultaneously being the sinew that ties it all together. Perfectly produced beats and some incredibly catchy bass lines serve as an anchor for the creative melody and harmony. For someone who’s still fairly new to the scene, Amaria has the aesthetic, skill, and sensibility of an artist who’s been producing for decades.

This week, we’re featuring “Lose Control” from her 2021 album Bittersweet. Smooth harmonies and long ballad-esque melodies flow effortlessly while an active, mobile bass line provides the perfect sense of energy and movement. Amaria’s vocals take center stage here, almost echoing elements of late 80’s Sade - the emotion in the lyrics and placidity in the melody create this quiet rumbling storm, an intensity that is inherently natural and totally captivating.

Jay Prince

Black Tea regulars will definitely recognize Jay Prince. With a fun, energetic, and eclectic flow, Prince adds an incredible amount of life to his music from the first beat. The genre-bending singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist pulls from a huge swath of musical influences to create his own authentic style. A creative, fearless musician, Prince’s music is deeply personal but never shies away from the laid back and infectious energy, confidence, and sheer creativity he possesses as an artist.

This week we’re featuring his “WORTH IT” from his 2020 album SOL VOL. 3. With a cool, gently reggae inspired vibe, the track features Prince’s incredible creativity and dynamite production skills front and center. A less skilled artist would struggle to balance all the elements in this track, but Prince elegantly and smoothly intertwines a synthy-guitar hook, a floating melody and breathy background vocals, and a complicated, multi-layered beat into a single stunning musical unit. This is the definition of “tight”.

Joy Crookes

With an incredibly soulful voice, intimate and heartfelt lyrics, Joy Crookes is fully living up to her first name. Each track is so full of life and authenticity, even when the subject matter is focused on more serious matters, there’s an undeniable joy in her music. The joy springs from an assurance of identity, a confidence that Crookes both has and sings about, that even through the worst, darkest, hardest times, there is peace to be found within yourself. Crookes is the rare talent in which the genre services their inner voice. Not solely just a vehicle, the R&B, soul, gospel, and hip-hop influences coalesce seamlessly, but with Crookes’ fully in control. The music drapes elegantly over her lyrics and melodies, like a perfectly fitting silk robe, fitting and elevating the shape of your soul.

This week, we’re featuring “Trouble” from her 2021 debut album, Skin. Featuring a New Orleans second-line inspired tuba/bass line and just a tinge of reggae feel, “Trouble” is an energetic, fun track where Crookes acrobatic vocals are on full display. Moments of powerful, soulful melodies intertwine effortlessly with the delicate, ethereal harmonies and background vocals. Lyrically, Crookes captures the essence of wanting something or someone that isn’t always the best for you in a truly deft manner, equally poetic and direct.

AYLØ

An artist that shatters expectations, norms, and genre, AYLØ is constantly pushing past boundaries with an authentic sound and thoughtful musicality. Steeped in R&B, hip-hop, neo-soul, and the alté scene, ALYØ’s focus is always on the message, the feeling, and the energy of a track. Every lyric, moment, and beat is sincere - a soliloquy of what people need to hear, coming from AYLØ’s genuine, artistic soul. Each track tells a story, carried and framed by AYLØ’s beautiful, sensitive beatmaking and songwriting. His soulful, expansive vocals delicately intertwined at every level.

This week, we’re featuring “Romantic” from his 2020 EP Clairsentience. In an EP dedicated to the idea of perceiving the world through emotions, “Romantic” serves as AYLØ’s philosophy on love and romance. Featuring a simple strumming guitar over an energetic beat, AYLØ’s vocals soar over the top of track, creating an atmospheric, ethereal setting where his lyrical poetry shines. With a focus on inner peace and self-truths, every listen makes you feel not only closer to AYLØ, but closer to yourself.

Jorja Smith

With an incredibly powerful voice, visceral and poignant lyricism, and unbridled authenticity, Jorja Smith is always speaking her mind. Whether she’s wounded by heartbreak or tackling social issues, Smith’s voice is always fully and freely embodying the authentic emotions in each track. The vulnerability of her lyricism, juxtaposed with a boundless and assured confidence makes every listen a phenomenal one. We’re calling it now: Jorja Smith will be an absolute icon - in fact, she might be one already.

This week, we’re featuring her track “Bussdown” featuring South-London rapper Shaybo from Smith’s 2021 album Be Right Back. With an energized beat and clear reggae influence, “Bussdown” is a perfect example of the vulnerability and strength that makes Smith’s music so powerful, all the while maintaining the sharp, witty lyricism we’ve come to know and admire from both artists.

BeMyFiasco

Albums centered around heartbreak are common, and for good reason. It’s an intrinsically human experience; an intangible weight that we virtually all carry at some point in our lives. But what’s so refreshing about BeMyFiasco is how she’s taken an album about heartbreak and turned it into an affirmation and celebration of her success and growth. There is a beauty in realizing what you left behind was only serving to hold you back, and a freedom that shines from finding a joy and power within yourself; a flame that was never snuffed out but now has the chance to burn hotter than ever. These ideas are wonderfully apparent as through-lines in BeMyFiasco’s debut album, and their carried into existence by her ethereal vocals, sublime lyricisms, and vivid, distinct harmonies. There aren’t many artists who can take intricate R&B and jazz melodies like hers and make them sound so easy - but BeMyFiasco makes each track sound like she’s been singing it her entire life.

This week we’re featuring “Outside The Lines” from her 2021 debut album Where I Left You. Featuring hip hop duo Little Brother (comprised of MC’s Phonte and Big Pooh - with Phonte also serving as executive producer for the album), “Outside The Lines” pulls back to the foundations of R&B. Touches of gospel influences, 70’s soul, and a cheeky reference to Al Green dot the track as BeMyFiasco’s vocals, a dynamite bassline, and a 80’s inspired beat provide a tidal wave of immaculate vibes.

KAYTRANADA

One of the cornerstones of Black Tea is to feature not only incredible artists, but their stories as well. With that in mind, it’s perfectly understandable why we can’t get enough of KAYTRANADA. The Haitian-born, Montreal-raised signer, songwriter, producer, and beatmaker has become one of the most unique voices in hip hop, R&B, and dance music today. What started as a bedroom-based operation, quickly turned into underground notoriety as a SoundCloud gem, with remixes and early beats already demonstrating the innovation and creativity that has since become a staple of his musical identity. After a pair of incredible albums, 99.9% and BUBBA, KAYTRANADA’s sound has only continued to evolve, while still remaining totally authentic. KAYTRANADA tracks feature this indescribably human vibe to them, and while tempos or collaborators may change, the essence of his truly unique sound always remains.

This week, KAYTRANADA becomes only the second artist in Black Tea history to be double featured twice. His first double feature was all the way back on the second edition of Black Tea in March of 2020. We’re featuring two tracks from his 2021 EP Intimidated, “$payforhaiti (featuring the exciting and enigmatic Mach-Hommy) and the title track “Intimidated” (featuring Black Tea alum H.E.R.). Both tracks feature KAYTRANADA’s signature groove and humanity. The beats are not only razor sharp, but the collaborations bring out the best from each artist. H.E.R.’s powerful vocals, purposefully restrained in this instance, float elegantly among a hip, snare and bass driven beat and a catchy piano groove. Mach-Hommy’s ingenious flow pairs perfectly with KAYTRANADA's R&B influenced beat, making for an intricate dance between precision and artistic freedom. While KAYTRANADA’s signature style is all over each track, they still sound distinct and unique.

KIRBY

More than a singer or songwriter (although she’s insanely talented at both), KIRBY specifically wants to be known as a “song therapist” - to help heal, one note at a time. Listen to any one of an endless amount of her incredible tracks, and you’ll definitely feel restored, rejuvenated, and revived. With her outstandingly powerful voice and wickedly huge range, KIRBY’s voice stars on every track, from sultry soul ballads to hip-hop and disco influenced bangers. If you’re feeling off, out of alignment, or in a rut, take a little KIRBY and call us in the morning.

This week, we’re featuring the track “Coconut Oil” from her 2021 album Sis. He Wasn’t the One. Featuring a funky, disco inspired vibe and a melody influenced by contemporary hip-hop, “Coconut Oil” is an undeniable good time. Prince-esque guitar riffs punctuate KIRBY’s slinky melodic lines and create a fun, fresh, and fiery bop, perfect for sending the rest of 2021 out with a bang.

Leon Bridges

I mean… come on. What we can we say about Leon Bridges that hasn’t already been said? If you’ve turned on the radio in the last 5 years, you’re perfectly aware of Bridges rocket-ship-ride from soul-indie powerhouse to household name. None of this is news. But - throughout it all, Bridges has maintained an artistic integrity, authenticity, and truth in his music and performance that really makes him a perfect example of what Black Tea is all about. There is a true beauty and blue in his vocals and songwriting that isn’t just evocative of classic soul and R&B - it’s playing on the same court with the other giants of the genre. Yet Bridges brings touches of the 21st century to each track. Contemporary beats and production choices has Bridges’ as one of the genre’s leaders; bringing it in the future while deeply respecting and celebrating it’s past. Bridge’s has always remained true to himself, from teaching himself guitar as a child, open mic nights in Fort Worth, Texas, to today and beyond.

This week, we’re featuring the track “Summer Rain” featuring ultra-powerhouse vocalist Jazmine Sullivan from the deluxe version of Bridges 2021 album Gold-Diggers Sound. A deceptively simple sounding tune at first, the track grows with each lyric into the soul anthem of the year. Starting off plaintively, with Bridges crooning the opening melody, a simple strumming guitar, all punctuated by a light tap on the piano. The track grows, featuring jazz-influenced harmonies, the beat becoming more intricate, and Sullivan absolutely tearing the roof off. Combining some subtle rock influences, contemporary production choices, and a pulsating beat, Bridges and Sullivan’s pitch perfect vocals make this intimate track feel grand and glorious.

Jaz Karis

When an artist is as stunningly unique and genuine as Jaz Karis, it’s almost difficult to pin down exactly what makes her music so intensely thrilling to listen to. Her music elegantly and smoothly bucks trends and clichés and really strikes true to the heart of authenticity - it’s indescribable in the best way possible. It’s incomparable by design: a feat that many artists dream of accomplishing, and very few can manage. An evocative and intimate songwriter, Karis whisks you away on each track to a different time, place, or part of her world. With influences ranging from Beyoncé and Erykah Badu to Frida Kahlo and Nelson Mandela, Karis effortlessly glides each track into her own deeply personal, unimpeachably authentic musical space.

This week, we’re featuring her 2021 single “Motions”. Featuring a handful of complex moving parts that would weigh down a lesser songwriter, “Motions” remains incredibly light, free, and balanced - a true testament to Karis’ songwriting and producing. The driving, afrobeat-influenced beat pulsates underneath her silky vocals, jazz influenced harmonies, and synth pads taken straight out of the 80’s. The melodies - punctuated by a distant, yet deeply musical horn section, led by slinky, flirtatious saxophone solos - are enticing, thrilling, and impossibly catchy. There is a purity in Karis’ music; a music that truly and without artifice comes from within herself.

Moonchild

As a musician, originality and creativity are exercises in balance. Being original or unique, just for the sake of individuality, generally tends to alienate your audience. So when your music can be described as “space-age-soul-jazz-fusion” it’s all the more amazing that Moonchild still manages to make some of the most naturally human sounding music we’ve ever featured on Black Tea.

Vocalist Amber Navran’s blissfully breathy voice floats elegantly over each track, intertwining, twisting, and untwisting from the music happening around her. Max Bryk and Andris Mattson both add their own unique flair, providing instrumentation both reminiscent of classic R&B, while adding in some surprises along the way (bass clarinet has never sounded so funky). While the melodies and music are intricate, their deeply jazz influenced style is still so inherently human and natural.

This week, we’re featuring their 2021 single “Too Good”. Featuring a slinky, groovy bassline, Navran’s ethereal vocals and almost meditative lyrics, “Too Good” is Moonchild at their finest, illustrating the contradiction of past and present. There is a futuristic feel to the beat and synths, but the woodwind trio that punctuate the groove firmly plant the track into a truly natural feel. “Too Good” is a perfect blend of their jazz influence, admiration of R&B, and spun with their own, unique contemporary flair.

Grimm Lynn

Plenty of artists have a great voice, a penchant for catchy beats, and clever lyrics. What’s far more rare is the artist that taps into the alchemy of their talents and creativity. Where each piece is expertly crafted, and yet still manages to be so much greater than the sum of its parts. This is Grimm Lynn, a genre bending sonic alchemist. Something in the way his smooth voice intermingles with classic R&B beats and undeniably sexy bass lines transmutes each track into an aural elixir. The music is captivating, addicting, authentic, and sensual. Grimm Lynn frequently broaches the topic of modern love and sensuality in his lyrics, but avoids the pitfalls and cliches of less practiced songwriters. The lyrics and melody, deeply influenced by classic soul and hip-hop tracks, still feel fresh and contemporary. Featuring lines like “ I can be whatever you need / Be your friend, be the one who you trust / Doin' this, do your love / Doin' love ” perfectly encapsulate Grimm Lynn’s vibe - and ensconce his place as one of the premiere songwriters of the generation.

This week, we’re featuring the single “Whateva U Need” from his 2021 EP Body. Featuring many of the elements above, the track is a beautifully intimate serenade. While every element of the track is elegantly produced and refined, the bass line might just steal the show. A slinky, dynamic bass line intertwines with Grimm Lynn’s more static (and seriously silky) vocals. On the first listen, you may not notice the interplay of the bass, but when it drops out and returns - you realize just how badly you crave it. Immediately, you’ll be replaying the track just to truly appreciate the line. Grimm Lynn and L.A. based beatmaker 10.4 ROG drench this track in a seriously sexy vibe; which makes it a perfect addition to Black Tea.

Ego Ella May

There’s something to be said about music that truly feels alive. Music that breathes, music that pulses with life, music that is almost conscious of itself, pondering our world in an intimately human manner. Ego Ella May’s music is exactly this; a living, breathing, organism. Her stunningly velvety voice, combined with pulsating beats, complex melodies, and a dreamy, jazzy atmosphere give each track this undeniable “life-ness”. Combined with incredibly poignant and personal lyrics, May’s music is a message meant for the most human moments.

This week we’re featuring the track “YoYo” from her 2021 EP FIELDNOTES. A powerful, crisp, fresh, and wholly authentic track, “YoYo” is still an eminently relatable song about the stark duality of modern life during quarantine and lockdown. While we all depended on technology and modern comforts to calibrate normalcy, we all have this innate desire to trade our phones in for landlines and go live a simpler, freer life. A bittersweet track, May’s complex, deeply jazz influenced melody dances across the song and finds its way deep into your being.

Jay Prince

Give Jay Prince ninety seconds, and he’ll change your life with his sheer creativity. With a fun, energetic, and eclectic flow, Prince adds an incredible amount of life to his music from the first beat. The genre-bending singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist pulls from a huge swath of musical influences to create his own authentic style. A creative, fearless musician, Prince’s music is deeply personal but never shies away from the laid back and infectious energy, confidence, and sheer creativity he possesses as an artist.

This week we’re featuring his 2021 single “ONETIME FREESTYLE”. Which, in a way, is exactly what it sounds like - a one-time only freestyle track. But unlike some other freestyles, Prince packs the track with cool harmonies, his own unique flow, and a dynamite beat that really makes this improvisatory exploration a supremely fun listen. It may have been a one-time freestyle, but it definitely isn’t a one-time listen.

Joesef

If you’ve ever seen a beautiful luxury sports car driving the speed limit on the city streets, you kind of understand what it’s like to listen to Joesef’s music. It’s sleek, sexy, silky - just the absolute definition of “a vibe.” But you’re also aware that, if the driver wanted, it could squeal it’s tires and speed down the road at 100 miles-per-hour. But that’s not what makes it cool. The driver deciding not to rev the engine, scream down the street, or show off is almost more of a spectacle than the car itself: the restraint makes the coolness seem effortless.

That’s Joesef. Powerful songs with passionate, emotional, intimate lyrics and carried by their turbo powered engine of a voice. Joesef could easily make a living in the sonic stratosphere, cranking out bangers and ad-libbing incredible riffs in his falsetto. But he opts instead for something more restrained and reserved, letting his vocals sit comfortably within his undeniably tight grooves and leaving you wanting more.

This is Joesef’s third appearance on Black Tea, and this week we’re featuring the 2021 single “Fire”. The track feels like a meditation on the paradox of wanting to shed the troubles weighing you down and escape, but realizing there isn’t an escape to be had.

JONES

JONES is rejuvenating. There’s this essence in her music - like the sonic equivalent of drinking the cleanest, crispest, coolest glass of water. Her music is reaffirming in this natural, intimate sense that reminds you how elementally connected you are the world around you. A reminder that they hydrogen and oxygen in the water is already part of your body, the carbon that makes up your being is the same as the stars. JONES’ music is simply refreshing on every level. She grounds her music in classic hip-hop varietals and her vocal style is reminiscent of 90’s R&B and soul, but the production and songwriting is contemporary and novel. Some artists define themselves in how far they can push the envelope, but in turn, the heart and soul of the track is lost under the weight of the artifice and production. JONES elegantly avoids this trap with painstaking attention to detail and in return delivers these beautiful, simple-on-the-surface-but-incredibly-detailed songs. They really are like water: two ingredients - but tastes better than anything else.

This is JONES third appearance on Black Tea, and this week we’re featuring “Blue Sunshine” form her 2021 album of the same name. Written during lockdown, JONES describes the album as a “musical journal” exploring relationships, family, love, racial affairs, and more.

Tay Iwar

Tay Iwar is a man of contradictions. Simultaneously on the forefront and the cutting edge of a self-titled genre, but also pulling inspiration from the past. Someone who appreciates novel, ground breaking production choices and technology, while finding beauty in the handmade, the analog, and the retro. Iwar’s unique sound, drawing influence from jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and the alté scene of his home country, purposefully defies genre or categorization. Self-titling it “Afro-fusion”, Iwar thrives in the spaces in between resolutes. The contradictions are his inspiration, his home, his strength. These contradictions between person and music are readily apparent as well. Iwar is a deeply private person, and yet his lyrics are incredibly intimate and bursting with evocative rhymes and emotion. Iwar is largely uninterested in producing something that doesn’t interest him on a spiritual, emotional, unspoken level. An incredibly in-demand producer and collaborator, Iwar could work on multiple projects every day if he wanted to, but instead carefully chooses collaborators and projects, making sure that if he’s going to pour himself into a track, it’s the most fertile, emotionally-rewarding ones. Every musician strives to be unique: Iwar is among a handful who truly are.

This week, we feature his 2021 single “PEAKING”. A romantic, personal, and introspective look at the fiery passion of new love. Iwar’s lyrics are like a meditation on the hazy line between infatuation and romance. Taking a magnifying glass to the moment of crossing over from something fun and carefree to something more important and delicate. With a perfectly produced, vibe-drenched beat as it’s foundation, “PEAKING” is exactly the track for the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Just like Iwar himself; an evolution.