From a show stealing performance singing backup for Chance the Rapper on SNL in 2016 to a viral video of her performing “My Mind” released by Sofar Sounds soon after, the vocalist known as Yebba left an indelible mark on every ear she reached. Fans who have been begging for an album since her single “Evergreen” was released in 2017, are finally appeased.  

Born Abigail Elizabeth Smith, Yebba was heavily influenced by the music of her father’s church in Arkansas and credits 1950’s gospel group The Clark Sisters as her heroes and influencers in matters of music and spirituality. Unsurprisingly, her performances take audiences “to church” in the warmth and depth of her tone, her effortless vocal runs sending chills up and down their spines with ripples of emotion in every note. 

Yebba is known for collaborations with Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, and Drake among others and for her 2019 Grammy win with PJ Morton for their R&B performance of the BeeGee’s “How Deep is Your Love”. Her long awaited debut “Dawn”, a title referencing her mother’s name,  showcases her powerful voice and vocal range in a variety of styles from jazz to pop to R&B. 

When asked in a recent NPR interview, the singer songwriter described the theme of her new album as grief and panic after her mother’s suicide in 2016. Her dedication to honoring her mother and her roots inspired her to write “truth-based” songs that she says she armed herself with before walking into record label meetings “so that nobody could tell me who I was once I walked in there”. 

Through lyrics full of grief, pain, and forgiveness, Yebba delivers an entire album of truths that are uniquely hers with such vocal prowess and heartbreaking beauty that we’re already anticipating what comes next.