Some years ago there was a young girl whose song hit me in the heart and it came out of those live youtube sessions that not many people are watching or better, usually don’t go viral. But “My Mind” did! Have a listen, for the intrduction to Yebba.

Abbey Smith (Yebba) is only 26 years old and the whole music world wants her. But, does she respond to everyone? I’m reading that she is more professional than the professionals! The thing is that after the video you watched above and this ultimate singing, one week after, her mother died of suicide. A cause which a 21 year old girl can’t handle (generally nobody would!) Till now we’ve heard Yebba in several songs. She collaborated with PJ Morton, Ed Sheeran, Robert Glasper, Stormzy, Sam Smith and of course Mark Ronson on his album ‘Late Night Feelings’ (“Don’t Leave Me Lonely” was on most of my playlists the last years). Her voice is exceptional , her singing is so warm and now listening to her album (which she’s been working the last three years) her song-writing is soooo good! “Dawn” just got released and it’s a mixture of soul, r’n’b, jazz, pop. It’s everything Yebba is and her lyrics are so personal on her first release. “Dawn” is the named after her mother and there are songs dedicated to her. The whole album keeps playing on repeat on my headphones (never skip a tune). Mark Ronson who produced this album is one of a kind and he delivers exactly to the point, Yebba’s feelings, emotions, singing.

On New Yorker , Sheldon Pearce writes:

In 2016, as Yebba was on the verge of a viral breakthrough on YouTube, the Arkansas singer-songwriter lost her mother, Dawn, to suicide. Yebba’s new album, named both for her mom and as a symbol of a new beginning, probes the hurt of feeling left behind and the release of finding a way forward through music. Subdued yet soulful, the project blends indie folk, inviting R. & B., and light jazz into a tonic. Inspired by D’Angelo’s neo-soul classic “Voodoo,” Yebba and the producer Mark Ronson sought assistance from many of that album’s key players, and they recorded in the same Electric Lady studio, creating continuity. The result of hundreds of takes and years of crafting, “Dawn” sounds smooth and untethered, its music restful and reassuring. As her elegant, smoky voice floats off into the recesses of smoldering production—on such songs as “October Sky”—Yebba performs poignant tributes to her mother’s memory.

————————————————————————————

You can also check out this great Tiny Desk performance, to get to know Yebba performing live.

Advertisement