do it afraid

A truly broad array of sounds is on display for Queens, NYC singer Yaya Bey's new album do it afraid. Swinging from sexy to funny, fierce to empowering with ease, this new batch of songs finds Bey indulging in whatever musical takes her fancy. From "R&B, hip-hop, jazz, soul, and dance music, including the soca stylings of her family’s Bajan roots", this is set to be an unpredictable but wildly enjoyable ride. Newly signed to indie label drink sum wtr, this is the sound of Yay Bey owning it. - Flying Out

“Suffering is promised to us all, but so is joy. You have to find peace in that duality,” says Yaya Bey, who commits to life’s delight — humor, love, the power of human movement and connection — even if she has to do it afraid. With her new album, which follows a run of critically acclaimed releases and marks her debut on art-forward indie label drink sum wtr, the Queens, New York singer-songwriter thrives across uplifting, effervescent material. A rejection of past narratives projected onto her, ‘do it afraid’ finds Bey reclaiming her story with resolutely fun, full-hearted, and nuanced songs that pull from R&B, hip-hop, jazz, soul, and dance music, including the soca stylings of her family’s Bajan roots. do it afraid celebrates all sides of Yaya as part of a collective lifeforce that doesn’t subscribe to fear but to the moments that move us.

Tracklist

1. wake up b*tch
2. end of the world (feat. Nigel Hall & Butcher Brown)
3. real yearners unite
4. cindy rella
5. raisins
6. spin cycle
7. dream girl
8. merlot and grigio (feat. Father Philis)
9. breakthrough
10. a surrender
11. in a circle
12. aye noche (feat. Rahrah Gabor and Exaktly)
13. no for real, wtf?
14. blicky
15. ask the questions
16. bella noches pt. 1
17. a tiny thing that’s mine
18. choice