Yaya Bey
“Her voice has a naked honesty that fits her songs of self-guidance and candor perfectly.” – The New Yorker
Writing poetic and unflinching narratives about her life and the totality of Black womanhood, Yaya Bey advances an idiosyncratic form of R&B. It’s inspired above all by classic soul and informed by jazz and hip-hop, with audible roots in her Southern and Bajan heritage. The Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter and all-around artist gained notice in 2016 with The Many Alter-Egos of Trill’eta Brown. Following a couple additional projects, she has become one of the key figures behind the reactivation of the Big Dada label, starting with the EP The Things I Can’t Take with Me in 2021 and the full-length Remember Your North Star in 2022. Another EP, Exodus the North Star, appeared in 2023 and preceded Ten Fold, a 2024 full-length on which the subject matter ranged from the high cost of living to self-affirmation.