“These expressions hold a promise – to deliver the story that needs to be heard, the consciousness that needs to be awakened, and the emotion that needs to be freed”. 

Latanya Alberto

Latanya was born and raised in Amsterdam to Surimenese and Curaçaoan parents and started writing poetry as a teenager, which became the basis for her lyrics today. Delving deeper into cultural awareness, female empowerment, social justice and romance, Latanya takes inspiration from the wordplay of India Arie and the versatility of Miles Davis.

Her latest project happened to be her debut EP ‘The Royal Escape’ which was released in May 2021. The album further explored the Neo-Soul genre, with Latanya touching on vulnerable and romantic subjects. ‘The Royal Escape’ featured singles such as ‘Red Flags’ and ‘Trouble’, which Latanya went on to perform during her mesmerising COLORS debut performance.

As well as making a huge name for herself in recent years, Latanya has also started to enter the world of collaboration, having recently featured on fellow Dutch artist and Soulection affiliate Jael’s new album, as well as teaming up with Jarreau Vandal for a track on Australian producer Ta-ku’s compilation ‘In Good Hands Vol.1’. 

Following her successful 2021 journey, Latanya is now back, with her first release of 2022. Her latest single ‘Sunrise’ focuses on taking accountability in relationships, brought to life through delicate harmonies and vocal lines, matched with clean-cut production by Rafael Sinay and co-production from Gino Cochise. 

Speaking on the track, Latanya said; “In these times it’s inevitable to stay uninformed about the harm one party has caused the another, on a cultural level. To love sustainably and truthfully, accountability will stay the first step to master”.

‘Sunrise’ will be featured on Latanya’s upcoming EP ‘HOME’ alongside the single ‘Futurity’ which was released last November. ‘HOME’ will be available to stream on all platforms from May 19th. 

Words By Nadia Clasper

_{Photo Credit: Latanya Alberto Instagram}

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Throughout the 13 tracks, we hear Joy explore various topics, such as; immigration, break-ups, generational trauma, tory neighbourhoods and mental health. These stories are met with the entrancing sound of Neo-Soul, a genre which embraces influences from Jazz, Funk, R&B and much more. Crookes has a sound reminiscent of the great Amy Winehouse with a similar London songwriter style, yet blends her own Bagladeshi-Irish heritage within her music, setting her apart from comparisons.

The album’s lead single ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’ saw Crookes embracing her heritage in the music video, stunning in a Saree and Bangladeshi accessories. She did this whilst incorporating the culture of growing up in London into her lyrics, in an empowering account to inspire listeners to stand their ground and fight for what they believe in. 

One of the most personal tracks on the album ‘Unlearn you’ sends a poignant message on the effects of sexual violence, and how when faced with such a difficult situation, you can be left wishing you could reject that someone hurt you in such an inhumane way.

Speaking on the song, Joy said; 

“I don’t know how I managed to get that one out. I had the lyric, ‘unlearn you from my body’, and I was interested in how, when you break up with someone, you still have phrases that you share and so you have to unlearn them. 

Then when I started to write the melody, I realised what I’m really trying to talk about is unlearning something that happened to me that was completely out of my control.

It’s something that happens to so many men and women. You’re in a situation where someone else takes control of your body, your mind, your everything and how do you survive? How do you, more importantly, find a way to unlearn that from your body and not blame your body and not blame yourself for something as scary as that.”

It’s clear that Crookes poured her heart into this album, with many songs covering personal topics that must have been hard to sing. However, there are uplifting moments, such as ‘When You Were Mine’, which takes us on the eventful ride of Joy discovering her first love was actually gay. She says that a celebration of their love is at the heart of the track, intertwined with the slight bit of jealousy she felt seeing her ex move into a different relationship, made perfectly clear within the lyrics; 

“I’m shook but you look good together

I had my hesitation, but I just can’t hate him”. 

‘Skin’ is an album which sets an endearing soulfulness alight, projected through personal and thought provoking topics that take the listener on a rollercoaster of bittersweet emotions, as is life.

Words By Nadia Clasper

_{Photo Credit: Toast Press/Sony Music UK}

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London-based Chloe Bodur is the 23-year old soulful singer-songwriter you need to have on your radar. Taking inspiration from a diverse array of musical figures, her eclectic style blends together elements of neo-soul, jazz and pop, forming the distinctive sound that listeners all over the country are falling in love with. Bodur has hit the ground running with new party hit ‘Watch Me’, featuring vocals and guitar from Bubba Janko. Created as an “ode to the attention seekers in the club” the musician describes the joyous experience that was making the track. With groovy disco undertones and a repetition of seductive vocals, ‘Watch Me’ will have you letting loose and dancing the night away right through until morning. We caught up with the artist to find out more about her unique style, the inspirations behind her latest track and what the future has in store.

The past year has been quite challenging for many of those in the creative industry, in what way has it effected you?

Making my last EP ‘Panties & Loafers’ on Zoom was really difficult and I never want to do that again lol. The time-out from doing shows, releasing music etc though really gave me time to think about who I am as an artist. I feel like a completely different person/artist than I did before the pandemic. A more evolved version of myself. I’ve gone from being a girl to a woman it feels, if that makes sense? I feel braver now!

Could you tell us a little bit about how you first got into music and what has kept you there?

I loved singing as a kid, making up poems and songs. I think a lot of people are like that as children but they’re not lucky enough to have parents that encourage their creative endeavours. It went from that to writing songs with my guitar as a teenager, to studying music technology at college and learning how to produce, to forming my band at uni and then getting to do music professionally after I graduated. I think my Mum always encouraging me to do what I love is one of the main things that’s kept me at it all these years. That childhood creative spark was never stepped on it was just nurtured. So thanks Mum!

How would you describe your musical style?

Sometimes psychedelic soul, sometimes alternative RnB, RnBossa, sometimes UK jazz. It’s a mixture really. I always like to surprise people with what I put out rather than ever doing the same thing twice.

Who are some of your musical heroes and how have they influenced your sound?

The Neptunes – general amazing and innovative production, influenced by their use of guitar and vocal adlibs. All the 90s/00s RnB legends have influenced the layered backing vocals & harmonies I always have in my tunes. Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Brandy, SWV etc. Then old soul legends like Stevie Wonder, Quincey Jones, D’angelo, Anita Baker for that classic songwriting and band instrumentation side.

Congratulations on your new single ‘Watch Me’ — what were the inspirations behind the track?

Thank you! I’d wanted to make an uptempo track for ages because I love dancing and it was annoying me that I couldn’t dance to any of my music. Because soul is what a lot of my music is rooted in it made sense that if I was going to do an uptempo track that disco is where I would head for that so we tried to make a modern disco tune. We were trying to make a love child between Donna Summers ‘I feel love’ and The Internet’s ‘Roll’.

What was it like working with your boyfriend, Bubba Janko?

It’s interesting making music with your boyfriend because there isn’t that professional boundary that’s there with other people. There’s no politeness which can lead to us being quite savage to each other sometimes. With someone else you might say ‘hmm I’m not sure about that idea’ but to each other we’ll just be like ‘nah are you mad? that sounds shit’ which can either be a great thing in the sense that we push the best out in each other or we can just end up annoyed with each other lol. It totally depends how sensitive we’re feeling that day. Luckily with ‘Watch Me’ we both loved everything the other person was doing so the vibes were immaculate the whole session.

There’s a positive energy about the song that really makes you want to get moving, what do you hope listeners will take from ‘Watch Me’ and your music in general?

The main thing I wanted from Watch Me was exactly that, to get people dancing and smiling and feeling themselves! For the rest of my music I hope people feel like they get to know me a bit better but I’m happy for people to take whatever they need to from my music and interpret it whichever way they want.

Which artists are you listening to at the moment?

Right now I’m listening to Little Simz’s new album. I love ‘sun, mood & herbs’ off Venna’s new project too featuring Jvck James. Sault is always a go-to for me as well. I think Sault are making some of the best music in the world right now.

Have you got any advice for young musicians trying to break into the industry?

Prepare yourself for the long ride! Connect with the creative young people in your local community and build a team from that to get started. Your mate that’s doing photography a-level, your mate that’s really good at makeup, your friend that makes clothes etc start by working with them to build your brand and take it from there. Make music that you like for YOU, don’t try and impress anyone else – that way it’ll sound authentic and unique to you.

What’s next for you? Any potential collaborations or exciting projects coming up in the near future?

Yes me and my cousin JD. Reid have been recording together so I’m excited to share the songs that we’ve been working on. Lots of music I’ve recorded with my band is coming soon too. I’m working on storyboarding my next 2 music videos as well. I’m really excited for the next 12 months. I’m knackered but it’s worth it.

We can’t wait to see what you do next! Listen to Chloe Bodur’s latest single ‘Watch Me’

Words by Ella Citron-Thompkins

The post Meet Chloe Bodur: The Soulful Singer-Songwriter Giving Us The Groove appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Cleo Sol is the London-based singer who effortlessly delivers captivating and dreamlike music straight from her soul. Her mature and jazzy vocals only shine brighter when accompanied with the raw percussion and flute melodies typically featured in her tracks. The 26-year-old is rare in the way her sound is simple and uncut. Rather than heavily using synthesisers and hi-hats in her tracks, she halos classical instruments: piano, cellos, flutes, percussions and gospel-style voice harmonisations to create music that is pensive and thought-provoking.

As the clocks go back and autumn inevitably approaches, Cleo’s 2018 EP ‘Winter Songs’ will definitely keep you warm. The four-track project which garnered 7 million streams on Spotify featuring ‘Still Cold’, ‘Miles Song’ and single ‘Why Don’t You’ are iconic for the way every instrument – including Cleo’s voice – are individually heralded but collectively work together to form a vibe and sound reminiscent of 90s Erykah Badu and Sade.

Her performance of ‘Why Don’t You’ on COLORSXSTUDIO has been particularly noticed online, garnering 9 million views and counting. Her live rendition of the track mesmerised listeners globally and projected her into the limelight for the way she carried herself and projected an earthy freshness with her suave vibrato voice.

Since COLORS, Cleo has released singles ‘One’ and ‘Sweet Blue’ earlier this year. Her lyrics manage to voice her opinions on current and decade-appropriate issues. In ‘One’, she sings “All the forests are dying, the people are crying / How have we, let this be, we watch freely on our TVs / They feed us fake food, it’s so easy” and seamlessly weaves her perspective on the global climate crisis into her lyrics. What makes Cleo so special is how she manages to extend the boundaries of R&B, a genre that characteristically focuses on love and relationships, to discuss contemporary concerns like climate change and civil complacency.

Her most recent track ‘Sweet Blue’ which dropped this May manages to create an airy and intimate atmosphere within the first seconds of the video. The elegant aesthetics of ‘Sweet Blue’ coupled with her quaint lyrics demonstrates the unique flair Cleo possesses – living true to her lyrics: “Just because I’m young, doesn’t mean I’m dumb”. Fans and listeners have compared the feeling her music brings to “drinking a warm cup of tea”.

Give her tracks a spin and you too would agree, Cleo’s music unquestionably succeeds in generating inspiration and introspection, to calm and uplift, and to simultaneously act as a pick-me-up and a relaxant.

Graphics by Aamir Potrick

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