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NEW ALBUM DO IT AFRAID OUT JUNE 20TH VIA DRINK SUM WTR
PLAYING GOVERNOR’S BALL IN NYC NEXT MONTH
US TOUR BEGINS IN SEPTEMBER
Today, Yaya Bey shares new single and music video “raisins”. The final offering ahead of her forthcoming new album do it afraid, out June 20th via drink sum wtr, this new single embodies the anchoring sentiment of the album. Produced by the Grammy-nominated DJ Harrison (Steve Arrington, Pink Siifu, Joyce Wrice), “raisins” expresses the bravery that it takes to dream, and succeed, in the face of the sobering realities of a career as an artist.
“It’s hard to sum up ‘raisins in a small burb but it’s the pursuit of love, joy and freedom with the full knowing that there will also be pain,” Yaya says of the song. “It’s a surrender. It’s me giving myself permission to dream. It might not happen. But maybe the real joy is not in the materialization but in the dreaming itself. The name is inspired by a Langston Hughes poem called Harlem where he says ‘What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?’”
Following a hometown set at Governor’s Ball Festival next month in NYC, Yaya will take the album on tour in September across the East & West Coasts, concluding on September 27th at the Lodge Room in LA. Remaining tickets for Yaya’s tour are available now HERE.
Do it afraid’s power rests in its pleasures, embracing life as it comes and finding peace in the power of human movement and connection. More than ever Yaya’s journey to finding peace in that duality has led her to do it afraid, a collection of resolutely fun, full-hearted and clear-eyed songs that draw from R&B, hip-hop jazz, soul and dance music. On the album, Yaya worked with a wider cast of co-producers including BADBADNOTGOOD, Exaktly and Virginia musical collective Butcher Brown, with additional guest features from Rahrah Gabor, Nigel Hall, and others.
Yaya has steadily risen as one of the most important voices in R&B, finding a true breakout with her beloved 2022 album Remember Your North Star. Her subsequent full-length followup Ten Fold, which was a wholehearted showcase of all of the various nuances that make her the artist she is, was awarded Pitchfork’s Best New Album in a glowing review. Ten Fold was also praised by the likes of Elle, ESSENCE, and Paste Magazine, who described the album as “Bey’s most liberating music to date.” Yaya also performed a stunning Tiny Desk concert last Spring, which NPR described as “truly healing to experience” and noting “Not a dry eye was left in the building.”
Yaya Bey 2025 Live Dates
6/7 – New York, NY @ Governor’s Ball Festival
9/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
9/11 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
9/12 – Brooklyn, NY @ 99 Scott
9/13 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
9/16 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
9/18 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
9/19 – Urbana, IL @ PYGMALION
9/23 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
9/24 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
9/26 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
9/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
Yaya Bey
Do It Afraid
June 20, 2025
drink sum wtr
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 & Exaktly)
13. no for real, wtf?
14. blicky
15. ask the questions
16. bella noches pt1
17. a tiny thing that’s mine
18. choice
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