Yebba Returns After 5 Years
Yebba returns with her new album "Jean" after a five-year hiatus, exploring themes of devastation and liberation. The project is already receiving acclaim for its emotional depth and vocal delivery from the Grammy-winning R&B artist.
Before her debut album *Dawn* was released in 2021, Yebba, born Abigail Elizabeth Smith, had already secured a Grammy Award. In 2019, she won for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her collaboration with PJ Morton on the song "How Deep Is Your Love." This early recognition came after she first gained significant attention for a 2016 "Saturday Night Live" performance with Chance the Rapper. The five-year period between her albums was not a simple vacation. Her first album, *Dawn*, was named after her mother who died by suicide in 2016, just a week after Yebba performed her original song "My Mind" for the first time. The album was a deep exploration of that grief and took several years to create as she processed the loss. During her hiatus from solo work, Yebba remained an in-demand collaborator for some of music's biggest names. She was featured on Drake's 2021 album *Certified Lover Boy* on the track "Yebba's Heartbreak," and also contributed to projects by Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Mark Ronson, and Tyler, the Creator. Her new album, *Jean*, is named after her late grandmother, who was a strong and witty presence in her life. Yebba has stated that the album, created with collaborator John Rooney and composer James Francies, documents her "adulting years" and a process of redefining herself beyond the desperation and longing that fueled her earlier work.
