Less than a year after releasing her album Ten Fold, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Yaya Bey is back with new music. The R&B and funk musician has shared “Merlot and Grigio,” a new song featuring Bajan dancehall artist Father Philis. The single is her first for her new label home, Drink Sum Wtr. Check out Bey’s self-directed video her new song below.
“I’ve been doing a lot of international touring and constantly in places where I’m the only Black person,” Bey explained of the “Merlot and Grigio” backstory in a press release. “When I was in France most recently I asked myself what it would look like to play to Black international audiences and that sort of got my wheels turning. My dad would always have at least one Reggae song on his albums. Our family is from Barbados and I continued that tradition with songs like ‘Meet Me in Brooklyn.’ I decided I would dive even deeper with Soca and reached out to Father Philis whose music I’ve been really digging. This song feels like a dream come true. To dig deeper into my own roots and prioritize Black communities especially in the Caribbean.”
Read about Yaya Bey’s Remember Your North Star in “The 100 Best Albums of the 2020s So Far.”
