— R&B vocalist Yaya Bey releases her new album do it afraid via drink sum wtr ahead of her 11-city tour coming this fall.
As a body of work, do it afraid bravely commits to life’s delights — humor, love, the power of human movement and connection — and the resolve to embrace that joy in the face of uncertainty. Musically on this album, Yaya is also embracing a wider range of sounds, working with an expanding cast of co-producers including BADBADNOTGOOD, Exaktly and Virginia musical collective Butcher Brown, with additional guest features from Rahrah Gabor, Nigel Hall, and others.
Alongside the album’s release, Yaya Bey also shares a music video for the yearning album cut “spin cycle”, which Yaya describes as “a working class love song” that balances romance with life’s less glamorous realities. do it afraid’s power is in finding cohesion in its range of sounds and emotions — from high-velocity pointed verses like “wake up b*tch”, to tender close-ups (“raisins”) and a warm embrace of her Bajan roots on the soca-inspired “merlot and grigio”.
Yaya Bey 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.
Yaya Bey 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.”
Listen to do it afraid in-full and watch the “spin cycle” video above, see below for Yaya’s full run of headlining tour dates, and stay tuned for more from Yaya Bey coming soon.
Yaya Bey 2025 Live Dates
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