Browsing Tag

Contemporary Rnb

NOBU – Maria Kalashik: Contemporary RnB Brought into a Smouldering Euro Pop Fever

Posted on 4 July 2026

It was about time world music saw a contemporary reinvention; Maria Kalashik stands at the forefront of the monocultural mould-smashing vanguard with her latest single, NOBU. The London-based recording artist and songwriter works at the intersection of contemporary RnB and European pop, and this release makes that creative position feel like an intoxicating provocation.

Eastern flavour and Latin heat create an almost too-hot-to-handle RnB Euro pop hit, with Kalashik’s harmonies simmering through a smouldering summer anthem. Even when the lyrical details dissolve into the fervour of the mix, the soul-sustained volition stays intact through tone, texture and rhythmic pressure. NOBU possesses the kind of vitality that makes you shake off any sense of inhibition as you surrender to the lush complexity of the kinetic production.

Kalashik describes her work through the lens of conscious RnB, centred on self-determination, personal boundaries and inner resilience. That ethos sits beneath the surface of NOBU, where there’s space for confidence to speak through cadence rather than exposition. With over 146,000 combined streams in the past year, listeners across more than 30 countries, and collaborations connected to London studios, Stockholm writing camps and major international producers, Maria Kalashik is refusing to be a fixed point on the RnB map; she’s already global.

NOBU is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kinju – Lights Out: An RnB Rap Retaliation of Resilience

Posted on 9 May 2026

A trifecta of rap and RnB titans came together for what deserves to become the evocative stormer of the summer, Lights Out. Kinju, DNA Picasso and Keenan TreVon collaborated on a fiery, feverishly fresh contemporary RnB rap anthem which swaps out lingerings of lust for the spite of picking yourself up from the floor when the people around you trampled on you and counted you as down and out.

Everything from 90s pop boyband harmonies to blazing rock riffs to storming rap bars that amplify the sting of spiralling was poured into the alchemic cocktail of innovation, earworm appeal and visceral vocal layering. The ability to impart the emotional architecture of the lyrics into the production, and ultimately the listener, clearly isn’t something that evades Kinju. It’s the kind of track that fuels you with hate for the haters and leaves you under no illusion that Kinju and his collaborators are more than worth championing.

Lights Out hits with the force of a comeback sworn through clenched teeth, while the official video sharpens that sense of purpose into something visually lean and hard-hitting. Produced, mixed and mastered by Slumped, then directed and shot by Jacky Velvet, the single carries a polished bite without sanding down the raw nerve in the writing and performances.

Lights Out is now available to stream on all major platforms, including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marvin Dark Twisted RnB Innovation and Pop Etherealism into the Rabbit Hole of ‘GET AT ME’

Posted on 2 May 2026
Marvin Dark

If the algorithm knows what’s good for the music industry, it will feed the hype of LA’s Marvin Dark’s latest release, GET AT ME, until it’s a viral sensation that soundtracks summer.

The artful approach to twisting the aesthetics of pop etherealism, contemporary RnB, world music and 8-bit-adjacent motifs until GET AT ME unspools as a wavy, semi-lucid single that swells through the soul as you fall down the rabbit hole with the spiralling melodies gives the single a weightlessness capable of defying the laws of gravity. Marvin Dark handles that dreamy suspension with serious finesse, letting the arrangement drift and coil around the vocal with a teasing sense of seduction that keeps the temperature high and the footing deliciously unstable.

The slick with off-kilter charisma release remains playful in spite of its evocative charge, which finds its voltage through the nuanced use of vibrato and vocal effects, lending the release an emotionally rounded aura, which paints desire as an emotion that vulnerably approaches hope. There are shades of The Weeknd in the late-night magnetism, a touch of Blood Orange in the airy sophistication, and hints of early Jai Paul in the warped pop alchemy, giving Marvin Dark a potent shot of crossover appeal in RnB and beyond.

GET AT ME is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lil B’Shorty suspended ‘Favorite Girl’ cloud rap grief and reverb-heavy RnB sincerity

Posted on 18 April 2026

Lil B’Shorty dared to deliver an extended atmospheric prelude of reverb-heavy pensive piano notes in the age of the instant hook with his debut single, Favorite Girl, a synthesis of cloud rap and contemporary R&B, which paints the up-and-coming artist as an emissary of unfiltered sincerity.

Working in the space between alternative RnB, trap-soul and emotional storytelling, Lil B’Shorty has already started shaping a lane for himself through songs rooted in love, growth and the kind of late-night introspection that leaves nowhere to hide.

The slow-burn debut feels as intimate as a diary entry in its minimal post-production and the sheer force of candid romanticism. It draws you into the melancholia of grief as Lil B’Shorty keeps to the colder tones in the RnB kaleidoscope to hammer home the isolation tearing through the lyrics, which refuse to hide behind pretence.

There are shades of cloud rap’s suspended atmosphere running through the track, but the emotional directness keeps everything grounded in the sting of real absence. It is the sweetness of that vulnerability that gives Favorite Girl its ability to send shockwaves of resonance through you. It’s late-night headphone aural gold.

Favorite Girl is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Salah Dion Holds Seraphic Sincerity and Modern Loneliness in the RnB retro-modernism of ‘All I Really Want Is’

Posted on 15 April 2026

Desire for a fully sated soul consumes Salah Dion’s third RnB release, All I Really Want Is. From the opening stretch of this slow-burning, trap-tempered retro-modernist rendition of RnB, Dion makes it plain that we haven’t seen the last of the great romantics yet. There’s an ache running through the single that feels painfully current, speaking to a culture hooked on the dopamine churn of dating apps while still starving for something real. Dion steps into that emotional gap with real tenderness, letting the song hold space for longing without dressing it up as something cooler or less vulnerable than it is.

Underneath the surface of disconnection, Dion reminds us that our heartstrings are still tuned to the meaning of passion, and in all of its seraphic sincerity, the track lands as a testament to that truth. His buttery smooth vocal lines carry the weight of solitude with grace, easing into the production with the kind of intimacy that makes the listener feel seen rather than merely serenaded. There’s warmth in the restraint, and conviction in the softness. For anyone feeling cut adrift in the modern romantic mess of it all, this one will hit home.

All I Really Want Is is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Yolanda Johnson Poured Brooklyn-Born Soul into the Sepia-Soaked Self-Advocacy of STFU

Posted on 4 April 2026
Yolanda Johnson

If anyone in the modern era of RnB can be revered as a natural born conduit of old-school soul, it’s the Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter and creative visionary, Yolanda Johnson. As resolving as you’d hope mid-century romanticism would sound, the artist’s latest single, STFU, is filtered through a velvety rich sepia haze, which softens the corners of the instrumentals and the lyrical blows in this thematically fiery release.

Raised in a deeply musical household as the daughter of 1970s recording artist Samuel Jonathan Johnson, and writing songs since the age of five, Johnson brings a lived-in sense of soul to a track that feels deeply rooted in feeling and memory. What makes STFU land so powerfully is the luxuriant way it illustrates how self-empowerment, advocacy and diehard romanticism fit hand in hand. Johnson flipped the proverbial script by writing this love letter to herself and every other woman out there who needs reminding that suffering fools in the name of love is a sacrifice of your own power. Her delivery carries warmth, poise and emotional clarity, while the arrangement keeps everything wrapped in that rich sepia glow.

From Sweet Yesterday to Violet Flower and Breathing, which featured work with Grammy-winning producer Symbolyc One (S1), Johnson has sustained a gift for soulful storytelling, and STFU feels like a fiercely assured return.

Until STFU drops, follow Yolanda Johnson on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with news of the release.


Review by Amelia Vandergast

SAHVVV Became the Definitive Siren of Soul in the Moody Vulnerability of her Debut RnB Single, ‘Dangerous’

Posted on 29 March 2026

SAHVVV became the definitive siren of soul with her debut single, Dangerous. After arriving on 13 March, the release introduced an artist with a sharp sense of mood, movement, and emotional exposure, while proving she already knows how to leave a mark on listeners who crave substance in their RnB. At a stage where visibility matters, Dangerous makes a strong case for itself on musical merit alone, cutting through on atmosphere, conviction, and the kind of voice that knows exactly how to handle desire when it curdles into damage.

RnB timelines blur in the era-fluid, moody earworm, which pushes the evolution of the genre forward. By taking the iconic harmonies and attitude of 90s RnB and distorting them with glitchy electronic bursts of reverberance, Dangerous unravels as a triumph that finds the perfect equilibrium between vulnerability and ferocity. As an exposition on the pain and adrenaline of falling for someone who will give you pain to numb, it hits all the right marks while elucidating the agony of slipping between the sheets with someone who makes the act one of emotive warfare.

If this is what SAHVVV has delivered right out of the gate, plenty of listeners will be waiting, and a bit feral, for what comes next.

Dangerous is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Contemporary RnB Artist, Rochone Salaciously Dripped Disco-Glitter Grooves and Aphrodisiacal Harmonies into ‘I Love Sex’

Posted on 10 March 2026

Lust reigns over romance in Rochone’s LP, Love Fails. Guilt-free pleasure takes precedence in the standout single, I Love Sex, where Rochone keeps his cards close to his chest while slipping into the airwaves’ sheets with a luxe contemporary RnB groove. The track bridges the gap between the imprint The Weeknd has left on the genre and the scintillating soul of funk-chopped disco euphoria, delivering a rhythm that feels equally primed for dim-lit dance floors and late-night headphone confessionals.

Through Nile Rodgers-esque staccato guitar chops, synths that deliver disco ball glitter synaesthesia and harmonies aphrodisiacal enough to get listeners on the same salacious page as Rochone, the single moves with a knowing swagger. The groove glides along with silky confidence, while the vocal performance keeps a sly sense of control, teasing out the track’s sensuality without giving away the whole hand. Within that polished RnB-pop framework, the hook lands with sticky-sweet immediacy. .

Rochone’s arrival as a solo artist carries the experience of a seasoned performer. Raised in Los Angeles and steeped in live entertainment, he spent his early years performing with the boy band Radio For People, taking to major stages including televised talent shows that demanded charisma as much as vocal power. That background in dance and performance still bleeds through the production choices here, giving the groove a kinetic charge that feels built for movement as much as listening.

I Love Sex is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Love Ladda Sanctified Desire in the Warm Glow of RnB Nostalgia with ‘Dreaming of You’

Posted on 16 February 2026

In Love Ladda’s Dreaming of You, the release unfolds like a dream in itself, guided by a timbre and tonality that coax you into a semi-lucid state before you’ve even realised you’ve surrendered. The breakthrough singer-songwriter leans into powerhouse harmonies that imbue the love song with a sense of stridency that has felt curiously absent from 21st-century RnB. While modernism sits firmly in the production, the instrumental stylings read confidently from the 80s and 90s RnB playbook, delivered in her own unmistakable voice. There is a clarity in the arrangement that allows affection to build into a scintillating glow, illustrating the sanctity of desire when it is still burning hot, sweet, and pure.

As the single resolves, its atmosphere lingers rather than evaporates. The tonal shifts move with quiet intention, allowing the harmonies to swell and settle in equal measure, forming a space where longing feels elevated rather than diluted. Dreaming of You succeeds in reminding listeners how potent romantic adoration can be when handled with conviction instead of cliché. It carries warmth without slipping into sentimentality, grounding passion in something tangible.

Detroit-born and shaped by roots in Kalamazoo, Love Ladda approaches RnB with the perspective of an English major steeped in creative writing, as well as a performer trained in classical ballet and contemporary technique. That artistic discipline informs her approach to Contemporary RnB, RnB Soul, and darker-leaning textures, where velvety vocals meet emotionally rich, narrative-driven songwriting. Her early traction, reflected in a steadily growing listener base and streaming figures, signals a rising presence that feels earned rather than engineered. With Dreaming of You, she positions herself within a lineage of soulful storytellers while restoring a sense of romantic intensity that refuses to dim.

Dreaming of You is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DaniLeigh – Expensive: A Luminous RnB Homecoming Shaped by Vulnerability, Ambient Glow and Creative Resurrection

Posted on 7 February 2026

DaniLeigh returns from a two-year silence with Expensive, a release that moves far beyond the idea of a comeback single. There are homecomings where artists rise from personal reckonings revived and creatively smouldering, and Expensive sits firmly in that territory. When she ended her hiatus, she broke the radio silence with a sound distinct from what her two million+ Spotify listeners came to expect from the RnB singer, songwriter, dancer and choreographer. Her new sense of comfort within vulnerability shines through the release, inviting listeners to acknowledge their own within the safe confines of the ethereal production. Influenced by meditative ambient mixes, pop, downtempo electronica and contemporary RnB, the track is underpinned by the lush luminescence first ushered into the cultural zeitgeist by RnB and soul artists in the 80s.

Nuanced emotion bleeds through Expensive in ways that instantly subvert your expectations. You may anticipate a track that sits at the altar of luxury, yet you are met with an aching allegory on how mini waves of grief are always coming to shore amidst the tsunamis and there are always prices to be paid to keep our heads above water. It is a release that holds space for many states at once, and whichever you are in when you hear the single, you will feel its resonance. The ambient shimmer gives each lyric a weight that carries long after the final refrain.

This return marks a pivotal moment in DaniLeigh’s story. After stepping into the industry as a dancer and choreographer and earning a key early nod from Prince, she rose quickly with tracks such as Easy gaining major traction. Her hiatus followed years of personal upheaval, including the loss of her father. Now signed to independent label Rebellion Records, she reenters the spotlight with a renewed perspective and a sound more emotionally revealing than ever.

Expensive is now available on all major streaming platforms via this link. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast