Ten R&B Artists You Should Be Listening To
By Palace Jones
Rayvn Lenae
With almost 400K followers and over 1M listeners on Spotify, Rayvn is an R&B artist whose voice takes you into a dreamlike trance. Her music is a combination of psychadelic funk, with heavy bass lines and hypnotic synths throughout. With a couple of EPs and singles out, Rayvn released her first studio album HYPNOS. And she isn’t exaggerating with the name, you feel like you’re high as a kite and driving down La Cienega with the top down. Her voice sounds like a lullaby which perfectly complements the hypnotic sound and is definitely worth a listen.
Leon Thomas
Most of Gen Z recognizes this him from the Nick show Victorious, and other may recognize him from Insecure, but outside of his acting endeavors, Thomas is a gifted singer, songwriter, and producer who has worked with artists like Babyface, Ariana Grande, SZA, and Victoria Monet. His latest album Electric Dusk is filled with piano riffs and beautiful vocals. His soulful sound and ear for what sounds good has brought us great hits like Crash and Burn, and my personal favorite, off of his Genesis, work Sunken Place. From the moment you hit play on his work, you know you’re listening to R&B and Soul.
Amber Mark
I was introduced to Amber Mark from a random Spotify playlist, and since then I was hooked. Her low register immediately drew me in reminding me of the soulful and sultry sound of Sade. No matter what back track you place her against, her vocals shine through making you feel like shaved legs on satin sheets. She released her sophomore album Three Dimensions Deep in 2022 proving to the masses that she is a talent that is here to stay.
PawPaw Rod
This rapper and singer’s music found its way to me through a Tik Tok. From the moment you hit play on HIT EM WHERE IT HURTS you know that you’re listening to something new. His mixture of house, classic soul, and early hip hop beautifully melds to create a sound that makes you feel like you’re in Saturday Night Fever. Although he has no albums, he has an EP and plenty of singles to get you hooked and waiting for that first studio alum.
FLO
Stella, Jorja, and Renee, together known as FLO, is a London based music group that makes you feel nostalgic but in a brand new way. Without having a studio album out, the girls have taken the internet by storm with breakthrough single Cardboard Box. Since then the group has released a couple of EPs, singles, toured, and given some iconic live performances. Their collective range never fails to bless our ears with levitating harmonies while also making you feel like a Bratz doll on a shopping spree. I personally grew up loving girl groups and FLO is no exception. Trust me, from the moment you hit play, you’ll be hooked.
Natanya
This new London break out talent feels R&B born and bred who produces her own music, allowing her sound to be an experience that transports you back to 2004. Breaking into the Tik Tok scene with fan-loved Angel, Natanya has a handful of singles and an EP ready to hear. As you hear her music, you can’t help but to get excited with where she could take her sound and musicality.
Amaria
This young talent broke into the scene in 2020 with her single Morning and kept moving from there, releasing her first album All For You in 2023. Her lofty voice is like a whisper from a siren that you can’t help but to listen to. The softness of her sound beautifully compliments the jazzy sounds of her musical productions which is perfectly heard in one of my favorite songs from her freshman album, Lying To You. If you love pouring a glass of wine when cooking in the evenings, then Amaria is the perfect sound for you.
Anias Cardot
Anias has a sound that is so soft and sweet like a pillow of cotton candy, constantly switching between languages in the smoothest way possible. Her sound has that indie soul that we heard back in the early 00s from Corrine Bailey Rae. She’s definitely a curveball in this listing of artists, but she is definitely worth the listen.
Essosa
A cross between 00s r&b and 90s pop, Essosa has a sound that feels nostalgic in a modern way. Her deep, velvety voice glides across her tracks with her harmonies supporting in the best way possible. Her music is what you definitely think the Bratz are listening to throughout the day.
Planet Giza
I’m rounding out this list with another group. Planet Giza is a trio made up of artists Rami B, Tony Stone, and DoomX, based in Montreal. The trio beautifully works together to create harmonies and a smooth sound that when you listen to it, you want more. The song that I first heard from them was Start Over, but it wasn’t until I heard their song LIMB, where I fell in love. Their sound is definitely one that you need to add to your playlist.
To listen to some of these artists, check out the Spotify playlist!
