Black Women Are Bringing The World Into Their Dance Music Universe

black women in dance music beyonce pinkpantheress kelela
Getty Image/Merle Cooper

Modern Black femme artists are reveling in the spoils of dance music reentering the mainstream, not that it hasn’t been here all along. Staking claim to 1990s house music were vocalists Caron Wheeler, Robin S., Cece Peniston, and Crystal Waters, who often melded gospel tones with club-oriented production. Janet Jackson ruled the dancefloor with energetic choreography, disruptive sounds bespoke to her album-to-album evolution, and lyrics that prioritized her largely queer fanbase. Over time, Black women have seen the futurities of a genre that they shaped and, rightfully, continue to shift.

Breaking new ground for underrepresented dance communities was Beyoncé’s seventh album, Renaissance, which made the music icon the first Black woman to win a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. The masterpiece was Beyoncé’s first dalliance with an album concept of escapism, heard throughout its pulsating, 16-track rush. Post-Renaissance, the dance phenomenon has been ongoing, with Black women bringing the underground to the mainstream field on a grand scale.

The movement will only go further as artificial intelligence, techy aesthetics, counterculture parties and the return of true remix albums take the forefront. Renaissance was just the reintroduction, and perhaps a reawakening, for audiences to sit up and take notice of the contemporary Black female artists who’ve been on the dance music moodboard for years.

Perhaps matriarchal of the progressive Black dance culture resurgence, Kelela envisions an underground nirvana that underrepresented and queer communities can thrive in. Introduced to some as an alt-R&B vocalist who had not one but two guest features on Solange’s 2013 Saint Heron compilation, the D.C. native took shape on her cutting-edge debut mixtape, Cut 4 Me, released just one month before.

Kelela kept pushing creativity within her Warp Records collection, whether brief but potent (Hallucinogen), sexily haunting (Take Me Apart), or a masterclass in nightclub liveliness and comedowns (Raven). On the first anniversary of Raven, the LP got a remix edition, Rave:n, the Remixes, a pastiche to Take Me a_Part, the Remixes, because it isn’t a Kelela album rollout without her highlighting top-notch producers. Leading the new dance frontier with seductive vocals and sounds that bend subgenres, Kelela adventurously forms new worlds.

The music of pop and alt-R&B heroine Tinashe became enshrouded in dance-forward grooves after her 2019 split from RCA Records. Although the singer released three albums with the label, including her 2014 debut Aquarius, which featured the smash “2 On,” Tinashe had creative differences with RCA, along with inadequate promotion. Freed from depending on major label support, 2019 marked the year of reinvention for Tinashe, who channeled her early 2010s mixtape run on her first independent album, Songs for You.

The release was a salve from the choppy rollouts of Tinashe’s prior three albums, as she directly reintroduced the vibes to her fanbase, whom she affectionately calls ‘SweeTees.’ Songs like “Stormy Weather,” “Save Room for Us,” “Die a Little Bit” and “Perfect Crime” leaned on candied dance-pop and electronic, making it a hint towards the preternatural and psychedelic 2021 album 333 and the experimental LP BB/Ang3l, which dropped last year.

Embracing the latest technology – Tinashe used VR headsets in her 333 launch – and maintaining a highly-choreographed aesthetic, she recently brought viewers into her visual album and virtual performance, The BB/Angel Experience. Featured on the rapid new single “Zoom” with electronic/IDM producer Machinedrum, Tinashe’s just getting restarted, and we’re all bearing witness to her infallible ride through the dance space.

Dallas-born and raised artist Liv.e expands her radical take on R&B into hints of electronic and drum and bass on her sophomore album, Girl in the Half Pearl. From neo-soul roots (some liken her style to Erykah Badu, pioneer of the subgenre), Liv.e went from SoundCloud beginnings into groundbreaking status, with GITHP teetering between twitchy ballads and unconventional post-breakup cure-alls.

The LP was an aperture to its own electronic remixed version, GITHPREMIXEDITION, entirely produced by fellow Dallas native Ben Hixon, with Liv.e being tapped as a feature on Kelela’s Rave:n, the Remixes. Putting her own spin on dance, Liv.e makes listeners agog to hear what world she’ll bring us into next.

Overseas, noteworthy Black female artists in the UK are making a statement in dance music, essentially, due to the genre connecting to British audiences at the turn of the ‘90s. Nearly three decades later, we’ve met international sensation PinkPantheress, who found her footing on TikTok, where she hybridized garage, drum and bass, and syrupy hyperpop. Racking up fandom for her loosies on the social media platform offered PinkPantheress worldwide recognition. While she topped the charts with Ice Spice (“Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2”), she hasn’t compromised her energetic and quirky appeal.

Deconstructed club, alt-pop, and grime darling Shygirl opened the doors to Club Shy, her latest EP, where the South Londoner brought the masses into her saucily warped universe. Months before Shygirl unveiled the project, she caught the attention of Beyoncé, who gave her a spot as an opener on a London stop of the Renaissance World Tour. Apart from her Tinashe-assisted single “Heaven,” Shygirl was also on Rave:n, the Remixes, laying claim to the JD. Reid remix of “Holier,” where she traded rhapsodic notes with Kelela.

Skilled junglist, music producer, DJ, and vocalist Nia Archives touches upon drum and bass, and dancehall in her fearless works. She deejayed and freely danced alongside Jorja Smith last year when she dropped her since-viral take on Smith’s “Little Things,” and she’s kept us partying for the last five years. Since giving us a masterclass on breakbeats and global flair on EPs Headz Gone West, Forbidden Feelingz, and Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall, she’ll explore deeper dance terrain on her debut album Silence Is Loud, due next month.

Black women in all scopes of dance music — we’d be remiss not to mention amapiano, industrial, and Jersey club — are elevating it past its outdated boundaries. Motion in the wide-ranging genre will persist as long as we welcome diverse perspectives because the rise in Black femme-forward dance isn’t a reclamation; the space has always been ours.

The Best Albums You May Have Missed From Winter 2022

We pride ourselves in covering a lot of ground daily here at Uproxx, always looking to highlight the best music releases in hip-hop, indie, pop, and more. But there are a lot of tunes out there in the world that sometimes get past the radar when they first get released. So this piece is dedicated to making sure that some of those gems don’t go unnoticed. These are the best albums that you might have missed that were released from early December through the end of March.

Atalhos – A Tentação do Fracasso

It doesn’t take long to get swept into the Brazilian band’s psychedelic dream pop on their debut album. The jangly guitar riff on opening song “Tierra Del Fuego” is super sweet and it sets the stage for an album filled with them. The album’s title itself is a phrase in Portuguese that means “the temptation of failure” and it’s this kind of carefree poetry that typifies the unique lyricism of songwriter Gabriel Soares and Atalhos. From the title track to “Mesmo Coração,” their fuzzy São Paulo grooves are nostalgic like Real Estate and committed to varying guitar sounds like Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. There are moments of Spanish along with the album’s primarily Portuguese singing — plus a touch of saxophone — resulting in eight tracks that will be living on repeat all year.

Nia Archives – Forbidden Feelingz

The debut EP from London producer and singer Nia Archives will hit you like a freight train. Mostly because her blend of jungle and garage beats with soul-packed vocals is laid down like silky steel. Think back to what you felt when you first heard PinkPantheress, ’cause this is right there with it, but with a more direct lean towards the dance floor. You wanna make a mean bass face when the thick, chunky beat hits on “Luv Like,” but then open your eyes wide open and blissfully tip your head back when Nia’s heavenly vocals come in. There are old-school dancehall ragga jungle vibes throughout and the only downfall is that the EP only has six tracks. But they all bang.

Maggie Gently – Peppermint

Previously the lead singer of erstwhile San Francisco queer pop-punk band The Total Bettys, Peppermint is Maggie Gently’s debut solo album. Her upbeat indie-pop tunes are akin to acts like Clairo and Rosie Tucker, and these are very much songs about anxiety, love, identity, and finding personal growth while balancing your mental health. “I can’t put it into words why I’m so worried,” she sings over a lively guitar lick on “Worried.” “Hold My Hand” has a melody that sounds right of the solid gold ’90s in the best way possible and this is an album indie fans shouldn’t let slip through the cracks.

Gabriels – Bloodline

The first time I heard Jacob Lusk’s vocals on “Blame” I was floored. There’s an inherent elegance to his velvet baritone and perhaps I thought he was British at first. Turns out Lusk is a Compton native who grew up singing in a gospel choir, appeared on the 10th season of American Idol, and has sung with artists ranging from Diana Ross to Nate Dogg. Gabriels is the emerging trio of Lusk and Hollywood-minded multi-instrumentalists Ari Balouzian and Ryan Hope. On the LA retro-soul and R&B group’s second EP, Lusk is sublime over cinematic production, proving Gabriels to be a growing force.

Widowspeak – The Jacket

Signed to the influential Captured Tracks label, Brooklyn duo Widowspeak’s latest album is a glorious blend of shoegaze and cowboy pop. Singer Molly Hamilton evokes shades of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval and together with Robert Earl Thomas, they use fuzzy guitars in the shotgun seat of a very chilled-out collection of songs. “Everything Is Simple” is propped up by Hamilton’s mesmerizing coo while twangy guitars and soothing keys round out an arresting tune. This is music tailor-made for a relaxed lamplit evening, or a sunny afternoon on a porch with a rickety swing for kicks.

Lil Yee – Unbreakable

San Francisco street rap is having a resurgence and rappers like Lil Yee are at the forefront of the movement. Now on his third album, Unbreakable is Yee’s ode to succeeding in life, while remaining loyal to friends, family, and the soil. There are a ton of seriously epic slaps on this album. “Free The Home Team” is a bonafide Bay Area hip-hop anthem featuring fellow SFer Lil Pete. “Come From” is a humble nod to his Fillmore District upbringing and being grateful for the life he’s leading, while “ChiAli” is an impassioned call to the ghost of his dead uncle. There are guests on the album like Detroit’s Babyface Ray and Berkeley’s Rexx Life Raj, but it’s Yee and lines like “Why’d I come that far to throw it all away?” that represent the hustle that’s unique to the Bay Area street rap grind.

Combo Chimbita – Ire

One of the most bombastic Latinx music groups, Combo Chimbita is forged in the mystical lore and revolutionary spirit of singer Carolina Oliveros’ native Colombia. The Brooklyn-based group fuze traditional rhythms with boundary-pushing instrumentation, making Ire one of the most powerful albums out this year. “Mujer Jaguar” is a contorting number with twisty strings, pulsing bass, and Afro-Caribbean drums surrounding Oliveros’ banshee howl. “Memoria” has a straight-up electro-lounge beat while “Babalawo,” with a trap-rock groove, dance music sensibility, and lyrics channeling Santeria, might very well be their defining jam. Guitarist Nino Lento Es Fuego summed up the latter in a statement, saying that, “These intimate moments of spiritual guidance are incredibly important to us as a band with decolonial aspirations.”

Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems

A hardcore and screamo punk band at their core, Philadelphia band Soul Glo do everything loud. But Diaspora Problems is a gut punch that sounds like a rapper making a hardcore album. Singer Pierce Jordan is incredibly verbose, packing in extensive diatribes on each of the album’s twelve tracks. On “Jump!! (Or Get Jumped!!!)((by the future))” he sings, “Living on Juice Wrld, Pop Smoke time. I’ll be in my future, come try to remove it, I live only for this, it’s how I must do it. There’s no way they can take what I say and skew it.” In a genre dominated by mostly white artists, Soul Glo — with three Black members out of four — offer a perspective in punk that is underrepresented and is hopefully here to shape the future of it.