r&b season

Kali Uchis & Coco Jones Sound Ethereal On Our “R&B Season” Playlist

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January is quickly coming to a close, but we’ve still got a few more months of winter ahead of us. This weekend, several R&B starlets are doing their part to heat up your playlist amid the chilly weather.

Kicking things off is none other than Kali Uchis, who delivered her “I Wish you Roses” single on Thursday (January 19). Sounding as ethereal as ever, the lovely track finds her vocals floating over production by Dylan Wiggins and Josh Crocker.

“I was a rose in a garden of weeds / My petals are soft and silky as my sheets,” the dreamy lyrics go. “So do not be afraid to get pricked by the thorns / While I’m here, I’m someone to honour.”

Drake came through with some exciting news this weekend, revealing that OVO has signed its first female artist – Naomi Sharon. The R&B singer is making a name for herself with two enchanting singles.

Firstly, we have “Celestial,” and a bit further down, you’ll find her “Another Life” song. Speaking on their professional partnership, Drizzy wrote, “I been waiting for this day for too long now where the world finally gets to digest the insane amount of work you have put in since we met. My dear friend just dropped her single on OVO Sound.”

Thus far, the reception to Sharon’s releases has been incredibly positive. Hopefully, more of the same magic will come from the vocalist later this year.

Bel-Air actress Coco Jones also caught our ear this weekend. In 2022, she made a tantalizing R&B debut with her What I Didn’t Tell You EP. On Friday, the deluxe cut arrived, complete with four new titles.

While they’re all worth listening to, we’ve selected “Fallin” for your consideration. Finally, this week’s update is closed out by Kelela’s “Contact” single.

Further down, you’ll find recent arrivals from names like PARTYNEXTDOOR, Jeremih, and SZA.

Stream all the latest additions to our R&B Season playlist exclusively on Spotify below. Afterward, check out more weekend recommendations on our Fire Emoji update.

PARTYNEXTDOOR Brings “Her Old Friends” To Our “R&B Season” Update

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Great news for R&B lovers – we have a selection of new songs for you on our weekly playlist update. Of course, there aren’t as many titles as you’ll find on our hip-hop hits Fire Emoji roundup, but they’re certainly setting the tone for what else is to come from our favourite artists this year.

The first spot on our list goes to PARTYNEXTDOOR, whose “Her Old Friends” single has already become a fan favourite. As you may recall, at the end of 2022 the music catalogues of several OVO artists began vanishing from streaming.

Unsurprisingly, this sent listeners scrambling for answers. Thankfully, the arrival of a great new track from the R&B vocalist seems to have settled their nerves.

Throughout his verses, PND sings, “It’s gon’ be so hard to clean back that body when I gwaan it / Yeah, I wants to take her out the game / Who’s to f*ckin’ blame? What’s my f*ckin’ name? / Yeah, I was playin’ by the rules, only let her do wrongs.”

Our second new single for your streaming pleasure comes from RealestK. He shows out on “Wish You Well” this weekend, which made its official debut on Friday (January 13).

In recent months, the Canadian R&B artist also shared his Dreams 2 Reality project. This helped him make his mark within the industry, holding his own across 14 tracks, including singles like “WFM,” “Love Me,” and “Toxic.”

Finally, we have a reimagined throwback from Jeremih. He sped up his previously released “Changes” song, and you’ll definitely want to have it on your winter playlist.

Further down you’ll find new-ish arrivals from names like Queen Naija, Vedo, Chris Brown, SZA, and more.

Stream our R&B Season update exclusively on Spotify below. Additionally, you can find more new music recommendations on our Fire Emoji playlist here.

Queen Naija’s “Let’s Talk About It” Takes Centre Stage On Our “R&B Season” Update

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2022 brought us plenty of memorable R&B projects. From Brent Faiyaz’s Wasteland to Ari Lennox’s age/sex/location, our favourite artists expertly delivered exactly what their audience was seeking. Obviously, there’s some added pressure for 2023 after such an impressive year, but a few brave creators are already sharing their first releases.

Among them is Queen Naija, whose voice shines on her “Let’s Talk About It” track. Throughout her lyrics, the songstress calls out the men in her life for their confusing nature.

“Sick of puttin’ all these egotistical, n*ggas on a pedestal / All up in a woman’s business, worry ’bout your revenue,” the 27-year-old sings.

In the accompanying music video, Naija stars alongside BMF star Lil Meech. The R&B diva and two other women confront the actor, who’s been tied up, for disrespecting them.

As for collaborative efforts, we’ve got two to recommend. Firstly there’s Vedo and Chris Brown’s work on their “Do You Mind” single.

The nearly two-and-a-half minute long track is due to appear on the former’s upcoming project. Titled Mood Swings, his fans will be able to enjoy the R&B star’s new work this coming Friday (January 13).

For his part, Brown flirtatiously sings, “I like what I like, I’m not the type that’s gon’ be stalkin’ you / Oh, I know I’m a player but I’ll wait up, shoot my shot and then I follow through.”

Finally, we have is this Cam? and Maurice Moore’s “Climax,” which has quickly become a favourite amongst listeners.

Whether you’re heading on a late night drive or spending time with your boo this cuffing season, it’s the perfect jam to help set the mood.

Stream our R&B Season playlist exclusively on Spotify below. Afterward, tell us your thoughts on the new additions to our weekly update in the comments.

The Weeknd Makes A Triumphant Return To Our “R&B Season” Playlist

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Our R&B Season is thriving like never before with the official start of winter just around the corner. What better time than the present to cozy up with your loved ones and stream the latest arrivals on our weekly playlist update?

The Weeknd is no stranger to getting love from us, which is why his contribution to the Avatar 2 soundtrack tops our latest roundup. “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” arrived earlier this week, along with the rest of the film’s audio accompaniment.

Following that is Diddy’s “Sex In The Porsche” with Canada’s own PARTYNEXTDOOR. The song follows Sean Combs’ exciting announcement that he’s now a father of seven.

Though he spends plenty of his free time with his “Shawty Wop,” Yung Miami, the 53-year-old has been hitting the town with an ever-growing roster of other women as of late. Perhaps that’s where the inspiration for his sultry new track comes from.

Afterward, Jacquees’ highly anticipated Sincerely For You album has its moment in the spotlight. Firstly, we selected “Tell Me It’s Over” featuring Summer Walker and 6LACK for our R&B Season update.

Additionally, “Start Over,” “I Remember,” and “When You Bad Like That” featuring Future also caught our attention. As you may already know, Hendrix actually executive-produced the new record, which the R&B vocalist was beyond excited about.

Masego’s voice sounds as beautiful as ever on his “You Never Visit Me” single. Specifically, the song’s lyrics detail what it’s like to push your relationships to the side while prioritizing your own dreams.

Finally, 2g Kaash’s “Pushin for Love” collaboration with Kodak Black has made its way onto our weekly playlist, much to fans’ pleasure.

Stream our R&B Season update exclusively on Spotify below. Afterward, make sure to check out our 12 Days of Christmas interview with Jacquees here.

SZA Sends Out An “SOS” On Our Weekly “R&B Season” Playlist

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Last Sunday’s R&B Season playlist update was all about Emotional Oranges and their “Let Me Go” single. This weekend, we’re letting SZA send out an SOS on our weekly roundup of new tracks.

The first three slots were reserved for the Top Dawg Entertainment artist. Firstly, we have “Open Arms” featuring Travis Scott, which follows the pair’s ultra-popular “Love Galore” link-up on her debut album.

Next, we have a solo title, “Low,” followed by “Used” with another Cactus Jack superstar, Don Toliver. On the former, SZA sings, “If you see me out in public, you don’t know me, keep it silent / In the bedroom, I be screamin’, but outside, I keep it quiet.”

From the deluxe cut of Lucky Daye’s Candydrip project, we have “Apply Pressure.” As per usual, the R&B superstar’s voice sounds as magical as ever.

Emotional Oranges gets love from us once again with with “Slide All Night” song. It appears on their The Juice: Vol. III project alongside previously released titles like “Bounce” and “Make Me Wanna.”

Ari Lennox is keeping the Christmas cheer in full swing with her cover of “My Favorite Things.” After that, SZA’s “Ghost in the Machine” with Phoebe Bridgers will satisfy your ears.

Following his own successful This Is What I Mean album, Stormzy is assisting Bree Runway on “PICK YOUR POISON.”

Our final selection from SOS is “Blind,” which boasts production from Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, Yuli, and Will Miller. “It’s so embarrassing / All of the love I seek living inside of me / I can’t see, I’m blind,” her voice rings out across the chorus.

Other noteworthy arrivals to captivate the world of R&B this weekend include “Fell Asleep” by Che Ecru and “How Many” from Ryan Destiny.

Check it all out exclusively on Spotify below. Additionally, if you need more new releases to stream, find our Fire Emoji playlist update here.

Ari Lennox Gets Fans In The Christmas Mood With “My Favorite Things” Cover

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Though Ari Lennox’s 2022 started out on a chaotic note, things have certainly turned around for the R&B diva in recent weeks. After previously sharing her long-awaited age/sex/location sophomore album in September, she’s back again with more music for her fans.

While her latest arrival isn’t an original song, it does find the Dreamville hitmaker putting her spin on a holiday classic – “My Favorite Things.”

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens / Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,” she croons the classic lyrics. “Brown paper packages tied up with strings / These are a few of my favorite things.”

Listeners have been undeniably loving Lennox’s sultry vocals on her newest release. “Ari literally has the perfect voice for Christmas songs… The soulful way,” one YouTube user pointed out.

“Ari could sing ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ to me and I’m going to put it on repeat,” someone else joked. “Ummm I need her to do a whole Christmas album,” another person wrote. “I’m going to put it on repeat.”

As she was promoting the song on Instagram, Lennox left a sweet message for her followers. “Hey my loves!!” she began. “I want to give you something special for being so good to me this year.”

The comment section on that post has similarly been flooded with people begging the “Pressure” vocalist to drop off an entire holiday album. It remains unclear if she has any future plans to craft such a project, but our fingers are certainly crossed.

Stream Ari Lennox’s cover of “My Favorite Things” on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, make sure to let us know what your favourite holiday song is down in the comments.

Quotable Lyrics:

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver-white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things