Yaya Bey Do It Afraid (Gold)

"Suffering is promised to us all, but so is joy. You have to find peace in that duality," says Yaya Bey, who commits to life's delight - humor, love, the power of human movement and connection - even if she has to do it afraid. With her new album, which follows a run of critically acclaimed releases and marks her debut on art-forward indie label drink sum wtr, the Queens, New York singer-songwriter thrives across uplifting, effervescent material. A rejection of past narratives projected onto her, 'do it afraid' finds Bey reclaiming her story with resolutely fun, full-hearted, and nuanced songs that pull from R&B, hip-hop, jazz, soul, and dance music, including the soca stylings of her family's Bajan roots. Do it afraid celebrates all sides of Yaya as part of a collective lifeforce that doesn't subscribe to fear but to the moments that move us.