Today, Yola releases her new single “Future Enemies,” her first new music in three years, marking a sonic shift for the groundbreaking artist. This is the first single from her forthcoming EP My Way, set for release on November 15 via S-Curve Records, her new recording home, marking the beginning of a new era for the six-time GRAMMY-nominated artist.
Listen to “Future Enemies” HERE + watch the live performance video HERE.
“Future Enemies” showcases Yola’s undeniable vocals and is a unique “anthem for acquaintances” – about that split-second of early insight when you realize someone may just become an enemy and choosing to exit the relationship before it even begins.
Layering programming and synths with organic instrumentation, she blends progressive R&B and haunting electronica into thoughtful, dancefloor-ready synth-pop. Produced by Yola, Grammy Award-winning producer Sean Douglas (Lizzo, Chris Brown, Madonna, Selena Gomez, and Sia), and producer Zach Skelton (Lil Nas X, John Legend, Paul McCartney), this debut single from the forthcoming EP marks a new direction while also returning to Yola’s musical roots, referencing the UK's Broken Beat scene, R&B, electronica, and more.
Yola says about the track: “There’s a moment when you realize you’re not going to get along with someone. They haven’t noticed yet, so you have a unique opportunity to disappear from their lives before they ever realize you were destined to be enemies. It’s a luxury to avoid accumulating a series of negative memories about someone because you never made any. ‘Why don’t we just not!’ I choose to save my time for situations, spaces, and people that have no ticking timer of inevitable doom, because they see me or center a reality that serves my well-being. When you’re a woman who is culturally Black (as well as physically Black), dark-skinned, feminine in energy, plus-size, and unapologetically the main character, from a different continent living in the West—let’s just say you need to be both vigilant and choosy in life, in love, and in work. Oh, and if you want to be real, girl!”
The new EP, intentionally titled My Way, nods to her unique, genre-fluid ethos, drawing from a range of Yola’s influences, including progressive R&B, '70s-'80s soulful pop, '90s R&B, and neo-soul, as well as the cornerstone influence of the UK Broken Beat scene. Yola emerged from this scene in the mid-2000s, performing with Bugz in the Attic.
Broken Beat, Bruk, or the West London sound was a dance music movement pioneered by IG Culture, Phil Asher, 4Hero, Gilles Peterson, and collective Bugz in the Attic. Its members included Orin Walters (Afronaut), Paul Dolby (Seiji), Kaidi Tatham, Daz-I-Kue, Alex Phountzi (Neon Phusion), Cliff Scott, Mark Force, Matt Lord, and Hannah Vasanth, with whom Yola collaborated on her critically acclaimed album Stand For Myself.
My Way showcases Yola’s powerhouse vocals as she explores themes including relationship boundaries, creative autonomy, and political commentary, delving into the Windrush movement and the diasporic British subculture that inspires her.
Yola says about My Way: “I’ve been hinting at this direction for years. From covering Soul II Soul for Apple Music to my covers on tour and reworkings of my songs, the broad spectrum of soul music through the ages has always been my narrative. I covered Yarborough and Peoples’ ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ as a throwback to my time in the West London Broken Beat scene with Bugz in the Attic (we used to cover that song).
This time I’m exploring my love of soul music through influences like Chaka Khan, Janet Jackson, Sade, Prince, Minnie Riperton, and various luminaries of rare groove and progressive R&B."
“For the past few years, Yola has been one of my favorite contemporary artists,” said Steven Greenberg, Founder/CEO of S-Curve Records. “So, when I learned she’d fulfilled her previous recording commitments, we jumped at the opportunity to sign her to S-Curve. The music she’s recording for this new project is classic Yola, yet she expands her musical palette by incorporating funk and late '80s R&B influences in a very natural way. It’s an exciting evolution, and I think her new music will delight Yola’s long-time fans while simultaneously bringing lots of new listeners into the fold. We’re ready to do everything we can to help Yola build this next phase of her career.”
About Yola
Yola is a six-time GRAMMY-nominated artist, songwriter, and actor who has achieved critical acclaim and breakout success and has been hailed as one of the most exciting and innovative artists in music today. NPR called her latest album, Stand For Myself (2021), the “best soul record of the past 20 years,” while Rolling Stone championed her as “one of contemporary pop’s greatest singers, who just so happens to also be one of its sharpest songwriters.”
Yola made her acting debut as the founder of rock and roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, in Baz Luhrmann’s musical drama ELVIS, earning a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture. She made her awards show performance debut at the American Music Awards in November 2022 as their featured SONG OF THE SOUL performer. That same evening, the ELVIS movie soundtrack won the "Favorite Soundtrack" award. Yola is a member of The Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective, and to celebrate Yola’s impact and influence on music, her guitar was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Right Here, Right Now exhibit.
