The United Kingdom has long been a bastion for the emergence of R&B artists and Elmiene (aka Abdala Elamin) has added his name to that hallowed list of great performers. 

At just 22 years old, the British-Sudanese singer/songwriter is steadily making a name for himself in the R&B and soul world with his smooth vocals and captivating performances, including sold-out shows in New York, Los Angeles, and London. 

In 2023, he debuted with the stellar project EL-MEAN, where he delved into his own experiences about love and heartache with unquestioned vulnerability.

Later that year, Elmiene followed up with his latest EP, Marking My Time, which featured appearances from Sampha, Syd, Dahi, Jim-E Stack, James Vincent McMorrow, BADBADNOTGOOD, and Courage. The project garnered rave reviews. 

Elmiene has left a true impression on the music industry in a short time. Among his accolades, he’s been named Spotify’s 2024 R&B Artists to Watch, listed on the Artists-to-Watch Lists including BBC Sound of 2024, VEVO Artist To Watch 2024, Pandora R&B Artists to Watch 2024, and Montreux Jazz Festival Artist to Watch 2024 just to name a few.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Elmiene’s musical awakening happened early in London, where the lyrics and sounds of contemporary R&B and neo-soul artists influenced him.

“When I was five years old, I ended up moving to Oxford from Germany, where a lot of my extended family lived,” Elmiene told BET.com. “So I remember coming to Oxford for the first time and meeting with my older cousins who used to have this old PC with a bunch of songs on a music database. It was around 2006- 2007 and Usher and Craig David were popping at the time, and that's kind of my start. I ended up becoming really obsessed with that era of R&B.”

Although music was his love, Elmiene never thought that he could be an artist as a career. While still a college student, his breakthrough happened in 2021 when his song “Golden” was released. Eventually, the song was selected to be on the soundtrack of the final show by the late fashion icon Virgil Abloh. He shared what a tremendous honor it was for his song to be chosen for the show.

“I've only really been doing music for about three months at the time and I ended up writing “Golden.” Then I happened to get in the studio with a friend of mine Lil Silva who is a producer and he was really good friends with Benji B who is a very respected radio host and DJ in the UK,” Elmiene recalled. “He just happened to be in another room in the studio where we were working. When he walked into the room, I was showing Silva three songs I had written. He heard “Golden” and said, ‘That song is ridiculous. Can you send it to me?’ But nothing came from it.”

“I had no idea he was the head of music for Louis Vuitton at the time. He decided what songs to play on this show. He texted me maybe like a month later on WhatsApp and he said, ‘Yo, man, that song. I need it because I want to use it at the Louis Vuitton show in Miami.

The unlikely opportunity became a watershed moment in Elmiene’s career.

“I wrote the song as a tribute to my grandmother and ended up becoming very poignant for the situation of Virgil's passing and remembering the memories of his life and then celebrating his work. It all kind of worked out in a weird way and it felt like a dream. I was in London still studying at University at the time sleeping on people's couches,” he recalled.

Continuing his impressive path towards success, Elmiene’s latest track, “Crystal Tears,” produced masterfully by Dernst “D'Mile” Emile II, showcases his soulful vocal prowess. The song conveys Elmiene’s raw emotions with his signature sensual style. He shared how it was to create the song with the prolific five-time Grammy winner.

"Crystal Tears was a fun one because I was working with D’Mile for the first time. That man is today's Teddy Riley, Darkchild, and everything I’m between. Making R&B with him was effortless,” Elmiene said.

As he continues to evolve as an artist, Elmiene has the best yet to come. He envisions creating a body of work that would place him among his musical heroes.

“Being a part of the Black soul tradition is important to me because Stevie [Wonder] raised me, Donnie [Hathaway] raised me, Prince raised me, Mint Condition raised me, and Jodeci raised me,” Elmiene said. “These people raised me to be the kind of artist I am today. If they didn't manage to express their pain and their emotions the way they did, what I’m doing couldn't even be a thing. So it’s the ultimate honor to be considered a part of that lineage

“Whenever someone asks, ‘What do you want to achieve?’‘ “It's always just a respectable discography,” he continued. “When you look at D’Angelo’s three albums, every single one is incredible in a different way. I would love someone with the same pride for my discography as for D'Angelo's.”