UK R&B Stars Redefining the Global Music Scene
UK R&B combines R&B, hip-hop, soul, pop, and electronic music elements. The genre has fought to gain mainstream recognition in the music industry for the past few years.
In 2022, the British Phonographic Industry's Brit Awards received backlash for overlooking UK R&B artists. The next year, they combined R&B and pop into one genre category and only nominated non-R&B acts.
However, the award show got it together this year and added the Best R&B Act category to the roaster, a huge step toward providing more accurate representation and appreciation for UK R&B talents.
From Ella Mai and Jorja Smith to Mahalia and RAYE, below is a list of some of the best R&B singers the UK offers.
Ella Mai
Ella Mai's music career began at London's British and Irish Modern Music Institute in 2014 when she auditioned as part of a trio on a season of "The X Factor." She is of Jamaican and Irish descent and was named after jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. Mai rose to fame from her 2017 breakout single "Boo'd Up," which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her self-titled debut album peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 18 on the Official UK Albums Chart.
Jorja Smith
Jorja Smith was born in Walsall, West Midlands, to a Jamaican father and an English mother. Her dad was a former musician who sang in a neo-soul group called 2nd Naicha before she was born.
In 2012, one of Smith's friends uploaded her cover of Labrinth's "Earthquake" on YouTube and that led to her being discovered by record producer Guy Moot.
She released her debut album, Lost & Found, in 2018 and it peaked at number three on the Official UK Albums Chart. In 2019, Smith was named Best British Female Artist at the Brit Awards and was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist that same year. The 27-year-old released her second album, Falling or Flying, last year.
RAYE
RAYE was born in Tooting, London to a Ghanaian-Swiss mother and an English father from Yorkshire.
Before her breakthrough as a solo artist, the 26-year-old wrote songs for stars like Beyoncé, Rihanna, John Legend, and more. She rose to fame after her features on successful 2016 singles "By Your Side" by Jonas Blue and "You Don't Know Me" by Jax Jones.
RAYE gained media attention following her departure from Polydor Records because the label allegedly refused to release her debut album. In 2023, she released her debut album, My 21st Century Blues independently to critical and won Album of the Year at the 2024 BRIT Awards.
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Mahalia
Mahalia is a singer, songwriter and actress from Syston, Leicestershire. Her father is British-Irish and her mother is Jamaican -- both parents were musicians. She had her breakthrough in 2017 with her performance of "Sober" for "A COLORS SHOW."
In 2018, the 26-year-old was ranked number one on YouTube's Ones to Watch list and was nominated for her first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Victor Ray
Victor Ray was born in Uganda and raised in Newcastle. He started his musical journey busking on the cold streets of England.
He rose to fame after posting videos on his TikTok, gaining over 3 million followers and over a billion combined views on his posts. The singer-songwriter released his first EP, i was, in 2023.
FLO
FLO are a British girl group from London, consisting of members Renée Downer, Jorja Douglas, and Stella Quaresma. The group, which was formed in 2019, gained popularity on social media with their debut single "Cardboard Box". They released their debut EP, The Lead, in 2022 and they won the Brit Award for Rising Star in 2023.
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Ray BLK
Ray BLK is a singer and songwriter who was born in Nigeria, and grew up in Catford, London. The BLK her stage name stands for Building, Living, and Knowing, which she described as her three main values
The 30-year-old became the first unsigned artist to win the BBC's Sound of 2017. In 2016, she released her debut mini-album, Durt, and two years later signed to the UK branch of Island Records. She released her debut album, Access Denied, in 2021.
Cleo Sol
Cleo Sol was born in Ladbroke Grove to a Serbian-Spanish mother and a Jamaican father. Both of her parents are jazz musicians.
The 34-year-old made her musical debut in 2008, featuring on "Tears" by Tinie Tempah. In 2011, she signed to DaVinChe's record label Dirty Canvas and Island Records and released singles like "High" and "Never the Right Time (Who Do You Love)." She is also part of the UK-based band SAULT, who have released eleven studio albums
In 2023, Cleo released her fourth solo album, Gold.
Äyanna
Äyanna is a singer-songwriter born in Jamaica and raised in East London. The release of her 2019 single “Party Tricks” became her musical breakthrough.
In 2023, Äyanna signed to LVRN, which is home to celebrated artists such as 6LACK, Summer Walker, Davido, DVSN, Davido, Spinall, and more. That same year, she released her debut EP, In A Perfect World.
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Nippa
Nippa, known for his “hood R&B” sound, started off as a rapper. He introduced himself as a musician in 2020 with the release of his singles "Squeezin’ Ya" and "Change My Tone."
Nippa then dropped his self-titled debut EP in 2021. He even got the opportunity to showcase his songwriting skills on Craig David’s eighth album 22, which was released in 2022.
Debbie
Debbie is a soul singer signed to Def Jam's UK arm, 0207 Def Jam. She released her debut single, "Is This Real Love," in 2021 and even co-wrote with her labelmate Stormzy on his third album, This is What I Mean.
The 24-year-old also opened up John Legend and Lucky Daye in 2022.
Shauna Shadae
Shauna Shadae is a Jamaican-born singer and songwriter known for blending her soulful vocals and rich rhythms from the Caribbean roots she inherited back in her native land. She is represented by Niyah Smith, who also manages Stefflon Don.
The singer has worked with artists like Tion Wayne and Ms Banks. Shauna was recently credited for co-writing Libianca's song "Mistaken" featuring Chlöe and Oxlade.
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