Column aiming to present 6 glowing with quality tracks, under the “future soul” genus; An amalgam of soul, contemporary R&B and even hip-hop and electronic elements.
-not to be confused with Daley’s “Future Throwback Soul” term-
Khamari – ‘Tell Me’
Quick pitch:
A sultry breakup ballad for the ages, capturing the moment when there are no answers left to unbreak a heart. Great, silky vocals and an addictive guitar solo!
dynamic: ★★★/5
style: ★★★★/5
performance: ★★★★/5
Trivia:
A multifaceted independent artist, songwriter, and producer, Khamari grew up in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, MA. His artistry wraps his powerfully earnest songwriting around contemporary sonics, with stellar production from himself and his friends Trackside throughout. Skilled as a vocalist and musician, Khamari’s music is distilled from influences ranging as wide as The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Sly Stone, to Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, and Mac Miller. After releasing his debut EP ‘Eldorado’ to a warm critical reception, Khamari seemingly disappeared for over a year. His heart breaking single ‘Doctor, My Eyes’ – released a full year after his debut EP, and followed by another year-long hiatus – bridged the gap between eras, as Khamari now prepares for his next exciting chapter.
Khamari’s career debuted with a trio of Spotify New Music Friday placements, including a #10 spot with his sophomore release The Heat. His editorial support rounded out as the cover artist for Spotify’s Fresh Finds, and further playlisting on Apple Music FEELS, Amazon’s The New Black and Breakthrough R&B, and as cover artist for Tidal’s Pop:Rising. With over 10 million cumulative streams in his first 3 songs – including 500k in The Heat’s first week on Spotify alone – Khamari’s project is off to a powerful start.
Miranda Joan – ‘I Love You, Dwayne’
Quick pitch:
Canadian soul pop singer/songwriter Miranda Joan recently released ‘I Love You, Dwayne‘, an addictive slow jam love dedication to Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson….
dynamic: ★★★/5
style: ★★★/5
performance: ★★★★/5
Trivia:
Miranda Joan is a Canadian soul-pop singer and songwriter born in Montreal and raised in Vancouver. Currently based in Brooklyn, Joan maintains strong roots in Canada. Joan divides her time between countries and it was her university studies in Jazz that originally brought her to New York, a city whose grittiness and intensity has influenced her artistry as profoundly as her bi-coastal upbringing. The fluidity that came with growing up along the Pacific Ocean in Vancouver and the joy-de-vivre and creativity that Montreal exuded continue to shape Joan personally, artistically and spiritually. Both her French and English backgrounds have made their way into her writing, which orients itself around story and lyrics and is largely influenced by her reverence for soul and pop music.
Miranda Joan was selected as one of First Up with RBCxMusic Emerging Artists in 2021, shared the virtual stage at CMW and has received radio airplay in Vancouver and Los Angeles. Joan has performed on national tours and played sold-out shows as well as headlined well-known NYC venues. In 2019, she performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival with the Orchestra National de Jazz de Montreal, led by Sly5thAve in a tribute to Dr. Dre, and she is a co-host and co-founder of Brooklyn’s Femme Jam (NYC’s first all-female led jam session) which is a community initalitve to create a women-lead space with an emphasis on female musicians that fosters inclusively and creates community. Artist mentorship has been an important through-line in Joan’s career and for the past eight years she has been a music mentor with the non-profit SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young where she works with youth 8-18 who stutteer.
Joan has shared the stage singing background for high profile artists including Andy Grammar, Brandon Victor Dixon (Hamilton), Christopher Jackson (Hamilton), Surf Mesa, Lorde and Shawn Mendes.
Uncommon People – ‘Vampire’ (ft Metallic Forrest)
Quick pitch:
An irresistibly-catchy and spooky themed anthem by the alt-Soul/R&B band Uncommon People with the aid of fellow Austin artist Metallic Forrest!
dynamic: ★★★★★/5
style: ★★★★★/5
performance: ★★★/5
Trivia:
Hailing from Austin, TX, Uncommon People is a 5-piece band consisting of friends Tony, Devin, Zeke, Dan, & Diego. With influences of Pop, Rock and everything in between, this not-so-typical boy band creates an eclectic range of music. Uncommon People began making music in 2020 with their debut single “Feel Something.” Since then, the Alt-Soul/R&B outfit has dropped three EP’s, a handful of singles, and performed throughout Texas. Most recently, Uncommon People were selected to be featured artists for Sofar Sounds’ Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
Asly Toro – ‘Fruta’
Quick pitch:
A compelling neo soul/r&b single with an excellent, emotive vocal performance by the up-and-coming Venuzuelan, America-based artist Asly Toro, destined for repeated listens….
dynamic: ★★★★/5
style: ★★★★/5
performance: ★★★★★/5
Trivia:
Asly Toro, a native of Venezuela, moved to the United States to pursue her dreams.
For her entire life, music has been her passion, from growing up dancing salsa with her mom to listening to the Bee Gees with her dad, music was always something present in her life. Listening to different genres, she developed a deep love and respect for what music represents in culture.
Drawing inspiration from artists such as Selena, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Residente, Daddy Yankee, Alejandro Sanz and Gloria Estefan, Asly Toro brings a unique sound that can be described as urban, Latin, R&B with a voice many call seductive and powerful.
Miki Rose – ‘Wasted’ (ft El Train)
Quick pitch:
British nu soul revolutionary artist Miki Rose recently returned with another smashing single, with soaring melodies and elusive vocals…Unmissable!
dynamic: ★★★★/5
style: ★★★★/5
performance: ★★★★★/5
Trivia:
Singer-songwriter and Berklee College of Music graduate, Miki Rose is based between London and LA. Her first introduction to the world was her collaborative EP Over & Over with El Train (Barney Artist, Zilo, Pip Millet) which made the Spotify UK playlist upon release and hit number 4 on the R&B UK charts. Miki’s songs have been on official Spotify playlists like R&B UK, Drink’s No Sofa, New Dance Revolution, Dance List, and Apple music’s “Best Of The Week” in the UK and Japan. Miki’s strong songwriting skills have led to songs appearing in Netflix and Sky Tv, Miki’s EP Nomad Diaries Vol. 1 was named one of BBC 1xtra’s Jamz Supernova’s Top 5 EPs of the Week. were added to the H&M in-store playlist worldwide. Miki has been a guest on and received continued airplay support from stations like BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio London, Westside FM, Foundation FM, Soho Radio, KROQ, Rinse FM, BBC 1xtra, Reprezent Radio, Dash Radio, Soulection Radio, Beats 1, and many more.
Henry Aberson – ‘Don’t Walk Away’ (Feat. Jae Franklin)
Quick pitch:
…Henry Aberson collaborates with Jae Franklin for his latest single and the result is a super chill and sexy neo soul treasure for all the broken hearts!
dynamic: ★★★★/5
style: ★★★/5
performance: ★★★★/5
Trivia:
Henry Aberson – Entrepreneur, Drummer, Collaborator, Producer. …. Inspired by Tulsa drummers Jamie Oldaker (Eric Clapton ) and Moon Calhoun ( Rufus, Chaka Kahn ).
[Note: All trivia sections provided by the artists]
“Soul Professor”: Christos Doukakis