New sounds from Wayna for the Fam to get up on! Press play as well as you can hit that download link to add to the collection.
Wayna’s anticipated 3rd project ‘The Freak Show’ will be out Oct 29th. ‘The Expats’ EP will be available as a free 3 song download Sept 13th.
Catch Wayna Live!
Sept 11th- Howard Theatre w/ Goapele- D.C
Nov 16th- Chicago— The Shrine
Jan 11th– Apollo Music Café- NYC
From the press release…
It has been said that Grammy-nominated, Ethiopian-born, singer/songwriter, Wayna has a voice as pure as it is passionate. Stevie Wonder says “she’s incredible.” Essence Magazine says “Wayna is one to watch,” and Billboard Magazine calls her “a stand out on the indie front.” With two Billboard chart-topping singles from her sophomore LP, Higher Ground, and a coveted Grammy nomination in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance Category for her remake, “Lovin You (Music)” featuring Kokayi, Wayna’s star is on the rise. The remake, which she also co-produced, is a fitting representation of her unique vocal style, a blend of Minnie Riperton, Lauryn Hill, and Billie Holiday.
“The Expats” is the third and latest studio project from this innovative artist and represents a new and daring departure from her previous work. The project is named after its Toronto-based backing band and production team hailing from various parts of the world — Ethiopia to Japan, Isreal to India, Germany to Jamaica. Drawing from these diverse musical influences, Wayna and the Expats create a unique blend of African and Reggae-inspired soul, fused with classic and alternative rock — Sade and the Police meets Lauryn Hill and Radiohead. This 6 track EP is an introduction to their new sound, which Wayna calls “world soul.” The songs are selections from her creative journey, jamming, writing and recording with “the Expats” in Toronto over the past 2 years. The rest of the music they created along with additional tracks will be released in a full length LP next year.
Lyrically, Wayna continues to push the envelope, with a visual, storyteller style of writing that addresses subject matters not typically found in modern music. “Fate can only be delayed, so why even make her wait,” she says on “I Don’t Wanna Wait” — a sonic blend of Bob Marley, Motown, and golden era Hip Hop, produced by German beat maker, Fahrot, (also known for his work with Nneka). The haunting and ambient “Yo Yo” summons an emotional ride using an afro beat backdrop merged with dance rhythms and alternative rock guitars. “A Time Will Come” addresses racial and economic inequality and is made more poignant by an Amharic excerpt from Haile Selassie’s famous 1963 address to the United Nations, while “Send It Away” invites listeners to live more authentically, letting go of what does not fit. “He brought it with my water, a life I didn’t order, why live to please the waiter, send it away.”
Wayna’s new sound, both progressive and retro, appeals to world, rock, reggae, and soul enthusiasts. Mixed predominately by multi-Grammy award winning engineer Russell Elevado, “the Expats” celebrates individuality. “I’ve always been a bit of an Expat,” says Wayna “feeling different culturally from the people around me. For years, I tried to minimize those differences, but then I realized that my cultural contradictions are my musical identity. I want this EP and the full length that follows to be about exploring and expressing all the ways in which I and every one of us are unique, culturally or otherwise, and to celebrate those differences unapologetically.”
