Yola: 2025

Although country and Americana dominated Yola's breakthrough debut album, 2019's Walk Through Fire, there was a hint of a different, dance-attentive spirit apparent on a couple of songs on her second album, 2021's Stand for Myself. For anyone unfamiliar with Yola's British beginnings, it's eagerly resurrected on her new EP, My Way, which finds her on a new label, S-Curve, and looking back on her broken beat start with her early band, Bugz in the Attic.

In this FUV Live session, recorded backstage at Manhattan's Sounds of Brazil (S.O.B.s) with two songs drawn from her live set later that night — "My Way" and "Symphony" — Yola spoke about her hard right turn back to bruk and dance, and fulfilling her own desire to co-produce in communion with new producers Sean Douglas (Lizzo, Madonna) and Zach Skelton (John Legend).

As always, Yola is a vibrant presence, an engaging and forthright conversationalist, and in our chat, she was gloriously frank about all topics broached. Although she admits to her share of frustrations on her career path, she's been focused on "reaching for joy" while dodging obstacles. And as a Black British musician and woman living in Nashville, she has thoughts on what the current tide of politics means for herself, her loved ones, and the world.

On a happier note, Yola sounds blissfully in love with her boyfriend, another great reason to dance.

[Recorded: 11/12/24; Additional engineering from Jim O'Hara; produced by Meghan Suma with Kathryn Scherman. Thanks to S.O.B.s and S-Curve Records for providing live recordings.]