Los Angeles-based musician Orion Sun is bringing R&B back to its roots. If you’ve tuned into any music discourse, you know the girls have long cried that R&B is dead. What killed it? The loss of yearning, allegedly. Well, Orion Sun’s 2024 album and tour proved that the "artist formula" is becoming increasingly irrelevant – and the proof is in her sold-out 'Rising Sun' tour.As we sat down for lunch at Hollywood’s Superba, the "Mary Jane" singer was coming down from a highly succ...

Becoming a K-pop sensation comes with major life transitions, and THEBLACKLABEL has engineered some of the most sensational icons on the current scene. Now, the major South Korean label has made yet another splash by unveiling its first-ever girl group, MEOVV (My Eyes Open Wide).The group's five members, NARIN, GAWON, ELLA, SOOIN, and ANNA, were keenly aware of the drastic changes that this trajectory would bring, but instead of shying away from them, they eagerly welcomed the new opportunities ...

Through its ongoing “Bold Steps” initiative, Johnnie Walker Black Label has been on a mission to support emerging creatives and amplify their unique artistic practices. This year focuses specifically on Black female artists, helping to remove the boundaries they face in the mainstream. In a similar structure to its debut phase last year where it collaborated with South Asian diaspora platform Diet Paratha, the brand united with Dankie Sounds – a music and entertainment collective dedicated...

RAY BLK was always destined for the stage. "I was such a dramatic child," she tells us via Zoom. “I would make up stories to entertain my family and act them out at home." Music eventually won out, but as of late, that desire to act has made a return; more to follow on that later.Born Rita Ekwere in Lagos, Nigeria, music held a special place in her family home, citing gospel melodies and the voices of Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey as key influences. She began writing her own raps at just seve...