Earlier this year, rising UK R&B singer Yazmin Lacey released her debut album, Voice Notes following a smattering of singles and EPs, including the excellent track, ‘Not Today Mate’. Written over two years, Voice Notes is executive produced by Dave Okumu (The Invisible, Jessie Ware, Arlo Parks, Ibeyi), and is a beautifully personal account exploring the musician’s lived experiences and brings life and colour to her voice notes journaled on her phone. What started as quick notes, ideas, and reminders became the inception of lyrics and full songs.
Yazmin explains – “I wrote this album for me… music is the place where I make sense of my feelings, it always has been and ‘Voice Notes’ is no different. It’s a collection of responses to what was going on in my life and the world around me. I wrote this for my own peace of mind… and by track 14 I think I gained some. I hope this record makes people feel good, I want people to feel seen and heard”.
Yazmin Lacey didn’t set out to be a singer. Born and raised in Manor Park, East London, she relocated to Nottingham whilst working for a children’s charity and initially only considered making music to have fun with friends. However, a chance encounter led to her earning a place on Future Bubblers – Gilles Peterson’s development programme devoted to discovering and nurturing fresh UK talent.
See what Lacey is all about as she seamlessly blends jazz, soul and electronica at Yes at the end of the month.
