Yaya Bey Recruits Father Philis For 'merlot and grigio'

03-26-2025

(Orienteer) Yaya Bey shares "merlot and grigio" featuring Bajan dancehall artist Father Philis, her new single and first offering following her signing to art-forward NYC-based label drink sum wtr (aja monet, Annahstasia, THEY.). The single, which Yaya wrote and self-produced, is inspired by her own family's Bajan heritage and the injection of Caribbean sounds she's incorporated into her own music, like the Remember Your North Star standout "meet me in Brooklyn". The single is accompanied by a jubilant new video featuring footage from Yaya's travels to Barbados.

"I've been doing a lot of international touring and constantly in places where I'm the only Black person," Yaya explains. "When I was in France most recently I asked myself what it would look like to play to Black international audiences and that sort of got my wheels turning. My dad would always have at least one Reggae song on his albums. Our family is from Barbados and I continued that tradition with songs like 'meet me in brooklyn.' I decided I would dive even deeper with Soca and reached out to Father Philis whose music I've been really digging. This song feels like a dream come true. To dig deeper into my own roots and prioritize Black communities especially in the Caribbean."

"Merlot and grigio" opens Yaya's next musical chapter, with more new music coming this year via drink sum wtr, along with a hometown set in Queens at Governor's Ball festival this Summer. In 2024, Yaya released Ten Fold, her widely lauded second studio album which was awarded Pitchfork's Best New Album in a glowing review, and was praised by the likes of Elle, ESSENCE, and Paste Magazine, who described the album as "Bey's most liberating music to date." Yaya also performed a stunning Tiny Desk concert last Spring, which NPR described as "truly healing to experience" and noting "Not a dry eye was left in the building."