'Do You Want People to Get Up There and Lip-Sync?'

"In 2016, while in the middle of her breakthrough moment, the Arkansas singer-songwriter born Abbey Smith lost her mother to suicide. Yebba was turning heads literally and figuratively that year, wowing Chance the Rapper as a background vocalist in the middle of his Saturday Night Live performance of "Same Drugs," scoring a guest spot on the immensely stacked guest list of A Tribe Called Quest's final album, and recording an unforgettable live rendition of her gutting breakup jam "My Mind.""

"All the while, she'd been making progress on solo material with Ronson as producer, grappling with writing and arrangements on tracks like the bouncy but ominous Smino team-up "Louie Bag" - Dawn's third single - and seeking out players like Questlove and Pino Palladino, who worked with D'Angelo on Voodoo, a longtime inspiration."

"When the album finally arrived in 2021, it was met with breathless acclaim, including a Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2022. Hozier has since listed her alongside Aretha Franklin."

Yebba, born Abbey Smith, experienced a breakthrough moment in 2016 as a background vocalist and featured artist, earning Adele comparisons. However, her mother's suicide that year prompted a two-year hiatus for recovery. She returned in the late 2010s with guest features on tracks by Sam Smith and Mark Ronson, winning a Grammy for a Bee Gees cover with PJ Morton. Her 2021 debut album Dawn, produced with Mark Ronson and featuring collaborators like Questlove and Pino Palladino, received critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination. She also appeared on Drake's album with a dedicated interlude. Now she releases her sophomore album Jean, developed through an evolved creative approach.

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