Yaya Bey has announced the details of a new album, do it afraid, the follow-up to last year’s Ten Fold. It lands on June 20 via Drink Sum Wtr, and today, the R&B artist has teased the album’s dancier direction with two new songs, ‘dream girl’ and ‘wake up b*tch’. Take a listen below, and scroll down for the album artwork, tracklist, and Bey’s upcoming tour dates.
According to Bey, ‘dream girl’ is about “escaping to the party for a little while” and “really tapping into your desires – knowing there’s a million heavy things that need your attention but also leaving room for fantasy.” Of ‘wake up b*tch’, which naturally opens the LP, Bey said, “There’s so much to be angry about right now and though I’m not someone who likes to sit in anger for too long, I do think it’s important to acknowledge it. Especially if you want to move on to other emotions. You’ve gotta acknowledge the elephant in the room.”
do it afraid features guest contributions from Father Phillis (on the previously released ‘Merlot and Grigio’), Rahrah Gabor, Exactly, Butcher Brown, and Nigel Hall. “I wrote this album from the most vulnerable parts of me, which contrary to what many people want to believe about me, is not my trauma but my desire to love, to feel joy…to be free,” Bey reflected. “In this life, pain and loss are promised to us; it takes real courage to dance in the face of the inevitable. To savor the now and make it beautiful. I come from a people who are masters at this. Onlookers like to make a spectacle of us. Rob of us of our nuance. But the truth is we are brave, resilient and joyful. I made this album for us. May we continue to do it afraid.”
do it afraid Cover Artwork:
do it afraid Tracklist:
1. wake up b*tch
2. end of the world [feat. Nigel Hall & Butcher Brown]
3. real yearners unite
4. cindy rella
5. Raisins
6. spin cycle
7. dream girl
8. merlot and grigio [feat. Father Philis]
9. breakthrough
10. a surrender
11. in a circle
12. aye noche [feat. Rahrah Gabor & Exaktly]
13. no for real, wtf?
14. blicky
15. ask the questions
16. bella noches pt1
17. a tiny thing that’s mine
18. choice
Yaya Bey 2025 Tour Dates:
May 21 – London, UK – Omeara
May 26 – Berlin, Germany – Privatclub
Jun 7 – New York, NY – Governor’s Ball Festival
Sep 10 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
Sep 11 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
Sep 12 – Brooklyn, NY – 99 Scott
Sep 13 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
Sep 16 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5
Sep 18 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Sep 23 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
Sep 24 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
Sep 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
Sep 27 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
