WSTRN

West London trio WSTRN emerged when cousins Akelle Charles and Haile joined forces with longtime neighborhood friend Louis Rei, channeling years of shared musical history into an R&B/pop-centric rap style. The three grew up in west London with early connections forged through family, as some of their fathers had performed together in a reggae band. Each pursued solo projects before their initial 2015 jam sessions sparked the creation of WSTRN. Their debut single “In2,” first issued under their individual names, generated immediate viral momentum that attracted label attention and earned support from Drake. This momentum secured a deal with Atlantic’s U.K. division while the track ascended the charts, ultimately reaching number four on the U.K. pop charts. They followed with the December 2015 release “Got Love,” then continued issuing standalone singles such as 2016’s “A List” and 2017’s “Trap Love,” “Social,” and “Txtin’.” In October 2018 the group compiled fresh recordings and interludes into the mixtape Dou3le 3ak, marking their most substantial body of work to that point.