Yola

British vocalist and composer Yola first drew broad acclaim from reviewers with the captivating fusion of classic country-soul, R&B, and pop that defined her initial solo EP, Orphan Offering, issued in 2016. Born Yolanda Quartey, the Bristol artist built early experience through varied U.K. session engagements and fronted the Americana band Phantom Limb before stepping forward as a solo act with the 2019 release Walk Through Fire. That Dan Auerbach-produced effort earned a Grammy nomination. Two years later she reunited with the producer for Stand for Myself, after which she pursued fresh territory on the synth pop- and R&B-oriented EP My Way in 2025.

Raised in Bristol, Quartey leaned on music to navigate a frequently unsettled childhood and household. Her listening habits quickly gravitated toward vintage American soul and roots recordings by Otis Redding and the Staple Singers, although her first professional work placed her alongside contemporary British artists. Scarcely finished with school, she toured with the London DJ collective Bugz in the Attic and later contributed to sessions and performances for Massive Attack. By 2004 she had become a reliable session vocalist whose credits already encompassed touring and recording with the McCrary Sisters, James Brown, and the Stax Band.

Around the same time she joined other working session players to form the Bristol-based country-soul group Phantom Limb, each member seeking an independent creative outlet. While still fulfilling outside recording and touring duties, Quartey and Phantom Limb issued a self-titled LP in 2008 and logged substantial road work in its support. A 2009 live album and the 2012 studio follow-up The Pines raised the band’s profile further, yet Quartey ultimately chafed at her reduced creative influence and began writing material for a solo undertaking.

Across the next several years she assembled a set of introspective songs that drew from Muscle Shoals-era country-soul, vintage R&B, countrypolitan textures, and enduring singer/songwriter traditions. Released in 2016 on the Bristol imprint Ear Trumpet Music under the name Yola Carter, the solo EP Orphan Offering earned widespread critical praise and opened doors to work in the United States with Black Keys member Dan Auerbach on his Easy Eye label. Auerbach produced the debut full-length Walk Through Fire, recorded in Nashville with an ensemble of seasoned players; it arrived in February 2019 on Easy Eye and secured a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. That same year she also contributed to the self-titled debut by American country supergroup the Highwomen. Extending her partnership with Auerbach, she delivered the follow-up album Stand for Myself in July 2021. In addition to another Best Americana Album nomination, the record earned recognition for Best American Roots Song for the single “Diamond Studded Shoes.”

In subsequent years Yola stepped away from her established approach, exploring synth pop and luminous 1980s-inflected R&B on the 2025 EP My Way. Produced by Jack Splash, whose prior credits include Valerie June and Rhiannon Giddens, the project marked her first release on the S-Curve label.