Abigail Elizabeth Smith,[1][2][3] (born January 16, 1995)[4] known professionally as Yebba, is an American singer and songwriter from West Memphis, Arkansas. She first became known for her YouTube channel and then for her backing vocal performance on Chance the Rapper's SNL performance of the song "Same Drugs" in 2016 and releasing her debut single "Evergreen" in 2017. She has collaborated with a number of artists, including PJ Morton, Sam Smith, Mark Ronson, Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, A$AP Rocky, and Drake.
Yebba | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Abigail Elizabeth Smith |
| Born | January 16, 1995 West Memphis, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | yebbasmith |
Career
editIn 2017, Yebba revealed that she was co-signed by Ed Sheeran's record label Gingerbread Man Records[5] when she performed a song called "My Mind", which was written and performed about a week before her mother died. Sheeran described how the Sofar Sounds performance of the song was so powerful, it made him cry. Shortly after followed the official release of her debut single "Evergreen". About the song, she said "I grew up doing music in my dad's church from a baby, so I've spent about a seventh of my life on the front row, beside my momma, and right behind my dad's organ. Church has always been a place of honesty, questioning, and family. So after we saw mom's suicide, and that sense of family seemingly dissolved, a building I had become entirely estranged to seemed like the only place I could go."[6] Later that year, she collaborated with Sam Smith on the song "No Peace", which was released through Smith's 2017 album The Thrill of It All.[7]
In 2018, she collaborated with Zane Lowe to release her debut music video for her debut single "Evergreen", which was done so with support from Apple Music and Beats 1. Lowe stated about the music video, "YEBBA is an artist in every sense of the word, and working together to bring her vision to light was truly remarkable. She has one of the more powerful and exciting voices to come along in years, and we are excited to introduce her to the world".[6] She also appeared as a featured artist, alongside Maverick Sabre on Rudimental's promotional single "They Don't Care About Us", which served as a track from their 2019 album Toast to Our Differences. Additionally, she was a backing vocalist on the recent projects from Jess Glynne[8] and Mumford & Sons.[9]
In 2019, Yebba was nominated and won her first ever Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance of the song "How Deep Is Your Love", alongside PJ Morton at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.[10] She also appeared on three songs from Mark Ronson's album Late Night Feelings.[11] In April, she appeared as a guest vocalist alongside The Staves for Mumford & Sons' live performance of the song "Beloved" on The Jonathan Ross Show.[12] In June, she was revealed to have a featured appearance on Ed Sheeran's collaborative effort No.6 Collaborations Project on a song entitled "Best Part of Me", which was eventually released as a promotional single. The song became her first charted release, peaking at 99 in the US Charts.[13] In August, she released her follow up single to "Evergreen", entitled "Where Do You Go". The song was produced by BJ Burton and The Picard Brothers.[14]
In May 2020, Yebba signed to RCA Records and released her first single, the Mark Ronson produced "Distance".[15]
In September 2021, Yebba appeared on the highly anticipated album Certified Lover Boy by Drake on a song entitled "Yebba's Heartbreak". The song serves as the album's interlude.[16] A week later, she would release her debut album Dawn, featuring artists A$AP Rocky and Smino.
Personal life
editYebba has been an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and support. Her mother died by suicide about a week after Yebba sang her first original song, causing "My Mind" to take on new meaning representing mental health. She says her artist name was chosen to honor her mother, who she said "always called her by the nickname" (her name Abbey written backwards) as a child. In memory of her mother, Yebba gave the song away free through her website.[17][18] Smith attended Belmont University in Nashville, TN.[19]
Artistry
editYebba cites The Clark Sisters as her heroes and number one influences. She wrote on Instagram: "This family's music made me come to know Jesus. Anything I've learned about singing has been from trying to mimic them."[20] Records like "Nothing to Lose", "Jesus Lifted Me", "You Brought the Sunshine", "The Darkest Hour Is Just Before the Day" and "Jesus Is a Love Song" are some of her favorites.[21]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Heat. [22] | ||
| Dawn |
|
6 |
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Evergreen" | 2017 | Non-album singles |
| "Where Do You Go" | 2019 | |
| "Distance" | 2020 | Dawn |
| "The Past and Pending" | 2021 | Non-album single |
| "October Sky" | Dawn | |
| "Louie Bag" (featuring Smino) | ||
| "Boomerang" | ||
| "All I Ever Wanted" | ||
| "My Mind" | Non-album single |
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [23] |
AUS [24] |
CAN [25] |
DEN [26] |
FRA [27] |
GER [28] |
NZ [29] |
SWE [30] |
UK [31] | ||||
| "They Don't Care About Us"[32] (Rudimental featuring Maverick Sabre and Yebba) |
2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Toast to Our Differences | |
| "Don't Leave Me Lonely"[33] (Mark Ronson featuring Yebba) |
2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 58 | Late Night Feelings | |
| "Best Part of Me" (Ed Sheeran featuring Yebba) |
99 | 17 | 44 | 35 | 162 | 55 | 13 | 41 | — | No.6 Collaborations Project | ||
Other charted songs
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [23] |
AUS [24] |
CAN [25] |
FRA [27] |
SWE [30] | ||||
| "No Peace" (with Sam Smith) |
2017 | — | — | 100 | — | 83 | The Thrill of It All | |
| "Yebba's Heartbreak" (with Drake) |
2021 | 24 | 38 | 43 | 94 | — | Certified Lover Boy | |
Other featured appearances
edit| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Gravity" (Clark Beckham featuring Yebba) |
Non-album single |
| "Smoke" (Luke Levenson featuring Yebba) | ||
| 2016 | "Melatonin" (A Tribe Called Quest featuring Yebba and Marsha Ambrosius) |
We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service |
| 2018 | "How Deep Is Your Love" (Live) (PJ Morton featuring Yebba) |
Gumbo Unplugged |
| "My Day Will Come" (James Francies featuring Yebba) |
Flight | |
| 2019 | "Knock Knock Knock" (Mark Ronson featuring Yebba) |
Late Night Feelings |
| "When U Went Away" (Mark Ronson featuring Yebba) | ||
| "Fuck Yo Feelings" (Robert Glasper featuring Yebba) |
Fuck Yo Feelings | |
| "Don't Leave Me Lonely" (Acoustic Version) (Mark Ronson featuring Yebba and James Francies) |
Non-album single | |
| "Don't Forget to Breathe (Interlude)" (Stormzy featuring Yebba) |
Heavy Is the Head | |
| 2021 | "How Much Can A Heart Take" (Lucky Daye featuring Yebba) |
Table For Two |
| 2022 | "Over" (Robert Glasper featuring Yebba) |
Black Radio III |
Guest appearances
edit| Year | Title | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Broken" | Jess Glynne | Always in Between |
| "42", "Beloved", "October Skies", "Rose of Sharon"[37] | Mumford & Sons | Delta | |
| 2019 | "Money" | Michael Kiwanuka, Tom Misch | TBA |
| "Spinning" | Mark Ronson, Ilsey | Late Night Feelings |
Songwriting credits
edit| Year | Artist | Album | Song | Co-written with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Brasstracks | For Those Who Know, Pt. 2 | "Improv #2 (Intro)"[38] | Ivan Jackson, Conor Rayne, Richard Saunders, Elliot Skinner, Benjamin Lusher, Robert Glasper, Randy Vargas, Conor Szymanski |
| 2019 | Rudimental | Toast to Our Differences | "Leave It for Tomorrow" (featuring Elli Ingram)[39] | Amir Izadkhah, Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden, Leon "DJ Locksmith" Rolle |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Artist/work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Grammy Awards | "How Deep Is Your Love" | Best Traditional R&B Performance | Won | [40] |
| 2021 | "Distance" | Nominated | |||
| 2022 | "How Much Can a Heart Take" | Nominated | |||
| 2022 | Pop Awards | Yebba | Emerging Artist of the Year | Won | [41] |
References
edit- ^ Hardin, Ralph (February 12, 2019). "Yebba wins Grammy". theeveningtimes.com. Evening Times. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ "West Memphis native nominated for Grammy". wreg.com. December 8, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (September 25, 2019). "Yebba Shines In Performance With Mark Ronson on 'Fallon': Watch". billboard.com. Promenthus Global Media LLC. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ Donelson, Marcy. "YEBBA - Biography & History". allmusic.com. RhythmOne Group. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ "Co-Signed by Ed Sheeran, YEBBA is Our New Favorite Singer". Baeble Music.
- ^ a b "YEBBA releases new captivating visuals for her single 'Evergreen'". HUNGER TV.
- ^ "The Thrill of It All by Sam Smith". November 3, 2017 – via music.apple.com.
- ^ "Broken". October 11, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ "October Skies" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Yebba". GRAMMY.com. May 12, 2018.
- ^ "Late Night Feelings by Mark Ronson". June 21, 2019 – via music.apple.com.
- ^ "Mumford and Sons Perform Beloved featuring YEBBA and The Staves - The Jonathan Ross Show". April 13, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History". Billboard.
- ^ "Yebba: Where Do You Go". youtube.com. YouTube.
- ^ "Yebba". rcarecords.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ "WHO IS YEBBA, THE SINGER FEATURING ON DRAKE'S CERTIFIED LOVER BOY?". hitc.com. HITC. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ ""This gives my song a whole new life" - YEBBA Les Twins perform a powerful street dance to "My Mind"". November 29, 2018.
- ^ "YEBBA". YEBBA.
- ^ "Music Monday: The Journey Of Yebba's Music Career". February 20, 2020.
- ^ "yebba on Instagram: "This family's music made me come to know Jesus. Anything I've learned about singing has been from TRYING to mimic them on records like ... "". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021 – via Instagram.
- ^ "5 Quick Facts About YEBBA, the Music Industry's Next Big Thing". August 17, 2018.
- ^ "Heatseekers Albums - Week of September 25, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Peak chart positions on the Billboard Hot 100
- For "Best Part of Me": "Ed Sheeran on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- For "Yebba's Heartbreak": "Drake on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ a b "Discography YEBBA". australian-charts.com. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Peak chart positions on the Canadian Hot 100
- For "Best Part of Me": "Ed Sheeran on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- For "No Peace": "Sam Smith on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- For "Yebba's Heartbreak": "Drake on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "danishcharts.com - Discography YEBBA". danishcharts.dk. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ a b "lescharts.com - Discographie YEBBA". lescharts.com. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ For "Best Part of Me": "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "charts.org.nz - Discography YEBBA". charts.nz. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ a b "swedishcharts.com - Discography YEBBA". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ For "Don't Leave Me Lonely": "Mark Ronson | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "Rudimental Share 'They Don't Care About Us'". Clash. December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (May 17, 2019). "Mark Ronson, YEBBA spill heartbreak on the dancefloor on new song 'Don't Leave Me Lonely'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ a b c "British certifications – Yebba". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 28, 2024. Type Yebba in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "Canadian certifications – Yebba". Music Canada. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "Written and performed by Mumford & Sons" (JPG). Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com.
- ^ "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com.
- ^ "Yebba | Artist". The Recording Academy. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ Hourtane, Camille (March 13, 2022). "Here are the Winners of the POP AWARDS 2022, the fifth annual Pop Awards!". Pop Magazine. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
