Rising alternative R&B singer Yaya Bey has earned her stripes in the genre’s independent scene thanks to releases like 2021 EP The Things I Can’t Take With Me and 2022’s Remember Your North Star. Her cross-genre blends have caught the ear of many Black legacy acts, such as Roy Ayers.
Not even a year after her last album release, the Brooklyn native is back with a new single, “Exodus The North Star,” the lead track off her forthcoming 6-song EP by the same name. The romantic song produced and edited by Bey chronicles the deep emotions that come along with following in love as she sings, “Baby, it’s the way you walk / Baby, it’s the way you walk / And baby, it’s the way you make me feel / Like your girl could get up and fly / And leave this all behind.”
The accompanying video, also self-directed, stars Exaktly as Bey’s romantic interest in this love story. The track’s romantic lyrics are elevated as the video is captured using vintage film with several colleague cuts blending together each scene.
When discussing what fans should expect from the project on Instagram, Bey wrote, “[‘Exodus The North Star’] is my most vulnerable work to date. This is how I see joy and love in the world and what I aspire to feel and be. I have become an expert at turning my pain and grief as a black woman into music. Black people have a masterful way of telling our stories and sharing pain. But we are also masters of joy and imagination. We have always been in a global conversation about how to alchemize our experiences and reimagine our circumstances. From the ties between Lovers Rock and R&B to Gospel and House. Our joy is a collective effort.”
She added, “I rarely write about what I would like my existence to be in this world. This is a new level of vulnerability for me. Proclaiming my desires. What I’ve come to learn, I deserve. This is my thank you to my people, my peers, the elders, and the ancestors for being in this work with me. Cheers to the future.”
Watch the full video above.
Exodus The North Star is out 3/24 via Big Dada. Pre-order it here.