Joyo Velarde, the female voice behind seminal hip-hop label Quannum Projects hits like "I Like It, I Love It” and "I Can't Wait For Your Love" is finally hitting the scene with songs of her very own. On May 26, self titled, Joyo’s debut EP, an uplifting 5-song look into the singer’s vast repertoire, will be available at all digital distributors.
Pulling from the traditions of Minnie Riperton, Chaka Khan, Tina Marie as well as contemporary R&B singers like Alicia Keys, Solange, Angie Stone, and Raheem DeVaughn, Joyo has truly mastered her craft. Her voice is clean and sure; even when she sings about personal struggles (“Feels Right,” for example) there’s a strength behind her words, the strength of someone who’s had to overcome difficulties to find herself. While Lyrics Born, Joyo’s husband, adds instrumental and production touches from time to time, as well as executively producing the album, these songs are her own. Even in the Bobby-Digital-produced “I Need You Boy” (available only on the EP), Joyo’s personality is never anything but front-and-center.
And it’s just the tip of the iceberg. With the full-length Love and Understanding set to be released in September 2009, her self titled EP Joyo Velarde is just a taste of what’s to come from Ms. Velarde, and what she’s always been about. It’s smart, mature, melodic, stylish, and fun: in short, it’s completely Joyo.
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