As we digest the 2025 Grammy Awards, with the immense wins for our favourite artists, it’s worth lingering on something Beyoncé said in her speech – how we should explore every part of our artistry without constraints, without boxing ourselves in. We owe that to ourselves.

Those words feel like they were meant for Yola, an artist who has spent years refusing to be contained, reshaping the space around her, and stepping unapologetically into every genre she chooses. Born Yolanda Quartey, the British musician has long danced between sonic worlds, fluidly traversing country, soul, rock, and pop with a voice that holds multitudes. 

“You should know that I describe myself as genre-fluid, a purposeful play on words,” she says.