Sarah Warsi

I wanted to revive this section of my blog since it’s been a while. It also serves as a healthy (and hopefully welcoming) deviation from the seeming unending wave of negativity that we are constantly being bombarded with.

If you have explored this section of my blog before, you’ll see that I am definitely partial to R&B music. I appreciate really anything that sounds good, but we all have our go-to genre, right?

So for my fellow R&B fans, here is a quick run down of R&B artists that I wanted to highlight. Some are well-known, and others may not be, so this is an opportunity for me to share potentially new talent with any of my fellow R&B lovers out there.

So, in no particular order, let’s dive in:

Chris Brown

Chris Brown is a well-known R&B singer, songwriter and dancer that has been in the industry for almost 20 years. Having made his debut back in 2005 with the single “Run It”, he has produced a slew of music with 12 albums to date, along with many accolades to his name. He has, undoubtedly, made a mark as a multi-talented, musical sensation. 

Although Chris Brown has been around a long time, I only really started taking a listen to his music beyond the commercial releases about four years ago. LA-based choreographer, Nicole Kirkland created a dance to his song ‘Under the Influence’ off his 2019 album Indigo. This song was not commercially released at the time, but the dance went viral almost immediately, along with the song itself.

Due to this surge in popularity, he ended up releasing a music video for the song in the fall of 2022 – three years after the album’s release. In my opinion, had it not been for Nicole Kirkland’s iconic choreography, the song may not have garnered the attention that it did. 

At this point, I have so many Chris Brown favourites that naming even my top five would be impossible. On top of that, he has an endless portfolio of unreleased music available on YouTube.

Chris recently won his second Grammy for his latest album 11:11 which has garnered notable hits like Residuals, Angel Numbers / Ten Toes and Bruce Lee just to name a few. He’s been nominated 25 times throughout his career, and his last Grammy win was over 10 years ago in 2012 for his F.A.M.E album.

So it was definitely a special moment for him and his fanbase when he took home the award this year.

Residuals became so popular among fans that it generated an online challenge started by R&B singer and longtime Chris Brown friend, Tank. After posting his own cover, Tank challenged other R&B artists to sing an excerpt from the song with their own personal spin on it. I advertently discovered so many new artists out of this challenge (it proved to be a great way to gain exposure for sure!)

Singers such as Remey Williams, Tonee Heart, Jacob Latimore and Zae France particularly stood out for me for their creative renditions to the song. You can catch most of the clips on Instagram under the hashtag #residualsversechallenge.

So whether you’re a fan or not, Chris Brown’s talent as an R&B artist is undeniable and he has made an indelible mark on the music industry. He put on a great show last summer in Toronto as part of his 11:11 tour, performing to a sold-out crowd. The pic below is from the second night of a two-day stop.

We know more music is in the works and Chris Brown fans look forward to seeing what the next chapter will be. 

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Jordan Adetunji

Jordan Adetunji is a 25 year-old rising R&B sensation taking the musical charts by storm. Originally from England, he grew up in Belfast, Ireland and began using social media as his platform to post videos showcasing his vocal talent. This eventually led to him being noticed by industry professionals. 

His name took off when he released the song “Kehlani” – about the artist herself, and his fame further amplified when the remix to the song was released, starring none other than Kehlani herself. As far as why he chose to write a song about her, it was merely out of sheer admiration for her as an artist.

He just released his debut album, A Jaguar’s Dream, last month, and it is filled with some good tunes – including the song “305” with Bryson Tiller,  “Kehlani”, (of course), “Attractive” and many more. 

His music is a blend of hip-hop, R&B, alternative, and post-punk, infused with Afrobeat influences, paying homage to his Nigerian heritage.

On the heels of his album release, Jordan announced a 2025 tour which kicks off at the end of February. You can check out his website for a full list of dates to see if he might be performing near you. Jordan Adetunji has a lot of potential and is just getting started. If you’re an R&B buff, I recommend giving him a listen. 

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Ameerah

Toronto-based singer Ameerah, burst onto the scene in 2019 with her debut single ‘Like Me’, followed by her EP called Vibes, released in 2020. Since then, she has come out with a slew of hits like ‘Lost in Love’, ‘Sickness’, ‘Alibi‘, and more recently, ‘Ur turn’. You can listen to her entire library of songs wherever you stream your music. 

Ameerah is working behind the scenes on brand new music to be released later this year, so be on the lookout! To learn more about her childhood and her journey to music, check out this 2023 interview she did with Sidedoor Magazine – a Toronto-based online publication about all things music, fashion and culture.

Fee free to also check out my previous post from 2019, highlighting her debut and give her follow on Instagram to keep up with the latest updates. 

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The Weeknd

Canadian R&B sensation, the Weeknd, made his highly-anticipated return recently with his new album titled, Hurry Up Tomorrow – the last album of a trilogy that began with After Hours released in 2020 and Dawn FM in 2022. This latest album new also has a film adaptation of the same name coming out in May, directed by the Weeknd himself. On top of that, this album may very well be the last one he releases under the name Weeknd, after hinting at retiring his famous stage name and going by his real name Abel Tesfaye, moving forward.

Regardless of the direction he goes, the Weeknd’s voice, known for its smooth falsetto and unique, almost haunting sound, set him apart from among the many artists today. He has been wowing his enormous fanbase for 10+ years releasing hit and after hit, never missing a beat.

His new album boasts many ‘want-to-keep-on-repeats’ such as ‘Drive’, ‘Cry for Me’, ‘Baptized in Fear’ and ‘Open Hearts’ – just to name a few. 

The Weeknd will also be kickstarting his 2025 tour around the time of the release of his movie in May.

Side note: Speaking of concerts, Ticketmaster has put quite the damper on the concert experience, in my opinion. If the Taylor Swift Eras Tour was any indication, good luck trying to get even average seating at a reasonable cost for major concerts!

Now you’re lucky if you get a nosebleed seat for the price of what you should be paying for a seat much closer to the stage. When did it become a case of roulette to just snag concert tickets for your favourite artist? It’s just ridiculous.

A dissatisfied fan made a comment online about how they wished traditional ticket sales were still a thing, and I couldn’t agree more. You know, when you could go to a Ticketmaster kiosk at the mall, buy them with virtually no issues, and walk away with your physical ticket stubs? Yeah, the good ole days.

(I even have a vague memory of sifting through a laminated binder to view the seating map – wow I am dating myself! lol)

Now, you have to make sure you sign up in time to qualify to get a pre-sale code. And if you’re lucky enough to get a code, you better hope that you don’t get kicked out when you’re in the virtual ‘queue’ with 20,000 people ahead of you! Ridiculous.  

Anyways, if you’re a fan and fortunate enough to snag tickets to the Weeknd’s latest tour, then awesome! If you’ve never seen him live before, you won’t be disappointed. He sure knows how to put on a great show. His last concert in 2022 was highly indicative of this. You can read all about that experience here.

For more information on his tour and to see if he’s coming to your home town, visit his website here. 

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Amerie 

When I think of my early years of university, I think of Amerie since she had just come out around that time. Her song ‘Why Don’t We Fall in Love’ and ‘Talkin’ to Me’ have always been favourites off her 2002 debut album, All I Have.

Amerie has released four albums over her career and her 2005 song, ‘1 Thing’ is another notable favourite.  

She is currently working on new music to be released sometime this year. She’s been teasing various tracks on her Instagram page. One track in particular called ‘Undeniable’ struck a chord with many of her fans for its soulful undertone.

She has also been sharing behind-the-scenes footage of her in the recording studio with her team, giving her fans the opportunity to come along on the journey with her. I think this is a great touch as it creates a heightened level of anticipation and a greater sense of community among her fanbase.

What I particularly like about Amerie is her humility and authenticity – something that can often get lost in translation in the rat race to superstardom. She carries herself with grace and empathy using her platform to showcase her unwavering support for the people of Palestine.

She also has a book club, called Amerie’s Book Club,  where she shares a monthly selection with her followers and encourages healthy dialogue and discussion – at times bringing the authors of some selections on for an interview to delve deeper into the subject at hand. 

In fact, in the midst of recording new music, Amerie is also releasing a new book in June called This is Not a Ghost Story – which is a tale about a Black man who walks into the light on a path to self-discovery in Los Angeles, where he becomes instantly famous for being the first visible and verifiable “ghost”. Amerie describes the book as an exploration of identity, race, celebrity culture, our perception of the world and people around us, and most importantly, how we see ourselves.

This is Not a Ghost Story book is available for pre-order at Amazon and Indigo. (Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases).

If you have not followed Amerie over the years, I would highly recommend checking her music out.

So that sums up my current R&B update. Thank you for stopping by! God Bless.

Who are your favourite R&B artists? Please share in the comments.