the evidence by yaya bey

New York's Yaya Bey shares a double single, consisting of two new songs "the evidence" and "crying through my teeth." She first debuted the latter track earlier this year with a COLORS session following her critically acclaimed EP Exodus the North Star, which The New York Times described as an "[explosion] into a joyful, horn-kissed celebration." Both new songs signal the next iteration of the boundless sound Yaya has crafted that she'll explore through a forthcoming project in the new year. Her celebrated discography also includes her foundational 2022 album Remember Your North Star, which secured Best New Music from Pitchfork upon its release. She also recently starred alongside Immanuel Wilkins in an ad campaign for Converse's recent collaboration with New York-based brand AwakeNY.

Yaya uses her music as a restorative practice that pulls no punches in its sharply written perspective, speaking to the many sides of herself and her experience living as a Black woman in this country. In the case of both new songs, they are deeply felt streams of her consciousness that speak to her own resilience in the face of a trying period of her life. "crying through my teeth" is a slow and savory reflection of maintaining a strong will in the face of grief and financial hardships. The second half of the double single, "the evidence," which also arrives with a new video, rings out as a heartening affirmation of that same resilience, with Yaya rhythmically uplifting herself to stay on course.

With the new singles, Yaya is also sharing a new video for "the evidence" that she co-directed alongside Chassidy David, with choreography by Yaya and Alexandria Johnson. Speaking on the meaning behind the song and how it's represented visually, Yaya says "I wrote the evidence last winter when I was experiencing grief in the most challenging way I ever had before and I needed to encourage myself."

Born Hadaiyah Bey, Yaya first started writing songs at the age of nine and emerged onto the scene as a reinvigorating voice in the new vanguard of R&B storytellers with her breakout 2020 album Madison's Tales. Her widely-praised 2022 LP Remember Your North Star earned critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, NPR, ESSENCE and more.