King avriel - "Prelude"

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In the past year, there has been no shortage of gorgeous, slinky female R&B. From Kelela‘s genre-blending, electronic adventures to SZA‘s more hip-hop leaning (but no less adventurous) creations and beyond, 2013 has provided a wealth of intriguing new voices and visions in the ever-changing landscape of R&B–perhaps the genre where the mainstream and underground scenes are closest in terms of their openness to experimentation.

With her beautiful, intensely personal new release “Prelude,” Miguel and Stalley collaborator King avriel takes a step into the conversation as 2013 creeps towards a close, a sweet-voiced singer with an ear for atmospheric production. That description might readily target any number of her contemporaries, but a particular intimacy to avriel’s voice and songwriting afford her intriguing potential.  “Prelude” displays this warmth–even as the singer touches on difficult topics, noting the song’s meaning via a RapGenius explanation:

I was inspired by the story Kendrick told in Keisha’s Song. I wanted to create a prelude to his story by using my own experiences, because I felt so connected to Keisha’s struggle. I hoped the song would shed light on the cycle of abuse and neglect of black women, and how it negatively affects everyone in our community on some level — even our men.

Listen to “Prelude” and a preview of upcoming single “Freedom” below.

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