Top 3 Black Female Artists You Need to Add to Your Playlist Right Now!

Black women have played a huge role in the development and production of music ever since its existence. Whether it be Tracy Chapman, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner or the more recent Rihanna, these incredible artists have paved the way to some of the most beautiful masterpieces in the body of music that exists today. While all of these artists have undoubtedly made their mark already, new artists are constantly on the rise.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with reminiscing to Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It” every now and then, especially if you were not so happy to see February 14th role around again so soon, but sometimes listening to some fresh music from new and emerging artists can add some excitement to your life. So if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the right place. Here they are - the top three black female artists you need to add to your playlists right now!

Number One: Grace Carter

Grace Carter is a British singer songwriter. Now based in London, she was raised by her single mother for a large portion of her childhood. In fact, in an interview by Ones to Watch, Carter highlighted that this experience actually defined a lot of her music,

[Song writing] was given to me as a tool to talk about things I was feeling. A lot of those things had to do with the fact that I didn't have a dad around and that I grew up in a white family when I'm mixed race. I didn't have any of the black part of my family to identify with, so there was a lot of confusion with that. My way of getting that out was to sit in my room for hours and go on Photo Booth and film myself playing guitar and singing these songs that I'd written.

Her soulful pop music is captivating, which may be what gave her the opportunity to tour with Dua Lipa in 2017 as a supporting act. Any and all of her current songs are sure to add some emotional rhythm to any playlist.

"Silence" was her debut single in 2017. After a quick listen to this song, it's easy to see why Grace has already had such success in her early career.

Her 2020 single "Blame" (feat. Jacob Banks) is also an incredible production by Grace you won't want to miss.

Number Two: Zoe Wees

At just 18 years old, German singer-songwriter Zoe Wees debuted her first single “Control” which hit the charts in multiple nations, and made it to number one in France. She credits a lot of her passion to the struggles she experienced growing up with Benign Rolandic Epilepsy (BRE), which she references in her songs. In an interview with Notion she stated,

The sickness was stronger than me, and left scars that have become part of my life. Accepting them has taken so much time, but they make me what I am today: a fighter.

Powerful words from such a young and inspirational artist. These emotional quotes aren’t just limited to her interviews though, check out her debut single "Control", and her more recent single from this year, “Girls Like Us”.

Number Three: RAYE

Based in London and born to a Ghanaian-Swiss mother, singer-songwriter RAYE has got some incredible achievements under her belt at only 23 years old. She mixes contemporary R&B with Pop and Dance/Electronic features to create some incredible music. You may be more familiar with her collaboration with artists like Jonas Blue and Jax Jones which largely lead her break through into the music industry in 2016. She’s also written songs for some already huge artists such as Little Mix, Ellie Goulding and Charli XCX. Her individual music, however, is just as incredible.

“Natalie Don’t’” is essentially a more modern take on Dolly Parton’s hit song “Jolene”. With a Dance/Electronic twist, it’s an absolute hit that’s sure to make a fiery addition to any playlist.

So there they are – the top three black female artists you need to add to your playlists right now. Each of them have a different passion and approach to their music, but all are equally as incredible. So stay tuned for their new releases in the years to come, you don’t want to miss them.