In a genre saturated with image, Yya cuts through the noise with something rarer: truth. The Toronto-born, Brazilian-rooted artist drops her debut single “SLIDE” today, and it’s not just an introduction, it’s a declaration.
Smooth, sultry, and low-key spiritual, “SLIDE” might sound like a late-night vibe on the surface, but under the bass and bounce is something deeper. Yya describes it as “about knowing when to move on with grace, not bitterness.” It’s about healing in motion. And for an artist who’s been through the fire, that message hits hard.
At 14, Yya’s mother left. It’s a detail she shares not for sympathy, but to ground her artistry in something real. She turned to poetry first, then music. A journey that now culminates in a sound that’s both raw and refined. There’s funk in the rhythm, R&B in the delivery, and hip-hop in the storytelling. You hear Brazil in the bounce, and you hear Toronto in the edge.
“I made this for those who know what it’s like to survive in silence but now we are showing up out loud,” Yya says. And that’s exactly what “SLIDE” does. It doesn’t scream for attention. It commands it by being honest, confident, and unafraid.
She’s new, yes. But there’s nothing tentative here. Yya channels icons like Tupac, Jadakiss, and Lil Kim, but her voice is unmistakably her own. It’s clear she’s not just here to make music, she’s here to move people.
“SLIDE” isn’t a flex. It’s a spiritual stretch. And for anyone learning to leave the past without losing themselves, it might just be the anthem you didn’t know you needed.
Stream the single: here
