Tennessee-Bred Singer KIRBY Unveils Funk-Filled Debut Album, 'Sis.'

Sis. features a lineup of songs about love, bliss, heartbreak and more. 

Memphis-born, Mississippi-raised singer-songwriter KIRBY has officially rolled out her debut album, Sis. 

An alum of the Berklee College of Music, she originally began a career in songwriting by penning a song a day on YouTube for 275 days. The seven-track album which is her third full-length EP is equal parts soul and funk.  Sis. provides an introspective look into the mind behind her wildly successful tracks “FourFiveSeconds” by Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney and “Die With You” by Beyoncé. Since she’s no novice when it comes to songwriting, KIRBY manages to expertly serve up a mashup of refreshing deep cuts.

When speaking on why she decided to pivot and focus wholly on herself she shared, “I left the mountain top of one career and went to the valley of another.” She also noted, “But believe me, I see the mountain ahead. And it’s beautiful.”

The specific tracks that were our favorites when we listened to the EP ahead of its release included “Apple” and “We Don’t Funk,” one of the lead singles on the project. The latter is reminiscent of ‘70s funk and her voice commands attention even amidst the background sounds of heavy guitar riffs. While on “Apple,” she addresses pillow talking (in a good way) and how blissful it feels to be with someone that is always on your mind after you met them. What’s equally fitting about this song is that in the chorus she refers to her dreamy beau as the “apple of [her] eye.”

Kirby offered these following thoughts on her debut album, “As much as I want all women to love this music, I need women of color to hear it and know certain narratives about us are simply not true,” she said. “It’s what soul music sounds like when a woman falls in love and doesn’t give up her power.”

Stream Sis. below.