Yaya Bey Returns With “Merlot and Grigio,” Her First New Single of 2025

“I’ve been doing a lot of international touring and constantly in places where I’m the only Black person,” she explains in a statement. “When I was in France most recently, I asked myself what it would look like to play to Black international audiences and that sort of got my wheels turning. My dad would always have at least one Reggae song on his albums. Our family is from Barbados and I continued that tradition with songs like ‘meet me in brooklyn.’ I decided I would dive even deeper with Soca and reached out to Father Philis whose music I’ve been really digging. This song feels like a dream come true. To dig deeper into my own roots and prioritize Black communities especially in the Caribbean.”

Yaya Bey is taking the stage at Governor’s Ball in New York City this summer. She dropped Ten Fold last year, to significant critical acclaim–described by Okayplayer as a “virtuosic showcase for a crooner at the peak of her powers.” The album was one of the year’s best, and was inspired by her late father, Juice Crew legend Grand Daddy I.U., who died in 2023. Yaya also performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk and took the stage at SXSW.

“[The music is] still cathartic, she told GRAMMY.com last year. “ It’s still just trying to feel something, express something, even with the dance records, just trying to tap into something that feels good.”