Yaya Bey announces forthcoming album, Do It Afraid

Speaking of "wake up b*tch", Yaya Bey says: “There’s so much to be angry about right now and though I’m not someone who likes to sit in anger for too long, I do think it’s important to acknowledge it. Especially if you want to move on to other emotions. You’ve gotta acknowledge the elephant in the room.”

Meanwhile, “dream girl” is all about “escaping to the party for a little while” and “really tapping into your desires – knowing there’s a million heavy things that need your attention but also leaving room for fantasy.”

“I wrote this album from the most vulnerable parts of me, which contrary to what many people want to believe about me, is not my trauma but my desire to love, to feel joy...to be free," Yaya says of her new album.

"In this life, pain and loss are promised to us; it takes real courage to dance in the face of the inevitable. To savor the now and make it beautiful. I come from a people who are masters at this. Onlookers like to make a spectacle of us. Rob of us of our nuance. But the truth is we are brave, resilient and joyful. I made this album for us. May we continue to do it afraid.”

Do It Afraid follows Yaya Bey's 2022 album, Remember Your North Star, and the subsequent follow-up Ten Fold.