The EP — which across its six tracks features collaborations with Jay Daniel (“12 houses down”), Exaktly (“ascendent (mother fxcker)”, a track recorded at London’s infamous Abbey Road Studios) and Nativesun (“when saturn returns”) — picks up where previous album ‘Remember Your North Star’ left off, comprising an emotional rollercoaster that draws on elements of R&B, soul, jazz, reggae, afrobeat, hip-hop and house music, all underpinned by Bey’s intentionally hope-filed and ultimately joyful lyrics.
"Exodus the North Star is my most vulnerable work to date. This is how I see joy and love in the world and what I aspire to feel and be. I have become an expert at turning my pain and grief as a black woman into music. Black people have a masterful way of telling our stories and sharing pain, but we are also masters of joy and imagination. We have always been in a global conversation about how to alchemize our experiences and reimagine our circumstances. From the ties between Lovers Rock and R&B to Gospel and House. Our joy is a collective effort.
I rarely write about what I would like my existence to be in this world. This is a new level of vulnerability for me. Proclaiming my desires. What I’ve come to learn I deserve. This is my thank you to my people: my peers, the elders and the ancestors for being in this work with me. Cheers to the future." - Yaya Bey
‘Exodus the North Star’ follows her exceptional, critically acclaimed album ‘Remember Your North Star’, a perfect showcase of Bey’s ability to tap into the emotionally kaleidoscopic nature of women, specifically Black women. With themes of misogynoir, unpacking generational trauma, carefree romance, parental relationships, women empowerment and self-love, ‘Remember Your North Star’ captivated listeners, and was cited as one of the albums of 2022 by the the New York Times, Pitchfork (who also named it ‘Best New Music’ on release), The Guardian, NPR, GQ, Crack Magazine, Rough trade and Bandcamp among others. Bey’s music has also been featured by the likes of Rolling Stone, T Magazine (The NYT Style Magazine), Clash, Okayplayer, Essence, Document Journal, Harper’s Bazaar, FADER, Dazed, FACT and many more.
Following recent sold-out headline shows in London, New York and Los Angeles — playing alongside the likes of Perfume Genius, Grace Ives, Okay Kaya and others — Bey is set to perform at Elsewhere in NY on March 4th with Roy Ayers and dreamcastmoe, and Treefort festival in Boise, ahead of announcing a run of UK/EU dates throughout 2023.
Tracklist:
1. exodus the north star
2. on the pisces moon
3. when saturn returns
4. munerah
5. 12 houses down
6. ascendent (mother fxcker)
