A Grammy-winning singer with a soulful voice and clear gospel influences,
YEBBA is the childhood nickname and stage alias of Abbey Smith. She backed
Chance the Rapper on Saturday Night Live and made a fan of
Ed Sheeran before presenting her debut single, "Evergreen," in 2017.
YEBBA went on to collaborate with such A-listers as
Sheeran,
Sam Smith, and
PJ Morton, the latter of which featured her on his 2019 track "How Deep Is Your Love" which won the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance. She also collaborated with
Mark Ronson who in turn produced her 2021 debut full-length,
Dawn.
A native of West Memphis, Arkansas,
Smith was called
Yebba (Abbey spelled backwards) by her mother throughout her childhood. Raised in a religious household, her biggest singing inspirations growing up were
the Clark Sisters. While pursuing a career in singing as an adult, she was featured on songs by American Idol alum
Clark Beckham and Nashville musician Luke Levenson in 2015 before she was championed by
Ed Sheeran, who was moved by a live performance of her original song "My Mind" from 2016. Around that time, she started going exclusively by
YEBBA in tribute to her mother, whom she lost to suicide soon after the performance. She made her Saturday Night Live debut as a guest of
Chance the Rapper in October of 2016.
YEBBA issued her first official single, "Evergreen," in late 2017. In the meantime, she co-wrote "No Peace" for
Sam Smith's chart-topping album
The Thrill of It All, which arrived the same year. The
Rudimental song "They Don't Care About Us" from late 2018 featured
YEBBA alongside
Maverick Sabre.
In February of 2019,
YEBBA won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her featured spot on
PJ Morton's "How Deep Is Your Love." She went on to appear as featured vocalist on the
Sheeran track "Best Part of Me" in mid-2019 as well as
Mark Ronson's "Don't Leave Me Lonely" and the title track of
Robert Glasper's
Fuck Yo Feelings LP before the end of the year. "Best Part of Me" marked her debut in the Hot 100. She issued her second solo track, "Where Do You Go," in late 2019.
Yebba's debut full-length album,
Dawn, arrived in September 2021 and again found her working with producer
Ronson. ~ Marcy Donelson