Yola performed a spectacular rendition of her latest single and title of her anthemic new album, Stand For Myself, on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night.
Yola’s in-studio performance was taped live at the Ed Sullivan Theatre and included Oscar winning Late Show music director and bandleader Jon Batiste on piano, as well as Andy Stack on guitar, Ray Jacildo on keys, Mike Montgomery from Durand Jones & The Indications on bass and rising singer-songwriter and drummer Aaron Fraser.
Stand For Myself, set to be released via Easy Eye Sound on July 30, 2021, reflects on Yola’s belief in the possibility of paradigm shift beyond the mental programming that creates tokenism and bigotry, which have deeply impacted her personal life and professional career. It has also been hailed as a singular sonic shift, by publications including Billboard who included “Diamond Studded Shoes” in the best songs of 2021 so far.
Rolling Stone Magazine described it as “an album that reflects her musical journey, with songs that nod to various styles of R&B and dance music.” Slate praised her new music as “absolutely remarkable” and Entertainment Weekly claimed “her vocals recall the poise and grandeur of music’s greatest vintage pop singers, from Dusty Springfield to Shirley Bassey.”
Produced by Dan Auerbach, the album traces a musical thread to Yola’s most eclectic musical inspirations. From the seminal albums Yola discovered via her mother’s 70s record collection, to her love of eclectic British radio, which featured a fluid mix of rock, 90s neo soul, R&B and britpop—all which soundtracked her childhood and teenage years in Bristol, England.
Yola will co-headline Orville Peck’s Rodeo at Red Rocks tomorrow on Thursday, July 22. She will be one of few artists to perform at both Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival in the same year this summer. She will also be performing dates with Chris Stapleton on his rescheduled tour in 2021, including Madison Square Garden on October 8 and two nights at Bridgestone Arena on Oct 22-23. For more information and tickets please visit: www.iamyola.com.
