Natanya walks through the sun and rain in debut ep

A university student climbing the ranks of London’s packed R&B scene, Natanya (full name Natanya Popoola) has released her debut EP Sorrow at Sunrise. The six-track project features her two standout singles, “Angel” with its invigorating drum pad and “Raining Tomorrow” with its hymn-like vocal stacking breathing life into the song’s chorus. The project speaks to the rather uncomfortable phenomenon of entering adulthood — the reluctant goodbyes, the constant uncertainty, the neverending cascade of life lessons, and the time-consuming burden that sadness is.

The young songstress uses her music as a mode of therapy, locking her most complex and shape-changing emotions in it — resulting in a refreshing spring of genre-melding melodies. The background of each song is a subtle yet intricate mix inspired by Natanya’s smorgasbord of musical influences.

Across this record, you can find Natanya’s patented keyboard, elements of synth-pop, electronica, jazz, and early 2000s R&B, as well as notes of grunge-influenced sourness. Even the project’s title Sorrow at Sunrise dances along the gloomy tones of what is supposed to be the simplest but greatest of gifts, the promise of a new day.

Even though this record is her first collection of musings, the British Trinidadian is not a newcomer on the scene. Natanya’s vocal and production growth is perceptible when comparing Sorrow at Sunrise to her first two singles, “Blue Jay” and “Sunset Melody,” released in 2019. Since her artist debut, Natanya has gone on to be named Guap Gala’s 2023 music artist to watch, earn notable placements on Spotify UK’s R&B and ascending artists playlists, and has found sisterhood amongst London’s other soulful songbirds.

Now that Sorrow at Sunrise has arrived, the ever-stylish Natanya plots a path forward that begins with her first solo show “After Dark” at The Grace in London on November 13th.