Yebba

On 26 August 2026, Yebba plays KOKO in London. Born Abbey Smith in West Memphis, she came up through church choirs before settling in New York, shaping a soul and contemporary R&B language rooted in gospel and shaded by jazz. First noticed with the live performance My Mind and the 2017 single Evergreen, she has honed a voice-led approach built on close harmonies, precise phrasing and melodic tension. Collaborations with Sam Smith, PJ Morton, Mark Ronson and Ed Sheeran have taken her across pop and modern soul while keeping her songwriting intimate and direct.

Her debut album Dawn (2021) gathers ballads and midtempo tracks that linger, with Distance and October Sky outlining her blend of restraint and release. On stage, Yebba navigates raw, near a cappella moments and carefully layered arrangements, guiding a band that leaves room for dynamics and groove. At KOKO, that palette takes center stage: the grain of the voice, the stacked harmonies and a sense of emotional detail that sits close to the song.