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Lady Wray releases her single “Hard Times” in preparation for her next album, Cover Girl. “Hard Times” is the second single after “You’re Gonna Win,” and it’s about a resilient love that has survived challenges based on The Clark Sisters’ “You Brought The Sunshine.” Lady Wray’s tribute to the gospel classic takes the uplifting message and flips it for a secular relationship. Cover Girl marks 10 years of Lady Wray collaborating with producer Leon Michels. The throwback aesthetic they created on Queen Alone is still there on “Hard Times,” except they pluck their inspiration from the ’80s instead of the ’60s and ’70s. Cover Girl is Lady Wray’s fourth album and she will go on a North American tour after its release on September 26th. The first show is in Kingston, New York, and it will end in Austin, Texas. Tickets are available at her site. 

Asaka The Renegade’s “Ya’ll Be Safe Tho” has the warmth of the Caribbean in its dancehall flavor.  Asaka’s overtures of love are delivered in the hybrid rhythm of a Jamaican toaster and an American rapper, almost teetering into an Afrobeats kind of vibe. The emerging Detroit artist is still feeling more than the usual encouragement after winning T-Pain’s March Music Madness earlier this year. “Ya’ll Be Safe Tho” is just one side of Asaka’s multi-genre sound. Fans are still locked into the R&B of “Think Of You” that T-Pain shared with followers. “Ya’ll Be Safe Tho” is the prelude to Asaka’s next mixtape coming out in the fall. Stay tuned for more from Asaka as he continues to churn out infectious tunes for the soul. 

Amaria makes sure to deliver something for summer playlists before the season is over with “Dream Of You.” The soft-spoken chanteuse expresses her feelings with classic grooves in the vein of ’90s soul. She also lent her voice to Solomon Fox’s “Fallin Back,” and both songs are her latest, as it was almost a year ago when she released her third album, Free Fallin.