News YADi

YADi
Based: London, UK
Listen: soundcloud.com/yadiyadiyadi
Similar to: Florence and The Machine, Oh Land.

Small and mighty, Miss Hannah Yadi is a genius cultural mash-up. With an Algerian father and a Norwegian / Italian mother, her heritage is almost as varied as her apparent smorgasbord of musical influences. The beautiful South-London born singer mixes nostalgia with future-pop to create something that it’s hard to stop listening to.

Live, YADi is both incredibly focussed and fabulously theatrical. Performing in Hoxton last week, the 24-year-old dressed all in black, sporting a leotard with a dramatic lace cape. Stomping around, she completely owned the stage and would have looked just as at home in an arena. Her performances are passionate, powerful, almost aggressive, and backed by Chris Hutchings and Max Taylor (former members of Tom Vek’s band) on drums and keys respectively.

YADi’s debut EP, ‘Guillotine’, is due for release on 23rd April and it is well worth a listen. The title track is ridiculously catchy, with comparisons to Florence & The Machine easily drawn. Simple piano chords and tribal drums provide a welcome base for her stunning voice. Another EP track, ‘Sahara Heart’, caused a blogging stir last year, resulting in ‘Neon Gold’ quite rightly referring to her as “the next great hope for empowered female pop in the UK.” Providing us with all of the dark, magical sounds we could ever want, YADi is a refreshingly interesting addition to the pop world.