Yola closed out 2024 with the release of a new EP, My Way, via S-Curve Records. She followed it up with a 2025 tour, which recently made a stop at the Lincoln Theatre in DC! Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show.
The following article is adapted from a press release.
Drawing influence from progressive R&B, classic funk, and soulful pop, My Way marks a new era for the six-time GRAMMY-nominated artist. Yola is now touring the USA on her Sovereign Soul Tour, which visited the Lincoln Theatre on June 4.
Regarding My Way, .ead single “Temporary” is a hypnotizing disco, rare groove gem, with Yola delivering a sparkling vocal (which would make Donna Summer and Minnie Riperton proud) all while cheekily putting no-good men in their place.
Watch the official music visualizer for “Temporary” by Yola on YouTube:
“My Way is not about creative dictatorship.” Yola said. “It’s about being free to do what the songs need, because I don’t need to guide people towards allowing me agency, free of any restriction so I can tell my story more fully than ever before. This is me at my most musically free, and maybe a little nostalgic.”
The new EP My Way intentionally titled as a nod to her unique genre-fluid ethos, draws from a range of Yola’s influences that include progressive R&B, ’70-’80s soulful pop, ’90s R&B and neo soul, as well as the cornerstone influence of the UK broken beats scene, from which Yola emerged, performing with Bugz In The Attic in the mid 2000’s.
At the Lincoln Theatre on June 4, Yola (born Yolanda Claire Quartey) performed songs from My Way as well as from her 2021 album, Stand for Myself, along with several covers.
Here are some photos of Yola performing live at the Lincoln Theatre on June 4, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of Kayla GC opening Yola at the Lincoln Theatre on June 4, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
