Wednesday 26th March 2014 by Gaby Whitehill | Photos by Press

Fabienne reveals her 10 new stars of R&B to look out for

The artists who have influenced and impressed the singer

Photo: Press

One of the UK's most exciting, rising R&B and soul stars, singer Fabienne is quite the expert on the genre.

Inspired by the likes of J Dilla and NERD whilst she was growing up, Fabienne has been influenced by the former's seminal sampling techniques and the latter's effortless meshing of genres - as well as a lot of 60s soul songs, which have clearly had a marked effect on her modern interpretation of the genre.

With Fabienne's debut EP City of Shadows released on March 24, what better time to ask the singer for exclusive tips for the year ahead in R&B? Here are Fabienne's top 10 new stars of R&B.

Kwabs: "His voice is so powerful and filled with so much emotion you can't help but feel moved. He's someone that when you hear him it will stop you dead in your tracks. Potentially one of the most distinct vocals I've ever heard."

Lion Babe: "'Treat Me Like Fire' was my jam all summer I'm so excited to hear more from these two. I've always been a huge Erykah Badu fan so when I heard Jill's voice and such similarities, I got such a sick sense of nostalgia for 'Mama's Gun'."

Andrew Ashong: "Gilles Peterson always has pushed alot of great UK R&B soul to the forefront and that's how I heard about this guy, his tune 'Special' is so beautiful. To me it's reminiscent of 70s soul such as Roy Ayers and Curtis Mayfield's 'Superfly...can't wait to hopefully catch him live soon."

King: "I've been listening to King for a minute, they actually played in London recently and I had no clue, was absolutely gutted I missed them! Their harmonies are so intricate and on point, and I love that they are so musical, they aren't afraid to use chord progressions and structures that are different, and I rate that."

Ego Ella May: "I heard her tune 'Love Hard' last year and thought it was amazing, her lyrics are really refreshingly poetic and beautiful, really reminds me of early Floetry material. She's dope."

Hiatus Kaiyote: "By far the most inspiring gig I saw last year, I'm in love with this band, they can do no wrong. Their first single 'Nakamarra' I absolutely rinsed. Nai Palm is such an endearing frontwoman, they just make me feel warm and fuzzy inside when I hear them."

Ady Suleiman: "I've been familiar with Ady's music for a couple years now, his voice has such a distinctive tone it pretty much demands to be heard. You can tell he's jazz influenced but his tunes have a rawness & a great honesty to them. I think 2014 alot more people will be hearing about him for sure."

Emily King: "My friends Linden and Secaina were jamming to one of her songs 'Georgia' and I thought it sounded like the most beautiful thing ever, almost like Burt Bacharach/Elvis Costello vibes in a way. I need to go back and listen to everything she's done, her songwriting style is super classic."

Sampha: "Since 'Indecision' I've loved Sampha, I like that his songs are piano led and always quite stripped back letting his voice cut through. I'm so happy he's doing so well, I reckon it's really well deserved and I'm sure this will be a big year for him."

Elli Ingram: "Elli's Sober EP was on heavy rotation last year, her voice and vibe reminds me so much of Jill Scott, so effortless and natural. Her producer Felix seems like a badman too, the production sounds live and real and that's what I love about the sound they've created."