Qbanaa

Having spent her first year exploring a range of styles and genres, Cuban Irish artist Qbanaa returns in 2024 with the sound that may well come to define her. While previous releases have experimented her honey dipped silk tones with soul, pop, drum n bass and many electronic influences - her new era of music draws on her roots, shaped by her recent return to the country after a seven year absence.

Alongside pop-soul multi-instrumentalist, artist and executive producer Rafino Murphy (Uly) - the two worked meticulously to blend her essence with influences of alt pop, latin-soul, RnB and hip-hop. The result is Qbanaa's forthcoming EP Elisa (her nickname in Cuba). Snippets of found sounds, street recordings and conversations made in Cuba, poetic bilingual lyricism and immersive soundscapes make for a collection of beautifully understated original music.

"I felt like a scientist last year, performing the songs in different ways", she says, "creating and releasing tracks from all different genres to see what feels right and doesn't. I've made it a goal to just present myself in a way that feels 100% me this year. I'd always been eager to be in the main production seat and create a whole song from scratch so it's just been really tough but rewarding seeing ideas come to life exactly as you imagined it. I couldn't imagine doing it with anyone other than Raf, it was a special bonding experience starting it in Cuba with him and bringing it back to Ireland to finish".

Qbanaa was recently announced as one of RTE 2FM’s Rising Acts of 2024, following her nomination as part of District Magazine's Future Of Irish Music 2023.

LINKS

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/7oDpJIKtPKyH5LY7xLi7EZ?si=QEpBP7UyTuaPHcNAuVhT9Q
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/qbanaa/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@qbanaaofficial