R&B is my language

To be audible is key and to be able to musically express your emotions is impressive. With sex, love and heartbreak as his selling points, singer Y'Cliff may just become a truly dominant force in the R&B space judging by his growing melodic catalogue. With co-signs from some of Namibia's biggest musicians, Y'Cliff is out to capitalise on his investments and create classic pieces of music that he maintains will live forever. He describes R&B as the medium that singers use to voice their thoughts with adorned words and a music genre that is the closest thing to love. “R&B is my love language. Sometimes, it takes my breath away. It is about love and heartbreak. We all need it because it is a part of people's daily lives and that is why I am glad to be a part of it.“When people listen to my music, I want them to feel what I felt when I wrote my music. I get to touch people's hearts,” said Y'Cliff. In an effort to feed his followers with snippets of what to expect for his debut album, Y'Cliff on Tuesday this week released another strong single titled Namibian Queen. “Namibian Queen is a song I did on Tuesday to honour Namibian queens and of course, the love of my life,” shared Y'Cliff. He mentioned that the approach with each song on his forthcoming album is different. For him, it depends on the mood and emotions he wants it to evoke. Y'Cliff revealed that everything he has released thus far is based on personal experiences and it thus, means a lot to him. “My forthcoming album is based on a love story where most of it was in my head and the other half of the story was what I wanted it to be like,” he said. Y'Cliff started out as a cover artist on YouTube about three years ago. He maintains that doing covers was great but he wanted to tell his own stories which led to where he is now, a fully fledged singer. With songs like Love You All night which transparently describes making love in a detailed way, the singer maintains he is old enough for such content and stressed that there is a need for such musical content in Namibia. “My style is influenced by so many different artists. I'm talking from R&B to soul, pop and a bit of rock. I'm mostly inspired by songwriters,” said Y'Cliff. He mentioned DSVN, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Al Greene, Smokey Robinson, Beyonce and Kehlani as just some of the few artists he draws inspiration from. To a certain extent the internet really gave birth to him musically as social media seems to be the promised land for discovering new artists. To many it seems like he just popped out of nowhere, but it couldn't have been that easy. “It wasn't easy at all. It might seem like I popped out of nowhere but trust me the come-up was tough.” He admitted that as much as the reception to his music is positive, it equally feels like he still needs to work harder to get his music more exposure, that which it deserves. The singer also does not let setbacks stop him from celebrating every achievement whether it's big or small. “I received over 7 000 views for my debut single which is a tremendous achievement, and I only have my supporters to thank for sticking with me ever since the day I posted my first cover on YouTube,” said Y'Cliff. Since the spotlight shone on him, he has worked with some established artists and performed on some notable stages. Asked how the transition from a cover artist on YouTube to actually recording with recording artists feels like, Y'Cliff said he does not know where he got the courage to approach artists like Skrypt and Lioness, but he is grateful for the collaborations. “I think my dedication and desire to want to be great also made it easy for them to say yes.”“I recently had a single listening party for my new single Namibian Queen; the attendance was better than I expected and they both performed with me which made it extra special,” he added. He confirmed that his debut single is almost done. “You can expect it to drop towards the end of this year,” said Y'Cliff. His focus now is on completing his body of work, however, he said that his fans can look forward to more performances and hopefully his own concert. He believes R&B in Namibia is in a great place but with the country's support it can be better. “We can take it across the borders. I truly believe we have the potential to do so.”MICHAEL KAYUNDE

R&B is my language

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-04

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R&B is my language

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-04

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