*Aya dropped a new single earlier this month. With “Aura”, the pop/R&B hybrid artist is driven by a desire to heal their lover’s soul and shower them with all love. The stomping production, fluttering guitar licks and *Aya’s seraphic vocals build up an overall empyrean atmosphere that is comfortable and affirming. It’s been a substantial year for *Aya, both in

*Aya released a new EP earlier this month. With their brilliant fusion of R&B, neo-soul and pop, *Aya’s second project brings eight songs where they explore themes of leaning into who they really are through increasingly vulnerable songwriting. They touch on letting go of insecurities (“Freeee”), having self-respect in a relationship (“Idfwt”), uncertainty about the future (“Idk”) and finding safety