It’s post-Bieberchella, and if that spectacle reminded you why a genuinely great voice still cuts above everything else (even YouTube memes), allow us to introduce Finn Askew.
The Somerset singer-songwriter doesn’t sound like a Bieber knockoff, he just happens to be fishing in the same water, and pulling out something of his own.
He’s eighteen, from the south west of England, and has a voice that does most of the heavy lifting. Smoky light tenor, R&B-inflected, a falsetto that shows up exactly when it’s needed. The kind of voice that makes you check who it is. Bieber co-signed him. So did SZA. So did Kehlani. You start to see why.
‘BLUEBOY’, his new six track mixtape, is lush slow jams done right, built on minimalist trap drums and close-mic vocals. Sensual, intimate and quietly confident, this is R&B that knows exactly what it is and doesn’t need to prove anything.
It’s not a new recipe, but it tastes very good all the same.
🎧 Listen to ‘BLUEBOY’ below