Inayah

Inayah is a contemporary R&B singer and songwriter with a knack for upfront lyrics that delve deep beneath the surface of relationships. She achieved social media fame with her narrative twist on <a href="spotify:artist:7HkdQ0gt53LP4zmHsL0nap">Ella Mai</a>'s "Boo'd Up" and made her commercial recorded debut in 2018. S.O.L.A.R. (2019), her first album, featuring the platinum hit "Best Thing," a cathartic breakup ballad. The EPs Side A (2021) and Insecure (2022) preceded Wait, There's More (2024), a more pop-flavored (if no less frank) second full-length from the East Houston native.

Born Inayah Lamis in Houston, Inayah developed her storytelling writing style from absorbing the gospel, blues, and R&B records her mother played, and eventually got into hip-hop. From <a href="spotify:artist:4OGuNAnRFWZOgOA2d51taz">Johnnie Taylor</a> to <a href="spotify:artist:5ILgJERmX20rZuVVDQ7z5P">504 Boyz</a>, most of Inayah's formative inspirations were distinctly Southern. She had been working as a writer at a jingle company for several years when her version of "Boo'd Up" went viral on Instagram, reposted by the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:0bfU48sSFFAhlaKCL05dTG">Tiffany Haddish</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2AOt5htsbtyaHd5Eq3kl3j">Maxwell</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7LnaAXbDVIL75IVPnndf7w">Jamie Foxx</a>. Another fan was rapper <a href="spotify:artist:12FHARd9fY0Tu0ila4Ua25">Trick Daddy</a>, who put Inayah in touch with soul legend <a href="spotify:artist:0PDqlUGugF5Jt6DZyATvfz">Betty Wright</a>, another one of her mother's favorites. <a href="spotify:artist:0PDqlUGugF5Jt6DZyATvfz">Wright</a> herself had become a fan and mentored Inayah in the music industry.

After Inayah struck a distribution deal with <a href="spotify:artist:4d8lC4LdsGXx0qeOSEZj0f">Empire</a>, she independently released her first singles in 2018 and 2019, and during the latter year also issued S.O.L.A.R. ("storytelling over lyrics and rhymes"), featuring production from Micah Powell, <a href="spotify:artist:1d0f2TQJF6CgmJ9o52kH4x">Cassius Jay</a>, and tha Aristocrats. The album's "Suga Daddy" and "Best Thing" raised her profile considerably. Next came Side A, a six-track EP with "Fallin," "What Are We," and "Missin It" increasing the singer's commercial momentum even more. Inayah returned after the birth of her second child with Insecure, an eight-track project with openhearted material such as "Always Something" and "Most Girlz." "Best Thing" proved to have considerable staying power, with a platinum certification awarded the next year. Without dulling her songwriting blade, Inayah diversified her sound with the 2024 effort Wait, There's More, which incorporated club-oriented productions and a greater emphasis on pop hooks. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi