Forever, Ya Girl

Last updated

Forever, Ya Girl
Forever, Ya Girl.jpg
Studio album by
KeiyaA
ReleasedMarch 27, 2020 (2020-03-27)
Recorded2017–2020
Length42:19
Label Forever
Producer
KeiyaA chronology
Work
(2015)		Forever, Ya Girl
(2020)		Hooke's Law
(2025)

Forever, Ya Girl is the debut studio album by American singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer KeiyaA. [1] [2] It was released on March 27, 2020, [3] through Forever Recordings. [4] It appeared on several year-end lists. [5]

Contents

Background

The album was recorded between 2017 and 2020 in New York City and Chicago. [6] The cover artwork was designed by Jefferson Harris, with a photograph taken by Rahim Fortune. [5] Music videos were released for the songs "Negus Poem 1 & 2" [5] and "I! Gits! Weary!". [7]

At the 2021 NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, KeiyaA cited Jayne Cortez and Ntozake Shange as sources of inspiration for the album. [8]

Release

The album was originally self-released as a digital download on March 27, 2020. [5] The cassette edition of the album was released on June 22, 2020. [5] To coincide with the Bandcamp Friday on December 4, 2020, she released three versions of the album: a CD, a cassette, and a print companion called On Returning My Quikest Language Back to My Mouth. [5]

The vinyl edition of the album was released on March 27, 2021. [9] It was re-released on August 9, 2024, through XL Recordings. [10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork 8.2/10 [4]
Spectrum Culture4.5/5 [6]

Claire Lobenfeld of Pitchfork stated, "On her debut album Forever, Ya Girl, the Chicago-bred, New York-based singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist KeiyaA merges Earl Sweatshirt-ish grime and the grit of deconstructed club with hints of psych and funk." [4] Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan commented that "Its ingredients — R&B, funk, jazz, psychedelia — are styles of music often associated with groups of musicians who harmonize and improvise with each other, but you can really feel how Forever, Ya Girl is an album by a sole individual who was in her own head while making it." [11]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Forever, Ya Girl
PublicationListRankRef.
Clash Clash Albums of the Year 2020
39
Complex The Best Albums of 2020
50
Crack The Top 50 Albums of 2020
43
Esquire The 50 Best Albums of 2020
15
The Fader The 50 Best Albums of 2020
37
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2020
32
Okayplayer Okayplayer's Best Albums of 2020
7
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2020
44
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2020
22
Vice The 100 Best Albums of 2020
26

Track listing

All tracks are written by KeiyaA.

Forever, Ya Girl track listing
No.TitleLength
1."I Thot There Was One Wound in This House, There's Two"2:19
2."Way Eye"1:18
3."Rectifiya"3:58
4."Hvnli"3:09
5."Hvnli (Reprise)"1:47
6."Do Yourself a Favor"4:27
7."A Mile, a Way"2:13
8."I Want My Things!"2:21
9."Change the Story (Interlude)"0:21
10."Every Nigga Is a Star"2:37
11."I! Gits! Weary!"2:06
12."Negus Poem 1 & 2"3:39
13."Forreal???"2:38
14."F.W.U."3:00
15."Nu World Burdens"3:24
16."Keep It Real"3:01
Total length:42:19

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [22]

References

  1. ↑ Kent-Smith, Jasmine (March 26, 2021). "KeiyaA to release debut album Forever, Ya Girl on vinyl". Crack . Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  2. ↑ Morris, Kadish (November 15, 2021). "R&B singer KeiyaA: 'I felt like I was broken and needed to be fixed'". The Guardian . Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  3. ↑ Pierre, Alphonse (March 27, 2020). "Our 10 Favorite Things in Rap This Week". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Lobenfeld, Claire (April 22, 2020). "KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Xie, Teresa (February 10, 2021). "KeiyaA levels up even with live music shut down". Chicago Reader . Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Heinzl, Jeff (May 10, 2020). "KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  7. ↑ Gaillot, Ann-Derrick (January 26, 2021). "KeiyaA: The artist is here for her things". Crack . Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  8. ↑ Mowatt, Robyn (February 11, 2021). "KeiyaA Unleashes Enchanting NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert". Okayplayer . Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  9. ↑ Bloom, Madison (March 25, 2021). "KeiyaA Announces Vinyl Pressing of Forever, Ya Girl". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Forever Ya Girl - KeiyaA | Release Info". AllMusic . Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  11. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (July 21, 2020). "5 great albums from 2020 you may have missed". BrooklynVegan . Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Clash Albums Of The Year 2020". Clash . December 14, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  13. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2020". Complex . December 1, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  14. ↑ "The Top 50 Albums of 2020". Crack . December 3, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  15. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Esquire . December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  16. ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2020". The Fader . December 15, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  17. ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2020: the full list". The Guardian . December 1, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Okayplayer's Best Albums of 2020". Okayplayer . December 23, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  19. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Paste . November 30, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  20. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Pitchfork . December 8, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  21. ↑ "The 100 Best Albums of 2020". Vice . December 8, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  22. ↑ KeiyaA (2020). Forever, Ya Girl (CD booklet). Quik Language.
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