Hey, y’all!
Welcome to R&B Paiges, a bi-weekly (or a post-whenever- I-feel-like-it) newsletter about the latest in R&B music.
Music is my love language. More specifically, R&B music sonically offered me the first glimpse into the essence of romantic love and its possibilities. And the women, who were single, in my life facilitated that introduction. I remember hearing Lauryn Hill’s breakthrough debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill for the first time when I was 10 years old. My auntie played the album while driving in the car and I, in the passenger seat, was impressed. I didn’t think anyone could be that honest about a troubled romance and opening up their personal flaws to the world while providing hope for themselves (and for the future of the R&B genre). Such is the case with love, I think.
I also remember hearing my mom and godmom belting the lyrics to Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You” while in the car. This time, I was in the back seat. I think I was 13. They sang the song with such expression and emotion that made me believe that they, too, couldn’t not be without their significant other even though they were single. I wanted to join them in their singing. I wanted to hear more of that music. And I did.
Since then, my love for R&B music has blossomed into something I feel deeply passionate about, which brings me to the purpose of this newsletter. I wanted create a platform that simply celebrates R&B music and its artists because……R&B isn’t dead. It’s still here. Just listen.
Each post will feature my take on any R&B album, artist or trend that piqued my interest for that given time, and I’m excited to share this with you all. Posts will be published bi-weekly (ish) on Monday mornings. Because I want my work to be accessible (and because we’re still in a pandemonium), I won’t be charging for subscriptions to my newsletter. If you’d like to monetarily support me and my work, my Cash App is $DeAsiaSutgrey.
Thanks for reading, and I’m looking forward to connecting with you all as I share my love for R&B,
DeAsia Paige
(graphic credit: Alanna Evans)
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