Yancyabril w/Bel Holiday

Born in Brooklyn and growing up in almost all parts of NYC, singer-songwriter Yancyabril’s captivating energy, sweet melodic voice, and diverse sounds dazzle her audience members every time fusing Pop, Folk, Jazz and R&B into her music. As a New York City native her artistic background and influences give her a unique perspective.

Yancyabril has sung and worked with legendary artists like Bonnie Raitt, Smokey Robinson, Full Force member Paul Anthony, and Drummer Carmine Appice. She was a featured singer for the Aretha Franklin tribute concert at Carnegie Hall. In 2017, Yancyabril won Popular voice for the YoungArts competition singing her original song “Ain’t Nobody.” In 2018, she was a featured singer for the well renowned gospel show, “Too Hot to Handle: The Gospel Messiah” at the United Palace. Following in the footsteps of another New York born and bred jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald, she also got a chance to sing at the Apollo Theater Amateur night.

She started her college career at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and later transferred and graduated from SUNY Purchase’s Jazz Conservatory with a focus in voice where she was the recipient of the Ella Fitzgerald Scholarship.

At age 21, Bel Holiday is currently in the process of “figuring it all out,” and this can be heard in her eclectic sound. After years of pursuing music “for other people” and releasing 2 EPs- one recorded in Nashville and the next, a DIY collaboration with producer and artist Thalo- Bel decided to study yoga, go back to school, and take a break from the vigorous pursuit of a music career in order to focus on finding joy in the craft. Since then, she has shifted to inhabiting a more genre-ambiguous, experimental style. Bel draws influence from Woodstock-era greats such as Joni Mitchell and Janis Joplin, as well as more Avante Garde songstresses, namely Nai Palm and Willow. Spare the occasional love song, she writes about existential, spiritual matters that plague us all, and the search for peace amidst the chaos of the mind.