Apple Music’s New Artist Spotlight for April is Valerie Omari, a Congolese-born and Cape Town-based singer-songwriter who blends neo-soul and old school R&B.
“Firstly, this is pretty amazing”, said Valerie, “I feel absolutely honoured. I am so blessed to be able to add this to yet another milestone in my career. Being selected as Apple Music’s New Artist Spotlight recipient is an amazing accomplishment for me, especially being independent. I appreciate all the love towards my EP: Therefore I am, and I hope my music will bless and inspire everyone now more than ever.”
Valerie’s debut EP, Therefore I Am, released independently at the end of 2019, navigates the universal themes of love, heartbreak and all the emotions in between. Her critically acclaimed debut single Just Like The Rain released in 2018.
A commercial model and athlete, Valerie also had a keen interest in the arts from an early age. In 2015 she was selected to represent South Africa in Florida, USA at the International Arts Talent Show, which led to a glossy feature spread in Marie Claire magazine the following year.
With her knack for weaving heartfelt narratives and fusing new and old genres, she stands at the forefront of an emerging wave of South African R&B artists, citing icons like Janet Jackson and Lauryn Hill amongst her idols and inspiration.
As the latest Apple Music New Artist Spotlight, Valerie Omari is fast becoming one of the brightest voices on South Africa’s contemporary R&B and soul scene.
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