When one thinks of Milwaukee music, they probably do not typically think of R&B. The city does have some excellent artists making R&B, though, and *Aya is arguably the best one doing it currently. *Aya has a sound and style that feels so classic and mature. They are inspired by the Neo-Soul and Alternative R&B artists of the 1990s and 2000s. When I listen to *Aya, artists like Erykah Badu, Solange, and Corrine Bailey Rae may come to mind. After years of just performing covers, *aya started posting original music in 2023, releasing several singles and two EPs titled sweet sonder and time & metaphors. *aya was pretty active again in 2024, once again releasing multiple singles as well as an EP called slow burn. 2025 was a slow year for *aya, though. They only dropped one single all year called ‘pink lady’ on Valentine’s Day (it happened to be one of my favorite Milwaukee tracks of the year, by the way). I am happy to say *aya is back with two new songs, titled ‘inward currents’ and ‘impulse,’ which I will talk about below. Please let me know in the comments what you think of these new tracks from *aya! 

There is something about *aya’s music that is just so soothing to me. ‘inward currents’ is a song that embodies this feeling so perfectly. Like a lot of her music, the instrumental is so slow, soft, and lovely. The melody for this one is driven by what sounds like a floaty and warm guitar riff that is complemented by a groovy bassline that really gives it depth. The beat on this track is pretty relaxed, but it was a bit of a kick to it which stands out. Like usual, *aya’s vocals are what really stand out, though. Throughout most of the track, *aya’s voice has a low and nice tone that is so welcoming. There are points where she hits higher notes, though, which really give emphasis. On ‘inward currents,’ *aya sings about asking a partner to accept them and let them grow at their own pace. ‘impulse’ is a track with a bit more emphasis and fervor compared to the calmness of the first track. The instrumentation on this one is definitely more quirky and outside the box. The melody, which is driven by a balmy guitar riff, has a bit of a psychedelic feeling that I love. This feeling not only comes from that spacey riff, but also from the bassline and the synths. This song has such a groovy and floaty element to it. The beat for this track has more of a punch than the first track and is sort of off-center. This gives ‘impulse’ a cool texture that stands out. *aya’s vocals are a bit more raspy on this one, which really fits the energy of the instrumental. The backing vocals also give more emotion to the track, which is cool. On ‘impulse,’ *aya sings about a partner that they always have a great time with in the moment, but that they still have some doubts about. Both of these songs are a great intro to 2026, and I am glad *aya is back!