Lous and The Yakuza's "Solo" Is the Personification of Silk

The smoothness of velvet, silk, or satin is something we usually link to material trappings like clothes or curtains. Well, in gracing us with her new single, "Solo," Lous and The Yakuza transcends the sleekness of velvet, silk, and satin, materializing a sonic plushness that is hard to resist.

Lous and The Yakuza was born Marie-Pierra Kakoma in Congo. She grew up between Rwanda and Congo before ultimately moving to Belgium to pursue music. The R&B/pop/trap soulstress came up with her artist name in two parts. First, Lous is "Soul" backwards and, as Kakoma describes it, her music is "the language of [her] soul." Second, Yakuza stands for the producers, musicians, managers, and everyone involved in helping transfer her music from notebook idea to actualized reality. Yakuza also means gangster or mafia in Japanese (a culture Kakoma is fascinated by).

Kakoma's majestic single is guided by her smooth vocals, delicate strings that sound like the blend of a ukulele and a harp, and skipping percussion, which hints at a trap beat that never fully drops, keeping you invested throughout every second of the song. Kakoma sings in the chorus about how no matter what we do, "on restera solo," which translates to "we will stay solo."

The song's minimal production aligns beautifully with its French lyrics, as if making the instruments, too, sound lonely. "Solo" even ends with isolated vocals, as Kakoma sings the last few lines solo, without any accompaniment.

Lous and The Yakuza is certainly one to watch. Whether or not you speak French, the sonification of silk achieved in the precious melodies weaved in throughout "Solo" will surely have you hooked.

Listen to "Solo" below: