Kwn Talks New ‘And All Pride Aside’ EP, Processing Grief Amid Rising Fame & Pushing Herself Lyrically: ‘I Want Every Line to Be Intentional’
Categoria: Musica
The fast-rising R&B singer-songwriter is back with her second new project in as many years.
Por Billboard | 22/06/2026
A lot can change in a year. Related How a Bedroom Instagram Live Session Yielded KWN’s Breakthrough Hit ‘Worst Behaviour’ Why Did Everything Finally Seem to Click for R&B on a Mainstream Level in 2025? (Critic’s Take) PJ Morton Rings in Juneteenth with Sprawling ‘Saturday Night, Sunday Morning’ Double LP: ‘I’ve Been Auditioning for This Album My Whole Life’ East London R&B singer-songwriter kwn burst onto the scene in 2025 with her Kehlani-assisted “Worst Behaviour,” which reached No. 12 on Hot R&B Songs and earned her R&B Up-And-Comer of the Month honors from Billboard (formerly Rookie of the Month). After a seemingly nonstop months-long stretch of touring and promo — while also navigating public romances and private grief — kwn is ready to unveil the official follow-up to her star-making With All Due Respect EP. Titled And All Pride Aside , the new project was always intended to be a companion piece to With All Due Respect — even if kwn’s relentless schedule slightly delayed its arrival. Between an alluring, Destin Conrad-assisted opener in “All Fours” and the no-holds-barred dirty talk of the Ty Dolla $ign-featuring “’Til the Room Stinks,” the slinky sensuality and playful approach to sex that defined Respect are even more pronounced on Pride . But more introspective moments like heart-wrenching “Rather Never Love Again” and standout closer “Heaven’s in Your Hands” allow kwn to flaunt the versatility of her songwriting, adding an emotional center of gravity to the project’s ethereal soundscapes. “I used to shy away from writing anything too emotional for me, or even just a bit too personal for me,” she tells Billboard . “But obviously I’m growing day by day, which, in turn, is allowing me to open up with the world as well. At the end of the day, every time I put out a piece of music, the world is going to hear it. I’m learning how to be more comfortable with that.” When kwn last spoke with Billboard , she gushed over crafting “Worst Behaviour” in her bedroom — an environment that’s been nearly impossible for her to recreate since leveling up in her career. Between her still-unfurling grief over her grandfather’s passing last fall to learning her limits when it comes to recording tracks on the tour bus, Respect oscillates between both ends of kwn’s emotional spectrum, slyly reflecting the subtle chaos of her past year. Embedded within that chaos are moments of quiet control, like “Better on My Own” and lead single “Touch Myself,” which find kwn exploring emotional and sexual independence, respectively. Of course, she still finds time to cater to the club, lifting Nelly’s ‘00s classic “Hot in Herre” for an outright banger titled “Risk It All” (no relation to Bruno Mars’ 2026 hit of the same name). Crafted by an impressive roster of collaborators, including longtime co-producer Joel Compass and Malik Ninety Five, kwn’s new project deepens her signature brand of brooding, ’90s-informed R&