Ever since Elmiene (pronounced elmeen) went viral in 2021 on TikTok and Instagram with a cover of D’Angelo’s neo-soul gem, “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” the singer-songwriter has been steadily amassing a legion of fans. For the uninformed who are asking how, the following fan comment about the singer-songwriter’s 2024 NPR Tiny Desk Concert — which has logged more than 1.5 million YouTube views — succinctly answers the query.
“His voice is EVERYTHING, and his lyrics speak volumes.”
Variously described as angelic, smooth like butter and unadulterated — while also drawing comparisons to D’Angelo, Maxwell and Marvin Gaye — Elmiene’s melodic, emotive vocals and insightful lyrics have logged several other buzz-building moments. Like getting co-signs from Missy Elliott and Questlove. Like “Golden,” from his 2024 EP For the Deported, being featured on Virgil Abloh’s final Louis Vuitton show. Performing on the 2025 BET Awards. And scoring nominations for rising star at the 2025 Brit Awards and outstanding new artist at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards.
Now after a host of critically acclaimed EPs beginning with 2023’s El-Mean and Marking My Time and including 2024’s Anyway I Can and 2025’s Heat the Streets, Elmiene is releasing his debut album, sounds for someone. The 12-track Def Jam Recordings project arrives March 27, having already spun off two singles: “Reclusive,” preceded by “Cry Against the Wind.” Among the album’s other noteworthy tracks is the vibey anthem “Honour,” about respect in a relationship, and the midtempo ode to loneliness “Light by the Window” featuring Raphael Saadiq. Saadiq is also among the hitmaking songwriter-producers who collaborated with Elmiene, along with Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman, No I.D. and Sampha.
Of British-Sudanese descent, 24-year-old Elmiene was born in Frankfurt, Germany. After living there for five years, he moved with his family to Oxford, England. It was while finishing his final year of university — studying poetry — that Elmiene pivoted into music with the D’Angelo cover. In addition to intoxicating tenor-into-falsetto vocals, his ability to condense raw emotion and relatability into his stories about life, family relationships and love, is another hallmark of Elmiene’s distinct brand of modern R&B.
“I was studying poetry,” says Elmiene, “but if we’re being real, a poetry degree is not getting you a job. I guess I was doing it for the sake of a passion because I wasn’t ready to get a proper job yet. When I left university, my plan was to be a security guard as my uncle is one. I thought that’s easy enough.
“But I never got to do it,” he continues, “because the music stuff happened. I was 21 then, andit was like you either do it or you don’t because it’s right in front of you. So I never really had a chance to be in the open world without being a musician. As an adult, I’ve always been a musician. I don’t know any other way of living.”
Right now, Elmiene — who relocated to Los Angeles from London a month ago — is living on the road as he travels the promo circuit for sounds for someone. Then on April 30, he kicks off his North American/Europe headlining tour on behalf of the album.
Asked what he’s learned about himself since wrapping the projects, Billboard’s February R&B Rookie pauses then notes, “Sometimes I do doubt myself and learning how to get out of that spiral is definitely very valuable. I’ve learned how to take myself away from myself.”
How did you settle on the title sounds for someone?
I kind of half-started from [Stevie Wonder’s] Songs in the Key of Life. I think that’s the greatest title ever because of how broad it is. Anything from anyone, anywhere in the world, can fit into what the key of life suggests. Particularly at the start of sounds for someone, the first question is, “Who is this someone?” And it’s personal to me. But at the same time, I wanted to keep it open to where anyone can put someone into that: brother, sister, cousin, auntie, whoever. I wanted to be vague enough where anyone could relate to it.
Press materials describe the album as a “deep reflection on the ups and downs” of your relationship with your father. What song or songs most encapsulate that dynamic?
“Cry Against the Wind” and “Told You I’ll Make It,” the last song on the project. They’re both very direct, stark descriptions. The first is about my guilt [over the strained relationship with his father]. The second is a mix of my guilt and also my acceptance at the end that, despite our differences, we’d still make it to the same place. It’s hard writing about a personal topic like that, releasing it and then talking about it all the time. It’s also kind of mad [chuckles]. Sometimes I sit and go, “Maybe I shouldn’t have written this album because now I’m going around talking about my dad every other day.” But I guess I did it because I needed it. It’s a form of therapy in itself.
Your latest single “Reclusive” is also very introspective. In a press release, you note the song’s origin stems from being “grateful for a pretty debilitating sickness” you had in 2024.
“Reclusive” is an autobiographical song, which was the goal when we walked in the studio that day. It was, “Okay, we need people to see what it’s like to live a day in the life of Elmiene. Like getting up in the morning, playing video games; doing nothing and wondering if I should go outside at all. It’s all very much part of my daily struggle. That [December] was like my worst case of reclusive syndrome, if you want to call it that. I just needed people to get a different part of me that they don’t normally get because a lot of my music is very introspective — sometimes to the point where, unless you are me, it’s hard to understand. Hey man, I’m just reclusive. And sometimes it’s just as simple as that.
Why was Biz Markie also an inspiration for “Reclusive?”
His song “Just a Friend” is also autobiographical. Just the story of a day. It’s so good, so simple. It’s brilliant.
You mentioned Stevie Wonder. Who are some other influencers that provided inspiration?
My love of music came from my older cousins. I had a hard drive of all the R&B being played at the time. It’s like 2006-07. In addition to Stevie and D’Angelo, there was like Craig David and T-Pain. I just jumped into music with R&B as my entrance and never stopped from there. I was just a massive nerd. As soon as I heard music, my next thought was “I need to go deeper and find out what happened before.” When I was a kid, I wanted to an archeologist. So that just naturally inclined my brain to think if I like Usher, then who came before Usher? That’s what led me to Jodeci, Mint Condition, New Edition, the DeBarges …
The most important thing about music to me is the song, not production. D’Angelo’s songs, his song structure especially, always spoke to me. Black Messiah is one of my favorite albums of all time. And “Really Love” is one of the greatest songs he’s written. D’Angelo is always the standard that I’m trying to live up to whenever I’m writing music.
Soul always felt like the right term for my genre. The word itself suggests that it reflects whatever is in your soul, [making] the definition more open. That’s how Stevie really inspired me as his music has incredible range. He was never afraid to go wherever he needed to go to make sure he wrote the best song possible.
What’s your favorite part about songwriting?
When I used to write poetry, the way poetry is structured, you can kind of do whatever you want. You can express yourself in a million ways to get one thought across. But I think the fun for me in songwriting is being able to condense all those complex emotions into a hook or a verse.
How would you describe your role in R&B’s present revitalization?
I’m thankful and feel very blessed that I even came at the same time as a lot of my peers now, like Leon Thomas, Kehlani or Sasha Keable. I feel like without a collective, a movement can’t really happen. I’m satisfied with just being a very sturdy part of the crew, happy to bring it back as a genre because I just want to hear exciting music again. To be honest, it’s really all I’m here for.
