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Qveen Herby

Source: Qveen Herby / Qveen Herby

Reinvention is often difficult for musical acts, especially those who achieved recognition at a level that may have suffocated their true artistic aims. For Qveen Herby, shaking loose the ghosts of music’s past has come relatively easy and she lands full circle with the release of her latest project, EP 7.

Some might remember Qveen Herby as one-half of the viral YouTube duo Karmin, who blew up after their cover of Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now,” which led to a major record deal. However, the crushing weight of corporate meddling and a burning desire to be true to herself moved Qveen to embrace Hip-Hop music in a more organic fashion that still manages to capture the playful bounce of her past group.

Now in the front all alone, Qveen has dropped her latest set, EP 7, a matter of fact title that illustrates the number of short projects she’s released over the past two years with her ex-Karmin partner and boyfriend Jedii Nick on the boards willfully playing the back while Qveen takes centerstage.

EP 7 is a kaleidoscopic audio journey that has the high-gloss sheen and sound of big pop tunes skilfully meshed with the hard, head nod-inducing bop of trap-influenced Hip-Hop. As a rapper, Qveen’s verbal dexterity and lyrical stylings are at times comically boastful yet entirely believable.

Yes, the pop stylings are audibly present but this time, the music doesn’t feel packaged to only be played in some artisanal coffee joint for college kids who wear thick-soled shoes for an ironic fashion effect.  EP 7 sounds like an album from a woman who knows exactly who she’s speaking to and for, all the while paying reverence to those who came before her with a chest-out bravado that her male counterparts in Hip-Hop wield fearlessly.

With its lead single “Cheap Talk,” it would be fair to say that few would know what to expect of Qveen and that’s true across the five-song, 11-minute journey on EP 7.

To go along with the EP’s release, a video for the project’s lead track “Vitamins” was also unveiled to the public.

When asked what Qveen Herby’s aims are with just dropping EPs over a full-length, she answered as confidently.

“I love dropping EPs cuz it’s basically half an album every few months,” Qveen told us. “My team keeps getting tighter, I’m honing my craft, and my artistic vision for Qveen Herby is becoming more refined. Even my visuals have evolved to show more of my quirky persona and lean into my uniqueness. You can hear and see me becoming my true self through my EPs.”

She added in her comments that she hopes to tour in the coming year and reconnect with her legion of fans across the globe, especially those who have stayed along for the ride to the switch from Karmin to Qveen Herby.

In a tweet from last month, Qveen mentioned fellow fierce firebrand Rico Nasty after seeing the “Big T*tties” star in one of her dreams. When asked if their pair will collab soon, it appears that the idea is fresh on Qveen’s mind.

“I have yet to connect with Rico Nasty but she’s so brilliant, saw her perform on tour with my friend/goddess Maliibu Miitch this past spring,” she shared.

Check out Qveen Herby’s excellent EP 7 in the streams below. Learn more about Qveen Herby and cop the six previous joints here.

Photo: Qveen Herby