In Rotation: BOY SODA

BOY SODA figured out how to bend a live band to his will after a 2023 SXSW set, and his debut album SOULSTAR proves he hasn't looked back. Raised in the sleepy coastal town of Terrigal, Australia, before finding his creative footing in Sydney, he has been steadily refining his pen since his 2022 mixtape YC-TAPE: Vol.1. Now, he is operating at a completely different altitude. He produces, writes, and sings, embedding lush live instrumentation directly into the foundation of his tracks. His breakout joint "Lil Obsession"—which just bagged a 2025 ARIA Award nomination for Best Soul/R&B Release—bridges an old-school soul warmth with a modern bounce. He even caught the irony of his own writing process, noting, “I’m talking about someone else – where does little obsession go – but I did just write a whole f***ing song about it.” Here is my issue with a lot of current R&B: too many artists are trapped inside the laptop. Everything is quantized to death. BOY SODA actually lets the groove breathe. When you listen to recent cuts like "Elements" or the moody "Bad News," you hear a musician who knows exactly when to let the bass walk and when to pull the drums back. He arranges the music to fit the room. It feels like a late-night jam session that someone was smart enough to hit record on. The right ears are already catching on. KEXP out in Seattle is spinning his records, while "Elements" recently landed on Spotify's New Music Friday and Apple Music's Breaking R&B. "SELFISH" is climbing Audiomack's Discover R&B charts too. The momentum is translating to the stage, with a massive slot booked for Japan’s Summer Sonic festival in August 2026. The brother is making grown music for a new era. Hit play right below.