Roots of Kwabs
The artists and genres Kwabs came out of — one hop back on the influence tree.
Catching Fliesartist
NaoartistNeo Jessica Joshua, better known as Nao, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer from East London. Her sound has been described as soul combined with electronic music, funk and R&B, while Nao herself coined the term "wonky funk" to describe her style. She released her debut album, For All We Know, in 2016, her second album, Saturn, in 2018, and her third, And Then Life Was Beautiful, in 2021. Her most recent album, Jupiter, was released in 2025.
Disclosureartist
AqualungartistMatthew Nicholas Hales is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer who has been performing professionally under the name Aqualung since the early 2000s. Aqualung is best known in the UK for his song "Strange and Beautiful", which was featured on a television advertisement for the new Volkswagen Beetle during the summer of 2002 and went on to become a top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart later that year. In the United States, Aqualung is also known for the song "Brighter Than Sunshine", which had considerable airplay and was used in the film A Lot Like Love and various television spots. Hales has released seven albums as Aqualung. The most recent, Dead Letters, appeared in 2022.
GoldieartistGoldie were a British pop/rock band. The band was formed by guitarist Dave Black in 1976 with members of his previous project Kestrel and following his departure from the Spiders from Mars. They are best known for the hit single "Making Up Again", which reached Number 7 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1978.
Corinne Bailey Raeartist
James BlakeartistJames Blake Litherland is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Known for his emotive, soulful light head voice and use of falsetto, he first gained recognition following the release of three extended plays—The Bells Sketch, CMYK and Klavierwerke—in 2010. He signed with A&M Records to release his self-titled debut album (2011) the following year, which was met with critical praise and peaked within the top ten of the UK Albums Chart.
Sohnartist
Plan BartistBenjamin Paul Ballance-Drew, better known by his stage name Plan B, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and filmmaker. He first emerged as a rapper, releasing his debut album, Who Needs Actions When You Got Words, in 2006. His second studio album, The Defamation of Strickland Banks (2010), was a soul and R&B album, and debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. He has also collaborated with other artists such as Chase & Status, most notably on the 2009 top ten single "End Credits".