Recently, I have discovered such amazingly talented women and I cannot believe how much great music I have been missing out on. I have been needing more black women to listen to, so I was ecstatic to find St. Beauty!
Atlanta natives Isis Valentino and Alex Belle make up the powerful R&B duo know as St. Beauty. They met in 2012 in a vintage boutique called Poor Little Rich Girl. They decided to form the duo after both participating in the showcases held in the basement of the boutique. Belle had written a song she wanted to perform, but she needed someone to accompany her on guitar. Luckily, Valentino had offered to play guitar for Belle. From then on, the two started writing and rehearsing together.
Alex Belle (left) sings lead vocals and Isis Valentino (right) plays guitar.
“Isis wrote a song called ‘St. Beauty.’ It was inspired by Stevie Wonder’s ‘Bird of Beauty.’ At first I didn’t like [the name] but it grew on me because I think St. Beauty has a lot of meaning. It means pure beauty. Anyone can be St. Beauty and anyone can relate to the name.” – Alex Belle
Like their name, St. Beauty are two women whose music reflects originality and style. The duo received the attention of Janelle Monae at one of their live performances in Atlanta when her Atlanta-based Wonderland label was just starting off. From then on, St. Beauty joined other artists such as Jidenna, Deep Cotton, and Roman Gianarthur to make up Wonderland Arts Society, a group of musicians and creatives. St. Beauty recorded the song “Going Nowhere” which appeared on the album Wonderland Presents: The Eephus.
St. Beauty released their debut album, Running to the Sun, which contains ten feature-less songs including “Borders” and “Caught.” The EP is slated to be released to all digital retailers on January 19.
St. Beauty
Now that you have some background information on St. Beauty, here are some song recommendations:
- “Borders”
- “Caught”
- “Not Discuss It”
- “Castles” by BOSCO ft. St. Beauty
- “Holographic Lover”
- “Going Nowhere”
Don’t sleep on these queens because their new music is sure to prove that 2018 will be another year filled with black girl magic!
