A lot can change in a year.
East London R&B singer-songwriter kwn burst onto the scene in 2025 with her Kehlani-assisted “Worst Behaviour,” which reached No. 12 on Hot R&B Songs and earned her R&B Up-And-Comer of the Month honors from Billboard (formerly Rookie of the Month). After a seemingly nonstop months-long stretch of touring and promo — while also navigating public romances and private grief — kwn is ready to unveil the official follow-up to her star-making With All Due Respect EP.
Titled And All Pride Aside, the new project was always intended to be a companion piece to With All Due Respect — even if kwn’s relentless schedule slightly delayed its arrival. Between an alluring, Destin Conrad-assisted opener in “All Fours” and the no-holds-barred dirty talk of the Ty Dolla $ign-featuring “’Til the Room Stinks,” the slinky sensuality and playful approach to sex that defined Respect are even more pronounced on Pride. But more introspective moments like heart-wrenching “Rather Never Love Again” and standout closer “Heaven’s in Your Hands” allow kwn to flaunt the versatility of her songwriting, adding an emotional center of gravity to the project’s ethereal soundscapes.
“I used to shy away from writing anything too emotional for me, or even just a bit too personal for me,” she tells Billboard. “But obviously I’m growing day by day, which, in turn, is allowing me to open up with the world as well. At the end of the day, every time I put out a piece of music, the world is going to hear it. I’m learning how to be more comfortable with that.”
