Yazmin Lacey shares her new lessons learnt through love on her sophomore album ‘Teal Dreams’. Split generously into 14 tracks, the artist invites us into her radiant inner world, sharing intimate stories of friendship and self-discovery while confronting the bittersweet endings of past relationships. Sonically, it’s an effortless manoeuvre between her smoky jazz, lovers rock and neo-soul influences, or what she confidently coins as “music from the soul, for the soul”.

Two years on from debut album ‘Voice Notes’, and following her star turn on Ezra Collective’s ‘God Gave Me Feet For Dancing’, we now witness an expansion of Lacey’s sound. With productions from Melo-Zed, Miles James, Barney Lister, Joe-Armon Jones and Matt Maltese, she feels unrestrained by genre expectations as she delivers an intuitive expression of who she is right now. On the track ‘Rear View’ she pleas to part ways with a loved one while leaving the window of nostalgia slightly ajar. She sings, ‘When I look back, I know you’re looking back too,’ drifting over a mellow horn section that appears in purposeful doses. Meanwhile on the single ‘Wallpaper’ she dips into an erotic flow. The video, co-directed by Lacey, features couple friends of hers as they kiss, cuddle and caress, and here we share BTS interviews where they express their own love lessons as well as their passion for the community this artist effortlessly builds around her.

Fresh from a UK tour, plus appearances on Later… with Jools Holland and BBC 6 Music, you can also find Lacey easing listeners through the early hours of the day on her ‘Morning Matters’ radio show on Rinse FM. We stole some time with the London-born songstress to get into some big feelings.

Where did the title ‘Teal Dreams’ spring from and how does it inform the album?

I was inspired by Danielle McKinney’s paintings of Black women in their spaces – usually alone, dancing, sleeping, smoking, naked. There was one picture in particular that stood out to me of a woman on sofa in a teal room and at the time I was living in a teal bedroom so it really spoke to me. I realised that this is the space I am creating from, the space in which I tell my stories from.

Lyrically, you allow listeners to step into your mind and heart. How have you developed the art of vulnerability in your song-writing over the years?

Looking at my very first EP ‘Blackmoon’ to now, I’ve always written from real experiences but over time I have just become a more developed storyteller. It’s not just about diary entries now, it’s also about making things beautiful and poetic and captivating.

You created the album chronologically. Could you speak about the evolution of emotions that you explore throughout the tracks?

I always write to make sense of things, so I’m capturing stuff as I’m processing it. On ‘Teal Dreams’ I go inward to work through heartache and destruction (‘Two Steps’ / ’Love Is Like The Ghetto') and then there is this moment of loneliness (‘Worlds Apart’). I move on to ‘Grace’, which is a turning point on the album, a little self-prayer, and then spend some time in nature (‘Wild Things’) and my mood and energy starts to change. The perspective is about my relationships with other people, like friends, and in the end realising that everything happens for a reason and it’s okay to get things wrong and to get them right (‘Longest Way Around’). It’s definitely an end but also the beginning of my arrival.

You only have one feature here, which is with Tyson on the song ‘Water’, and the chemistry is seamless. How did you two originally connect?

I’m a big believer that great music comes from great relationships and this song speaks to that. I’ve known Tyson for years and we’ve always spoken about making music together but never forced it. ‘Water’ is one of my favourite collaborations to date because we talked a lot and were able to make something vulnerable.

When deciding who to bring into your creative space, what characteristics or values in another artist resonate most with you?

I just like working with people who are easy, encouraging and open – people who make the studio a warm and safe environment. I’m not really into the get-in-bang-a-song-out-no-chat type thing, I like to build relationships.

Your background in youth work suggests a strong connection to community and mentorship. How did that foundation mould your creative work today?

I’ve always had someone show me an alternative way to live or express myself in life – that’s why I got into youth work originally. It’s a different way of being creative but I’ve always found it inspiring working with human beings who have not yet been totally tainted by the adult world.

Now, those experiences have made me think about the kind of advice I would give to young people and apply it. For example, stepping out of your comfort zone and being kind to yourself. I think having a general openness and curiosity to others is a great benefit in the studio… I’ve also really enjoyed working as an ambassador for Cats Mother to support women in music. And I’m currently working on a community project that hopefully will kick into action next year.

What can we expect from you next?

I’m playing Electric Brixton on 6 March, 2026 – my biggest show to date. See you there, it's gonna be a special one :)