We first heard one of 2016’s most impressive new voices, singer-songwriter Abir, through her collaborations. Earlier this year, she teamed up with rapper-singer-saxophonist Masego for the excellent dance track “Waves,” and she’s previously been featured on tracks by Fabolous and producer Illmind (50 Cent, Kanye West, Drake). But now the vocal powerhouse is stepping into the spotlight on her own with the hard-hitting new track “Girls,” which Billboard is proud to premiere today — which also happens to be Abir’s 22nd birthday.
Produced by Illind, the track — a blend of R&B, hip-hop and electro — features Abir throwing shade at jealous folks “talking this and that” about people making moves. “It isn’t about being bitter,” Abir tells Billboard. “It’s actually an anthem for all the young girls and boys who are actually making shit happen!” The Morocco-born, Queens, NY-based singer, who has previously opened for The-Dream and Dawn Richard, is celebrating the release of the song (and her birthday, of course) at Elvis Guesthouse in New York on Friday (July 8). In the meantime, listen below: