Ibeyi

Ibeyi are a French-Cuban duo formed by twin sisters Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Díaz, born in Paris to Cuban percussionist Angá Díaz, a member of Buena Vista Social Club, and a French mother. Their name means «twins» in Yoruba, the West African language and spiritual tradition brought to Cuba through the slave trade, which remains central to their identity and sound. Naomi plays cajón and batá drums, Lisa-Kaindé writes the songs and plays piano, and together they build a minimalist, ritualistic style that blends Afro-Cuban and Yoruba chant traditions with contemporary electronic production.

The sisters signed to XL Recordings and released their self-titled debut album, «Ibeyi», in 2015, produced with Richard Russell. The record paid tribute to their late father and to their older sister Yanira, who died in 2013, and drew praise for fusing jazz-inflected beats, field-recorded samples and traditional Yoruba invocations into something distinctly modern. Songs such as «River», «Oya» and «Mama Says» established their voice: hushed, layered harmonies over sparse percussion and low electronic pulses.

Their influences range from Frank Ocean and James Blake to King Krule, and this cross-pollination has made them a bridge between Afro-Caribbean tradition and alternative R&B and electronic pop. They followed the debut with the album «Ash» (2017) and continued exploring themes of ancestry, resilience and femininity, collaborating along the way with artists including Kamasi Washington. Ibeyi occupy a distinctive place in contemporary music, honoring heritage while speaking to a modern, genre-blurring audience.