ANCHR's Artist of the Week: DRAMA

Have you Vaxed & Waxed beauties been looking for some vibey dance music to wind down these final remaining weeks of Summer? Well thank goodness you are an ANCHR reader because we've got just what you're looking for. I present to you: DRAMA. If any readers know the dynamic of the relationship between myself and the editor-in-chief of ANCHR you'll know “Drama” is essentially a nickname I have given her for her anxious rambles and over-the-top reactions. Well, that's not the Drama I am talking about now. The match made in heaven duo of Na'el Shehade and Via Rosa is the only DRAMA that you all need in your life.

With Shehade on beats and Rosa on vocals, DRAMA has produced a lovely R&B and dance blend, which has transcended the Chicago scene and permeated the ears of many music lovers all over the country. Shehade is a home-grown Chicago boy that grasped onto the house scene as a teen and began DJing around the city until he started making music of his own. His talents lead him to eventually working in collaboration with the likes of Kanye West, Chance the Rapper, and Vic Mensa before he was introduced to Rosa via another Chicago talent, Jean Deaux. Rosa was born in Texas, grew up in Northern California and had a taste of the music world early in life, seeing that her parents were in a reggae band. According to DRAMA's bio, Rosa began showing interest in poetry in her teen years and that information revealed to me the correlation of her poetry and song writing, especially in songs like “Low Tide.” Outside of the song being a certified bop, it reads like a poem to me and I was able to tell that Rosa is one of those ultra talented people that uses one talent to fuel another in artistic coalescence. In 2010, Rosa moved to Chicago and eventually joined the THEMpeople collective. Hop in your DeLorean and fast forward a couple years, DRAMA is putting out music that gives us all the feels while simultaneously making our rumps shake.

A few years back when DRAMA played JBTV I was all set to go but something came up and I wasn't able to make it. I was sad I missed them, but all that sadness went away once I finally got to see them at Lollapalooza. Everyone reading this that wasn't at Lollapalooza should actually be sad they missed them because that means they didn't get to see the blouse Rosa was wearing. She was like a pink cloud. Via is short for Lluvia, and in Spanish, Lluvia means rain, and her pink cloud shirt was definitely raining dance grooves because not only was she dancing all over the stage but the audience caught the dance contagion and were also doing their part in the booty shaking department. With the 4 o'clock time slot at the Grove stage, it was the perfect setting to get your groove on in the middle of such a beautiful and sunny day. They're only playing a couple dates out west at the end of October, but you should definitely consider checking them out whenever they hit your city next.

Keep up with the latest DRAMA updates here, and check out the official video for “Years” below.