Oshun

×

Expand

Photo by Alberto Vargas

Oshun

In one scene in the music video for “Hold Up,” Beyoncé strolls out of a stately building as water gushes out of the doors around her. The inspiration for her flowing, golden yellow dress was Oshun, a Yoruban spirit whose domain includes rivers and fresh water, sensuality, love, purity, and fertility. So it’s easy to understand why such a goddess might also inspire Niambi Sala and Thandiwe, the young women from New York who make music under the name Oshun. Together, they make lithe, hypnotic songs that blend R&B, hip-hop, and pop into one inimitable blend. Their inspirations are both ancient and futuristic, as they deftly demonstrate in the earth-and-outer-space video for their single “Parts,” a bitingly clever kiss-off track. Arrive early for some opening heat from ZenSoFly, Indigo de Souza, and Icky Bricketts. —Allison Hussey