Yolanda Quartey, better known by her stage name, Yola, is a Grammy-nominated country-soul singer-songwriter from Bristol, England. She has also gone by the name Yola Carter.
She became the lead singer of the band Phantom Limb, who released their first album in 2010. She has sung backing vocals for numerous artists including Massive Attack, The Chemical Brothers, and Iggy Azalea. Yola released her first solo EP, Orphan Offering, in 2016.
In February 2019, she released her debut album Walk Through Fire on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound label, to much acclaim. The album title references both a fire which damaged Yola’s home and an abusive relationship from which she escaped. Brittney McKenna of NPR Music’s First Listen declared, “It’s the work of an artist sure to stun audiences for years to come.” The Wall Street Journal stated, “The album is an introduction to a seasoned, major vocalist that stands to be remembered as a breakthrough.”
She sings the verse about a freedom rider The Highwomen’s single “Highwomen.”
Yola received four nominations at the 62nd Grammy Awards, including the all-genre Best New Artist category, and joined the Broadway cast of Hadestown in 2024.