Perspective is the palette from which you paint your world. If you use drab colors, your existence will be dreary. Dobi and Yugy of the sibling artist and production duo, SYBS, were raised celebrating life with a joyous, faith-based mindset. Even when times have been bleak, the brother sister team have seen vibrant colors peaking through. It’s an infectious mindset that imbues the pair’s refreshingly eclectic aesthetic.
“The message of our music is: Even when it’s hard, or you’re sad, perseverance, respect for yourself and others, and faith in positive changes are what really matter,” says Dobi. Yugy adds: “We draw from our real lives to create music that inspires people to continue on in the face of adversity.”
SYBS is music of unity. Dobi says: “Besides the name touching upon us being brother and sister, the name represents that music brings us all together, and that makes us all siblings,” Dobi shares. Adding to poignancy here is that music also brought Dobi and Yugy together. “We were not that close as brother and sister when we were younger. It was, ultimately, a shared love of music that helped us find common ground and develop a stronger relationship over the years,” Yugy says.
SYBS is a transatlantic, cross-genre, and pan-cultural musical experience. The siblings are of Nigerian descent and have resided globally. Currently, the pair split their time between London, New York, and Los Angeles. The pair’s exhilarating tribal pop sound is a contemporary fusion of 80’s pop, 90’s hip-hop/ R&B, and African influenced rhythms. It’s a music that hits your head, hips, and heart.
SYBS is the culmination of two parallel lives in music. Dobi and Yugy share a grounding in classical music and panoramic listening tastes. The siblings grew up in a house where Beethoven, Mozart, West African High Life, The Beatles, Motown, Sam Cooke, Madonna, Sade, Abba, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and David Bowie coexisted as a vibrantly varied soundtrack. Their paths have been divergent—with Dobi blossoming into a charismatic front-person and songwriter, and Yugy finding his gifts in the subtle side of the arts as a producer, songwriter, and composer.
Together, Dobi and Yugy pool together impressive and intriguing career resumes. In 2007, Dobi released her debut solo single, “Feel That Jam!”—a co-write with Yugy—that, as an indie release, rocketed to #7 on the UK Club Charts. Dobi also energized dance floors as the front-lady of the slinky groove band, Über-Tone. Outside, of his behind-the-scenes production work, brother Yugy is a former professional basketball player who holds the distinction of being the second player ever to be named Ivy League Player Of The Year twice.
Though their partnership seems inevitable—both are accomplished producers, songwriters, and lifelong musicians—SYBS could only have happened now. Recently, Dobi closed a 5-year chapter with her touring band, and Yugy left his post-basketball career gig as real estate agent to dedicate his full time to music. “I don’t believe in coincidences,” shares Dobi.
As artists SYBS will be spreading a message of passion and unity through their music. Yugy says: “We want to connect to people with love and build a community around our music and outlook on life. If in some small way we can inspire others to pursue what they are passionate about and make room for it in the midst of their busy lives we would have done something meaningful”
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