A new wave of R&B is rising in Houston, and Black women are at the forefront.
The Women to Watch: Houston R&B Storytellers event is the showcase headlining the Fade to Black Arts Festival’s Kickoff Ceremony at the Hobby Center that puts these voices front and center.
Blending genre-bending sounds with their personal storytelling, these artists are reshaping the city’s music scene on their own terms and making sure Houston is heard in a whole new way.
Skyrah Bliss
Skyrah Bliss is a multidimensional creative who’s been shaping her path on her terms. With African-American and Salvadoran heritage roots, she brings a globally nuanced perspective to Houston’s R&B scene. A former contestant on Matthew Knowles’ MTV reality series Breaking From Above, Skyrah has grown from a promising newcomer into a fully formed house/R&B songstress with a style that’s as bold as it is fluid.
And she doesn’t just stay in one lane. Whether performing on Revolt TV’s Local Love Tour: Houston, trading bars in a Rap Economics freestyle, or lacing sultry vocals on tracks like “III,” Skyrah proves she can do it all.
“I like all things,” she said at the Women to Watch event. “I wouldn’t be just one specific genre… I do what I want.”
Purple is her signature. Whether it’s a massive afro, braided floor-length extensions or a bold fashion choice, the color is always part of her identity. Reinventing herself as Skyrah Bliss was a creative reset, a way to stand out in a city where too many artists go unrecognized.
“It is a blessing and I don’t take that for granted. I can write to anything,” she said. “You see me, even if you send me a crazy beat, I’ll write to it. It’ll be, it’ll still be good. ”
That dedication started early. As a child, she instinctively understood how to structure a song, something she only later realized wasn’t typical.
“I like performing just because you can see your work manifest in real time,” she said. “Songwriting, I’ve been able to do that. I really, it’s crazy because when I think about it, I didn’t know that it wasn’t normal to know how to structure a song at such a young age, like three, four years old.
She is a perfectionist-turned-performer who has learned to embrace progress over polish.
“I found the power in just putting the work out,” she said. “It’s still creative. It’s still real. And people can connect to that.”
Dria Thornton
Dria Thornton is walking in with more than a decade of heavy industry receipts. With 12 RIAA Platinum certifications, Grammy and Dove Award nominations and songwriting credits for Logic, Rick Ross, Young Thug and Lecrae, she’s one of Houston’s most accomplished hidden gems, finally getting her shine as a solo artist.
“I didn’t set out to just get a platinum plaque,” she said. “But when it happened, it made me realize—if I can help someone sell a million records, I can sell a million myself.”
Her career officially launched when she and her partner, Chris, formed the powerhouse writing team The FrontRunnaz. After five years of relentless writing and production, their first major placement landed on Mobb Deep’s 2014 The Infamous album. From there, their network exploded. Dria’s unmistakable vocals, combined with their elite songwriting quality and work ethic, made them a go-to team for both veteran producers and rising names.
She’s become a creative Swiss army knife, not just in artist collaborations, but also in brand and sync licensing. Her custom music has powered ad campaigns for Serena Williams’ S by Serena NYFW 2022 runway show, Serena Ventures’ brand @WillPower and ad spots for Lincoln Motors. Her scoring work appears in TV and streaming hits like Netflix’s From Scratch, Peacock’s Bel-Air, Hulu’s The Kardashians, MTV’s Teen Mom Reunion and VH1’s Basketball Wives.
At the Women to Watch showcase, Dria also made it clear she’s about the business on every level. She’s a voting member and district advocate for the Texas Chapter of The Recording Academy, where she actively pushes for creators’ rights on Capitol Hill.
“Teamwork really does make the dream work,” she said, nodding to the years of collaboration with Chris, who remains a vital part of her creative process. “We’ve helped each other fulfill our dreams in different ways.”
The hustle hasn’t always been glamorous. She recalled one of her and Chris’ most demanding moments: Receiving ten demo tracks right before signing a management deal, while recovering from childbirth.
“We didn’t sleep for seven days,” she laughed. “We took shifts. I’d nap, he’d mix. Then I’d wake up and write again. We wanted it that bad.”
Now, Dria is intentionally creating space for other Houston talent.
“Skyrah Bliss, Jastin Martin, Rachel Winters, Kiki Classic, I’d love to work with all of them,” she said. “Houston is stacked with talent and we’re just getting started.”
Jastin Martin
Jastin Martin is known for her signature minimalist trap-soul sound.
Martin invites listeners into her most intimate spaces, often writing and recording in her bedroom. A self-taught singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer, she’s been writing since the age of nine.
By 16, she was hooked on studio time. Her roots run deep in Houston. Her grandfather introduced her to Bob Marley and Brooks & Dunn. Her mom brought Lenny Kravitz and Evanescence into the mix. Her grandmother played zydeco. Add to that her classical training on violin and piano and it’s no surprise that Martin’s music carries both structure and soul.
At Women to Watch, she spoke candidly about what fuels her: Love, vulnerability and evolution.
“Love looks different for everybody,” she said. “You might have to teach someone what it means for you and vice versa.”
That layered understanding of emotion is everywhere in her music. From the heartbreak clarity of “Again” to the meditative honesty of “Reassurance,” Martin’s lyrics hit with soft power. She gained viral momentum by releasing songs directly to social media, and her quiet candor built a loyal following that sees her as both artist and mirror.
Now, she’s turning that slow burn into a breakout. In 2024, she dropped Miss Me Yet…Now? (Deluxe), which is the expanded version of her debut album. The 16-track project included new collaborations with R&B mainstays Raheem DeVaughn, Eric Bellinger and Sammie.
And most recently, she teamed up with none other than legendary record producer Timbaland for the sultry, bass-heavy single “You or Nobody.” His unmistakable production and ad-libs frame Martin’s angelic vocals in a bold, genre-defining moment.
Though she’s always been an independent spirit, Martin is now working with the kind of producers she once looked up to. And rather than lose her voice in the process, she’s finding new ways to amplify it.
“I think I’m very comfortable being vulnerable,” she said. “That’s why my supporters are so loyal. They see themselves in the music.”
