First Word is very proud to bring you more new music from [ K S R ].

'Drop In' is another slice of sweet sumptuous soul, showcasing [ K S R ]'s phenomenal vocal & songwriting talents. This is the Mancunian artist's second track released in 2023, and the next one taken from a longer upcoming project working with producer Teo, who's previously collaborated with Akemi Fox and label mates Children of Zeus.

Hailing from Moss Side, Manchester, [ K S R ] is a young talent that's been steadily building a rep for himself over the past few years as one of the UK's most exciting soul vocalists, with his releases encompassing an eclectic assortment of alternative R&B, future soul, hip hop and D&B.

His own soulful style has seen him collaborate with a number of UK peers; as well as touring with the likes of Mica Miller, Pip Millett, Etta Bond & The Mouse Outfit, performing gigs at legendary venues such as Blues Kitchen, and playing various festivals across Europe such as We Out Here.

He was most recently hand-picked by Mahalia to play an event she curated personally at The Jazz Cafe in London.

Since he began developing his music in 2017, [ K S R ] has had support from the likes of 1Xtra, BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing, BBC 6 Music, Mixmag, NTS, Reprezent, Unity & Soho Radio.

His debut release 'Unfiltered' appeared on Polarface Records in 2019, which was followed by single 'Flex With Me' (produced by Tyler Daley from Children of Zeus), then an independent second EP, 'Take Control', followed in late 2020 which amassed over 500k streams.

A third EP dropped on First Word at the end of 2021, entitled 'Peace + Harmony'. This one produced by Dom Porter and mixed by Eric Lau saw support from the likes of Mr. Scruff (Worldwide FM), and Victoria Jane (BBC Radio 1), with the lead single being named as 'Track Of The Week' on 1Xtra / BBC Introducing.

Following the single 'Call My Phone' recently, there was also an acoustic version of EP track 'Lily Apart', a collab 'Falling' with Abnormal Sleepz and a self-produced independent two-tracker in late 2022 called 'Guessnobodyknows'. These were all supported by Spotify's 'New Music Friday', with the latter also appearing in their 'Chilled R&B' playlist.

He's also featured on a slew of D&B tracks, with artists like Lenzman, Zero T, Searchlight, Makoto, GLXY, BCee, Emba & Redeyes.

[ K S R ] was additionally named an "R&B act to watch" by Complex in 2022, had features with Notion magazine, and was named in Bandcamp's "Best Soul Releases".

Aside from the music releases, he's been recruited by several notable brands for promotional campaigns across Europe, most recently for New Balance as a creative ambassador for London Marathon, and previously for Manchester United, Foot Locker, Nike and Size? (on a special MCR-themed Air Force 1 release).