We are pleased to reveal details of the latest release in our ongoing Lock-In series of filmed studio collaborations, with YSEE, best known for her recordings and performances with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Tony Allen, together with Mercury-nominated drummer and producer Moses Boyd and French producer Bastien Burger. Their new collaboration, Sun Is Coming, is out now and features additional performances from UNKLE pianist Jack Leonard, Mystery Jets and Sunspell guitarist Ollie Rocket, Jools Holland saxophonist Tom Waters, and solo artist Liam Bailey.

Speaking about the process of making the song at Abbey Road, YSEE says: “I didn’t know what was going to happen in the room when we arrived, but I knew I wanted a ‘hug song’ - something that could uplift people. I began to sing the melody about the sun to Bastien who started playing a piano hook straight away, then Moses started playing the drums and that was it. A beautiful moment by the piano looking for melodies carried by the drums. My dear friend Jill Furmanovsky came to visit us in the studio and take photos. During a break, she told me her granddaughter unfortunately was bullied at her previous school. It absolutely reinforced my will to make this a ‘hug song’ and to maybe send her a message about standing her ground and taking care of her own crown, her sovereignty. I think it works for all of us, every age and period of life. We all need a bit of this sun, and when it’s coming it washes away all the worries..”

Moses Boyd adds: “I find writing music such an amazing experience to be a part of. I don’t go in with ideas about what something has to be before we start. I’ve enjoyed all of this process and it’s just been fun to create.”

Bastien Burger says: “It was a great moment to experiment and create together at an incredible studio.”

YSEE is a French-African singer and actress. Mentored by the late legendary drummer Tony Allen (co-creator of Afrobeat with Fela Kuti), whom she also sang for, she connected with **Damon Albarn and his Africa Express collective, beginning her performances with them in 2013. During this time, she collaborated with a diverse range of artists including Warren Ellis, Young Fathers, Brian Eno and Hot Chip.

In 2015, YSEE moved to London and subsequently worked with UNKLE (James Lavelle), featuring on the tracks Farewell and Cowboys or Indian from their album The Road: Part 1. Her collaborations continued with Noel Gallagher on his 2017 album Who Built the Moon?, where she featured on the songs Fort Knox, Keep On Reaching, and Be Careful What You Wish For. She also appeared on Gallagher's track Black Star Dancing, released in 2019. For five years, YSEE toured the world with Noel Gallagher as a guest singer, including supporting U2 on their 2019 stadium tour in Australia and performing with Paul McCartney at Glastonbury Festival on the Pyramid Stage in 2022.

More recently, YSEE opened the ceremony for the Polar Music Prize in Sweden, honouring **Angélique Kidjo and Chris Blackwell, who both received their prestigious music awards that evening. She has also previously opened shows for renowned artists such as Seal, Mary J. Blige, and George Benson, and was invited to perform at the Olympia Hall in France by Gérard Drouot Productions. YSEEreleased her debut EP in 2022, titled Tony Allen Makes Me High, featuring Tony Allen himself as a tribute.

Moses Boyd is a British drummer, composer, producer, and bandleader known for his innovative blend of jazz, electronic music, grime, and afrobeat. Born in South London, Boyd rose to prominence as part of the vibrant UK jazz scene, gaining critical acclaim for his dynamic drumming style and boundary-pushing compositions. He first gained attention as one half of the duo Binker & Moses, alongside saxophonist Binker Golding, and later made waves with his 2020 Mercury Prize shortlisted album Dark Matter. Boyd’s work is characterised by its rhythmic complexity, genre fusion, and deep roots in both jazz tradition and contemporary urban sounds. He has collaborated with a range of artists across genres, including Lonnie Liston Smith, Sampha, and Four Tet, cementing his reputation as one of the most forward-thinking musicians of his generation.

Bastien Burger studied classical music at the age of 5, improvised and contemporary music at the Strasbourg National Conservatory and the Music Academy Institute of Nancy, before moving to Paris in the late 1990s. A composer for film, television, and theater, he notably composed all three seasons of the series Les Grands, for which he won the Best Music Award at the FFTV in 2019. He tours worldwide as a musician (live/studio) and musical director for numerous projects such as The Dø, Yaron Herman, Blackstrobe, Izïa, and Gaëtan Roussel. He is currently starring in the show Comme As You Are x tribute to Kurt Cobain with Béatrice Dalle and Youv Dee; touring throughout France.

This session was engineered by Gordon Davidson assisted by Freddie Light. The track was mastered by Christian Wright

Our Lock-In series is designed to reveal the in-studio creative experience, offering a window into an otherwise closed process. Artists are invited into the studios for an unexpected collaboration, or to record a new interpretation of an existing song, using only the mix of vintage instruments and future tech provided by Abbey Road. Sleaford Mods x Hot Chip, Hak Baker, The Clockworks,Jane Weaver, Django Django x Denai Moore and Fontaines D.C. have all released Lock-In singles over the last four years.

Discussing Abbey Road’s latest Lock-In, Abbey Road’s Director of Marketing & Creative, Mark Robertson says: “YSEE, Moses Boyd and Bastien Burger’s joyous new collaboration Sun Is Coming is exactly the kind of creativity and cultural collaboration that our Lock-In series has become renowned for. What really shines through the recording is the pure joy of creativity from this group of world class musicians, whose only focus was the best outcome for the song.”