UK R&B

UK R&B is the British strain of rhythm and blues that emerged in the 1980s when London acts such as *Loose Ends*, *Soul II Soul* and *Sade* fused American soul and funk with British club culture, Caribbean sound-system practice and jazz. Through *Omar*, *Mica Paris*, *Gabrielle* and *Beverley Knight* it defined a smoother, street-soul alternative to US imports in the 1990s, bridged into UK garage with *Craig David*, and renewed itself in the streaming era through *Ella Mai*, *Jorja Smith* and *Mahalia*, keeping a distinctly British accent within the genre's global mainstream.