Maverick Sabre

While Maverick Sabre’s roots are in retro soul and modern hip-hop, his sound is ultimately defined by his indelible delivery. “I think sometimes we can be stuck within genres,” he told Apple Music. “I’ve always wanted my voice to be the genre.” The singer/songwriter (born Michael Stafford in London in 1990) has stuck to that conviction throughout his career. Since his 2012 debut album, Lonely Are the Brave, he’s sampled Portishead, recruited reggae star Chronixx, and fused elements of rap, psychedelia, jazz, gospel and acoustic pop into a stirring mix of melancholic reflections and merry revelations. Meanwhile, that voice—light and lithe, but heavy with emotion—has shaped the feel of every song he touches, starting with his earliest collaborations with rapper Professor Green (2010’s “Jungle”) and electronic duo Chase & Status (2011’s “Fire In Your Eyes”). Both as a solo star and highly sought-after guest—appearing alongside a diverse array of artists like Jorja Smith, Joey Bada$$ and Rudimental—Sabre continues to embrace the freedom to make music dictated solely by feel, not genre.