Justine Skye Moves Past R&B on ‘CANDY’

For a stretch, Justine Skye’s music was defined by a certain melancholic R&B. The New York artist broke out as “The Purple Unicorn” on Tumblr, later signing with Atlantic and delivering the Timbaland-produced “Space and Time.” After going independent, she built an audience on simmering heartbreak songs. But Skye says she grew tired of writing about sadness while feeling it.

Her new EP, CANDY, is a deliberate shift. Kaytranada anchors the production with ‘90s-referencing synth work and future funk grooves, while Machinedrum and Cakes da Killa also contribute. The project channels the energy of Manhattan and Brooklyn dance floors—clubs Skye knows firsthand. The immediacy of the hooks disguises the sampling intricacy, pulling from dance music’s past and present without nostalgia-baiting.

Skye’s ear for less obvious sounds was formed early. Her mother played neo-soul and Shakira; an uncle introduced her to M.I.A. and The Knife. That breadth now surfaces in a project that swaps restraint for release. CANDY doesn’t erase her R&B roots so much as leave them on the side of the dancefloor, unbothered.