Roy Woods

Roy Woods stands alone even when surrounded by his R&B-disrupting peers. The Brampton, ON, native rose from a tight knot of performers in his Toronto suburb including Jessie Reyez and K. Forest, and, after signing with OVO Sound at 19, calls Drake his mentor. Like his label boss, Woods too is a sometimes gloomy self-searcher with charisma to burn, but for all of his powerful associations, the young star has made a name for himself with songs that soak vulnerable confessions in a heavy atmosphere of tottering grooves and layered vocals that whisper and snarl. The Guyanese-Canadian singer was born Denzel Spencer in 1986, and an early stage name says a lot: Pression, short for “depression,” a condition he’s dealt with since age 13. But a teacher showed him how to talk about how he felt—and how other people could help—and Woods has carried that forward since. His 2015 Exis EP, featuring moody Drake team-up “Drama,” debuted his spacious sound, disarming sex appeal, and willingness to share his pain. Meanwhile, “I Feel It,” on 2020’s Dem Times EP, is his way of telling fans that whatever bad lurks within them is in him too. In Woods’ singular world, nobody has to be lonely.