The first time I heard Kayla Williams’s voice, she immediately piqued my interest. Although her genre is gospel, her velvety smooth rasp easily places her into neo-soul stylings. Her vocals bleed through the speakers with a delivery that makes you feel as if she’s singing to you personally. Kayla’s debut EP, I Believe, is appropriately titled not only for her love for Jesus Christ, but how she easily makes listeners a believer in her immense talent.

The opening title track, “I Believe”, highlights her unwavering trust in God amid an uptempo track filled with keys and a thumping bass line. However, the production takes a backseat to her stunning lead and background vocal arrangements. It’s a great track to get your day started off on the right note, literally and figuratively.

“Fly” follows with a more contemporary sound and a lighter approach. Nonetheless, the message here is still important – self-confidence in ourselves, while knowing where our strength comes from. “Love Letter”, my favorite track on the EP, has an R&B feel that effortlessly flaunts Kayla’s beautiful falsetto. She pens a public declaration for her love for Jesus (“I wanna give my love to you/My heart, my soul, my body too/Cause life with you is so much better/So Jesus, here’s my love letter”).

I Believe closes out with the bonus track, “Transparency”. The song has poetic elements that urge the listener to dig deeper to unmask insecurities to trust the higher power within. It doesn’t take much to believe that Kayla Williams will make a great impact on music, with her own brand of stirring vocals and lyrics. Check out her music below. Plus, experience her feature as one of the vocalists in this year’s “Why Did He Do It?” Resurrection Sunday performance, by John Patrick Adams.