Kwn’s ‘And All Pride Aside’ EP: The Art of Stripping Back the Bravado
When Kwn burst onto the scene with ‘Worst Behaviour’, she arrived with a fully formed persona: confident, sultry, unapologetically sexual. The east Londoner crafted a version of R&B that felt like silk against skin – smooth, alluring, intoxicating. Her 2025 breakout EP ‘With All Due Respect’ cemented this image, delivering lust-soaked tracks that celebrated desire without apology. It was the perfect “Side A” to a story that seemed destined to be all swagger and seduction.
But on ‘And All Pride Aside’, released this June 2026, Kwn flips the narrative entirely. This isn’t a lateral move; it’s a deliberate pivot away from the cocksure confidence that built her reputation. Instead, she’s crafted a project that sits uncomfortably between who she was and who she’s becoming – and that tension is precisely what makes it so compelling.
Learning to Sit with Discomfort
There’s a curious paradox at the heart of modern R&B: the genre’s greatest strength is its ability to articulate desire, yet its artists often struggle to channel vulnerability with the same conviction. Kwn herself has admitted to finding it difficult to be vulnerable in her music, which makes her work on this EP feel genuinely brave. She’s not just softening her edges; she’s interrogating the reasons those edges existed in the first place.
Sonically, ‘And All Pride Aside’ showcases Kwn’s evolved approach to production. She’s finally nailed her love of maximalist texture – hi-hats, synths, and lush layering that would feel excessive on less capable hands. ‘All Fours’ with Destin Conrad is a masterclass in dynamic arrangement, shuffling between gothic piano, gospel-influenced vocal flourishes, and bit-crushed vocals that feel deliberately fractured, as if Kwn’s voice itself is breaking down under emotional weight. ‘Good Girl’ pairs splashy snares and harp flourishes with a deceptively simple hook – a moment of pure carnal yearning rendered almost innocent by the delicate instrumentation surrounding it.
Not every moment lands with equal force. ‘Til The Room Stink’, despite its production sheen, leans too heavily on shock value for shock value’s sake. The addition of Ty Dolla $ign doesn’t elevate the track so much as anchor it further into territory that feels at odds with the project’s emotional core.
The Standouts: Where Vulnerability Wins
‘Better On My Own’ represents something of a spiritual awakening within the EP’s narrative. It’s the moment where Kwn steps outside her established R&B framework and ventures toward something more diaristic, more pop-leaning – a sound that recalls the intricate songwriting of Imogen Heap. The production is deliberately sparse: clattery acoustic guitars, rumbling drums, and a voice pushed to its emotional limit. “There’s a reason why we’re exes / And we left this, tried and tested,” she reflects, and there’s a playfulness to the melody that almost contradicts the melancholy of the lyrics. It’s this juxtaposition that makes the song resonate – Kwn refusing to wallow, instead maintaining a kind of defiant lightness even as she confronts loss.
But ‘Heaven In Your Hand’ is where the EP finds its deepest truth. Here, Kwn confronts the death of her grandfather directly, unfiltered, and with a rawness that rivals her celebrated 2024 track ‘Lord I’ve Tried’. This is grief without performance, pain without the polished veneer. “I don’t have many regrets, but one of them gotta be not staying with you / And how can I get on with life when it’s being taken away from you?” The crackle in her voice, the way it breaks at the edges, becomes the entire point. She refuses to dress up the pain with the bolshy defence that once defined her music. Instead, she sits with it, metabolises it, and transforms it into something universally recognisable.
The Bigger Picture
‘And All Pride Aside’ works because Kwn understands that vulnerability isn’t weakness – it’s another form of power entirely. The same artist who once hid behind sexual prowess is now learning that emotional honesty can be equally captivating. She’s not abandoning the sensuality that made her name; she’s simply expanding the vocabulary she uses to express herself.
What emerges from this June 2026 release is an artist in genuine transition. The tension between bravado and sincerity, between the Casanova she was and the more introspective artist she’s becoming, creates an album that feels alive with possibility. It’s not without its missteps, but the best moments here suggest that Kwn’s most interesting work may still be ahead of her.
In an era where R&B sometimes feels oversaturated with surface-level sensuality, there’s something genuinely refreshing about an artist willing to ask difficult questions of herself – and to answer them honestly. ‘And All Pride Aside’ isn’t the more polished version of ‘With All Due Respect’. It’s something better: it’s proof that Kwn is listening to herself, learning from her own music, and evolving in real time.
