Here’s the truth: singer-songwriter Liv.e and drummer Karriem Riggins are aliens, and their new album, The Pleasure Is Yours, is their creative constellation. With barrels of funk, soul and analogue grooves, their supergroup coalition GENA is lightning in a bottle. Let’s explore.

Amongst the frenetic Friday evening traffic in London lies a small, focused militia of fans. Bust a left, right, and another left coming out of Piccadilly Circus or Charing Cross station, and you might brush paths with Karriem Riggins and Liv.e fans parked up at The Institute of Contemporary Arts (aka The ICA). January 30th, 2026, marked the duo’s inaugural – sold out – show on British shores, giving fans a sizzle reel of their then-forthcoming album, recorded under the moniker GENA, The Pleasure Is Yours.

Low lights, plastic cups filled with red wine and frothy beer, and rows of LEX Records merch adorn the walls of The ICA. Looking more like a Marvel Studios post-credit scene than a gig, it’s a cameo fest of the highest order – with the likes of Joy Crookes, Common, and COLORS co-signed rap newcomer SALIMATA all eagerly waiting to watch GENA perform.

“Even though GENA debuted to the world with shows, we started working as a unit probably about eight months before,” says Riggins, discussing the origin of the group as Wonderland catch up with the duo a few days after their show to get a closer look at the group’s chemistry, creative vision and how the Stateside collective has been quietly shaping their own lane in today’s music landscape.

Liv.e (born Hailee Olivia Williams) emerged from the mid-2010s SoundCloud and blogging scene as a DJ, rapper (with her group Kryptonyte), and vocalist, eventually having her breakthrough moment in 2020 with her soulful, lo-fi debut, Couldn’t Wait to Tell You. Along the way, the 28-year-old snagged co-signs from Erykah Badu, Steve Lacy and Solange, and she’s co-piloted a track or two with the likes of Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE and Kelela.  

In 2023 and 2024, Liv.e delivered the one-two punch of her sophomore album, Girl in the Half Pearl, followed by the mini-album Past Futur.e, earning widespread critical acclaim. The former features a fusion of dreamy R&B synths, rock-leaning bravado and glitchy electronic cues. Liv.e has quickly established herself as a pioneer of experimental Black music, stating that none of her success surprises her: “I don’t know. I just feel like when you know who you are, none of this is surprising.”

You’ve got to give the drummer some. Riggins, the elder statesman of the duo, is the textbook definition of a living legend. Across his three-decade-long career, he’s netted a collaborative roster longer than the wait for the next Frank Ocean album. To cherry-pick a few, Riggins’ drumwork has graced the music of Donald Byrd, KAYTRANADA, Paul McCartney, Madlib, Norah Jones, Ray Brown, Roy Hargrove, Esperanza Spalding and Kanye West. To list all of Riggins’ creative works properly, we’d need formal scripture.

“I don’t think Liv.e and I are that different. There’s a lot of overlap with our music taste,” Riggins explains. “I feel like learning different music – from classical to Afrobeat, to hip hop to Afro-Cuban – really immersing myself in that, allows me to kind of speak a language that transcends time and space and connect to people throughout the world.”

“I’m crazy. I feel like working remotely in my home is always my thing though, personally, I don’t know about Karriem,” says Liv.e, in reference to her preferred solitary recording process and GENA’s digital sparring match of creativity. “I mean, I’m remote until I’m not. Then, it’s like, oh, let’s get in this motherfuckering studio.”

Studios are incomplete without audio equipment, and GENA’s visual style draws inspiration from the classic aesthetics of stereos, CDs, and vintage hi-fi systems of yesteryear. Early influences such as the iconic ‘80s Maxell ‘High Fidelity’ cassette tapes, and vintage soul and funk artwork (specifically B.B. & Q. Band’s 1985 LP Genie, as well as The S.O.S. Band’s self-titled 1980 debut) helped shape the original cover of The Pleasure Is Yours. They also, even more significantly, informed the spirit of its final artwork. Riggins and Liv.e reflect on the enduring significance of physical media in an era dominated by streaming and digital downloads. Riggins remarks, “I think it’s just better to have it in hand.”

Liv.e adds, “People are absolutely in need of physical music now. You never know when you wanna play music in your car, or if your Bluetooth doesn’t work – then you’ve got the CD. The same goes for vinyl.” Beyond utility, there’s a sentimental weight to tangible formats: “It’s worth something. People hold on to things for that, but they flip a lot too,” she laughs. Riggins adds, “And honestly, it sounds better – investing in needles now, it beats MP3s and WAVs.”

So far, Liv.e and Riggins have enjoyed their stay in showery London. For Riggins, it’s all been about record stores and the analogue music scene. He enjoys perusing places like Rough Trade and Peckham’s hi-fi bar, Jumbi, for 12” records and inspiration in his downtime. For Liv.e, however, the fashion and the food is where it’s at. Sort of.

“Over here, you guys really get fits off. It can be like that in New York, but y’all can dress, dress over here. The Asian diaspora and Indian food over here is really great – even if it needs more salt.” Fortunately, Liv.e’s stint as an impromptu British food critic is only temporary – the Bake Off crew and their Viennese whirls are safe for now.

Within the kaleidoscopic swirl of GENA’s funk-soaked “Douwannabwitastar!?” video, a spiral staircase comes into view. It’s visually striking at first glance. Still, eye candy aside, the optical motif feels like a fitting metaphor for GENA’s sound – forever curling and contorting around melodic boundaries.  Liv.e, though, shrugs off any grand sense of strategy when it comes to picking standouts. “Yeah, the singles ‘Circlesz’, ‘Lead It Up’ and ‘HOWWEFLOW’ were just some of our favourites,” she exposits, before reframing the idea of intentionality altogether: “And on top of that, I feel like every song on this damn album is a single.” Liv.e says with a wry smile, matter-of-factly adding, “Tell the label we need ten more singles.”

The aforementioned “Douwannabwitastar!?” features a hazy, off-kilter hip-hop sound that loosely traces its lineage back to Riggins’ dearly departed friend J Dilla. The Detroit drummer reflected on his work with Dilla on the then-unreleased 2003 album Pay Jay (later titled and released under the title, The Diary), stating, “It was surreal to produce for one of my favourite artists. Dilla came over with a notebook, and while I played beats, he jotted down notes and chose one called ‘Drive Me Wild’. I love that song.”

Elsewhere, GENA stretches further outward. “TGD” nods to silvery Detroit electro à la Cybotron, with pulsating synths and popping candy-style snaps, while “Thatsmyluvr” softens the edges into a strain of glitchy, future-facing soul. As Liv.e puts it, almost with a shrug: “There’s nothing you can compare us to right now.”

Despite Riggins wielding the drums and Liv.e being primarily recognised as a singer-songwriter, they see themselves as two sides of the same coin. In their own words, you can sort of imagine them through the lens of 2000s sketch comedy. “We’re like Rick James and Charlie Murphy,” utters Liv.e, in reference to the infamous Chappelle’s Show skit, highlighting their many similarities.

On The Pleasure Is Yours, it’s not solely a producer-artist volley, Karriem gets busy on the mic too, just ask Liv.e. “I was just messing around at the crib,” Riggins recalls, remembering the sessions crafting the album’s intro track, “Who’s Got a Problem With GENA”. “I was trying out this vocal mic and just singing in the loop.” When I sent it to Liv.e, she immediately jumped in with her verse after my vocals. “I thought, ‘Oh word. You really like this?’” Riggins recalls. As Liv.e observes the recording of the album intro, she playfully remarks, “This man right here is singing this shit,” with Riggins adding, “Liv.e inspired me to sing. It’s been really fun.”

As our chat winds down, Liv.e and Riggins find themselves conversationally adrift from the music. Naturally, we end up on the subject of movies and television. “If the album was some kind of visual show or movie, I definitely see it as some kind of Mexican telenovela – they’re super dramatic,” says Liv.e. “We’re also kinda like Vanessa Williams and Samuel L. Jackson in [the 2000 movie] Shaft, too. Scratch that, maybe Denzel [Washington] from Training Day with Vanessa Williams. Super odd, but in a good way – that’s us.”

Listen to The Pleasure Is Yours…

Words – Niall Smith