ELI DERBY SHARES SMOLDERING "FINE AS U"
- Pamela Perry
- Jul 31
- 3 min read
Photo: Cheryl Fox
July 31, 2026 (Los Angeles, CA) – Today, Maryland singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Eli Derby shows what he does best on “Fine As U,” out now on Art@War / Warner Records. The new single blends passionate vocals, raw instrumentation, and confidently direct lyrics to create an undeniably smoldering, raw-R&B come-on - a declaration of devotion that’s impossible to ignore.
Produced by GRAMMY® Award winner Christopher “Deep” Henderson (Jamie Foxx, Mario, Mýa), “Fine As U” turns up the heat as Eli sees something he likes and locks in. As the song builds, the urgency only increases along with his stunning performance as he riffs and goes deeper: “It’s somethin’ that my eyes see / It’s something that my mind believes / It’s something that my heart needs / Girl, you could be all three / Ooh, lawd, can we make a memory?” The flexibility of his two primary instruments is on full display as he weaves through soul, funk, rock, and R&B.
“Fine As U” arrives just weeks after Eli’s flirtatious team-up with Baltimore rapper Bri3, “Pretty Girl Dangerous.” The Source praised the cut as “music that values genuine vulnerability over flatline cynicism [from] an artist who knows exactly how to connect with listeners on a personal level,” while Rival wrote, “[Eli] puts his voice and electric guitar at the service of classic courtship to remind us that falling in love is still worth it.”
In the five weeks since its release, “Pretty Girl Dangerous” has grown into one of Eli’s most-streamed songs to date — surpassing 55,000 Spotify streams and 163,000 Apple Music streams, and landing on five official Apple Music R&B playlists, including "Brown Sugar," "Mood," and "Grown N Sexy." The single has earned SiriusXM support on "The Heat and Heart & Soul," tallied more than 150 radio spins nationwide led by Washington, D.C.’s DTLR Radio, and surpassed 2,000 Shazams and 2 million TikTok sound views. Its reach has also gone global in the process — London and Tokyo now rank among the song’s top cities worldwide, and Lagos, Nigeria cracks the top five — even as Atlanta remains one of its strongest markets back home.
The pair of summer singles marks Eli’s first new music since building momentum with songs like “Cadillac Dreams” — built on an Etta James interpolation — and “Lately” featuring 6LACK, not to mention sonically searching EPs like Slow Burn, More Than Friends, and Left on Read. Across his burgeoning catalog, Eli’s earned a reputation for blending vulnerable storytelling, live instrumentation, and modern R&B production into songs that feel both personal and relatable.
A self-taught musician who began playing drums, piano, and guitar as a teen, Eli has steadily grown from a local talent into one of the DMV's most promising new voices, generating nearly 40 million global streams while cultivating a loyal fanbase through intimate live performances and social content.
ABOUT ELI DERBY
Eli Derby is reviving the fiery heart of R&B. Armed with sleek vocals and an electric guitar, the Maryland-born singer/songwriter/producer/instrumentalist sits at the crossroads of the genre’s two modern strains: the produced, hip-hop-infused sounds that grew out of ’90s/’00s radio; and the raw, live fare that evolved up from R&B’s OG practitioners. If there’s tension in that, his voice melts it on contact, with vibrant melodies and passionate lyrics that explore the timeless art of yearning. Aside from the guitar (also central to his stunning live shows and social posts) Eli is set apart by unabashed emotional honesty. To him, vulnerability is no weakness. “My job as an artist is to make you feel something,” he says. “There’s power in showing that it’s okay to love.” His heartfelt artistry began taking shape early. He first fell for rhythm, picking up drumsticks at age 2 and soon playing at church. By 10, he’d taught himself piano, and sought school auditions with athletic verve. But when he learned guitar at 17, his evolution went into overdrive. Within a year, he broke out with 2021’s “Gaslight,” then grew his storytelling and melodic instincts across a string of projects building to 2025’s sonically diverse Slow Burn EP, racking up a 6LACK collab and an Etta James interpolation along the way — not to mention over 40 million streams. Now teamed up with ART@WAR / Warner Records, Eli Derby is leaning deeper than ever into his ability to transform everyday emotions into stories that linger long after the music ends.
FOLLOW ELI DERBY:
Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
For more information, please contact:
Aishah White | Warner Records
APPLE MUSIC Listen Here.
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