Merce, the neo-soul singer, releases new single My Guy

Merce has released "My Guy," the lead single and video from her debut solo album ALIVE, YouKnowIGotSoul reported on August 12. She made the song with producers Rick Friedrich, who has worked with The Roots, and Kush Oxford, who has worked with Estelle. Merce describes the track as reassurance rather than heartbreak, saying "who or what is meant for me will not pass me by."

Merce, born Mercedes Martinez, was raised by a Cuban salsa musician father and entered the professional music world at 16 under the mentorship of producer Reggie Andrews, YouKnowIGotSoul reported. She is best known as a founding member of The Jazzyfatnastees, the neo-soul group she helped start in 1992.

The group moved to Philadelphia to work closely with The Roots and became a sought-after backing vocal duo alongside Tracey Moore, singing behind Stevie Wonder, De La Soul, Meshell Ndegeocello and Eric Benet. The Jazzyfatnastees released three albums, including their Motive Records debut The Once and Future, and played the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals.

Merce also helped found Black Lily, a women-centered live music series that began at New York's Wetlands in 1999 before settling into a residency at Philadelphia's Five Spot. The series helped launch the early careers of Jill Scott, Amy Winehouse, Alice Smith and Kindred the Family Soul.

ALIVE is a 10-track album blending alternative soul, pop and electronic textures, written in the aftermath of the death of her partner Richard Nichols while she raised their autistic son as a single parent. With the album, Merce is working as an independent artist and producer for the first time, and the single sits in the wider R&B and soul scene alongside her earlier work, in the release calendar with the rest of August's new releases.