There is a kinetic energy that binds drummer and producer Karriem Riggins with singer-songwriter, rapper and producer Liv.e. Their collaborative debut as GENA, short for “God Energy, Naturally Amazing,” is the soulful byproduct of two kindred spirits who seem to breathe the same musical language.

Individually, Riggins and Liv.e have built deeply respected careers of their own. Detroit native Riggins is one of the most revered drummers and beatmakers of his generation, moving fluidly between jazz improvisation and beat science across work with Common, Erykah Badu, The Roots and Madlib, alongside a close creative kinship with the late J Dilla. Dallas-born Liv.e has carved out her own boundless and mischievous approach to R&B, stretching the genre into more experimental, intimate and emotionally layered territory.

Together, Liv.e’s smoky, elastic and deliberately unpolished vocals glide through Riggins’ warm, unexpected percussive universe. Their debut album, The Pleasure Is Yours lives in constant motion, unfolding like a nostalgic heartbeat. The record is shaped by sonic serendipity, echoing Dilla’s unquantized drums, the spiritual spaciousness of Sun Ra and Alice Coltrane, and the sensuality of neo-soul’s golden years.

For both artists, GENA feels like a natural evolution. Liv.e’s voice moves like water, changing shape around the emotional container of each track, while Riggins embraces the freedom of making without boundaries. “Liv.e inspires me to be boundaryless and genreless,” he says. “I learn as I go, and I want people to witness all of that energy in the music.”

The Pleasure Is Yours is a meditative excursion, mirroring the sound of two artists bringing each other’s musical instincts to life. In the same way GENA emerged through creative serendipity, that spirit is woven throughout the record, a reminder to remain open to the unexpected connections that can shift the course of things.

This October, GENA bring that energy to Move My Way, alongside additional side shows in Auckland and Wellington.

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