20-year-old urban pop artist Talay Riley Debut single Humanoid is a perfect taster of what is to come from Talay Riley. It is a dark and edgy urban pop track that merges robotic beats, cutting edge production and a killer chorus to create a song that is instant and exciting.
FAME Q&A with Talay:
WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU MAKE/ PLAY?
I make music that you can play while having a sexy time, the type of music you want to hear when you just wanna be sad or happy, I make the type of music you want to play when your mum says you can’t go out to that party and you just want to wreck everything in sight and music that will be played years after I leave this planet.
Even though I’m a humanoid that will be destroyed.
I play music that matches how I feel at the time, some times I feel like old soul and want to hear some marvin gaye and stevie wonder, some times I feel like a lost member of coldplay and listen to nothing but the script and kings of leon.
Tend to go a bit gaga for a bit of bad romancing and playing love games, passing out after getting to frisky and seeing things written in the stars that aren’t actually there after one to many lol. A whole bunch of stuff. Love love love music!!!
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I am from a small village in east london, quite near london city air port, been living there for over 10 year and the airplanes still drive me mad everytime I want to sleep.
HOW DID YOU START AND WHEN?
I don’t remember this day, but 20 years ago a lil black baby popped out of his mother and that was the start of the future.
But in terms of when I started singing when I 5 … And song writing when I was 14 … so all together and taking music seriously for about 6 years now.
WHO ARE YOUR INFLUENCES IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
My influences are every that was told no, but turned a no into an obese YES!
Daring artists like Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Lady Gaga who is showing ‘superstarism’ in my own words. and I’ve really taken a like to Fred Astaire lately.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE HARDEST PART OF BEING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY FOR YOU?
Loosing one of my only friends. That was hard, but ill put it in a song so you guys can hear the full story. l’ll make sure fame mag get the exclusive.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR EARLY DAYS AND HOW THEY DIFFER FROM NOW?
People tell me I’ve really blossomed. So I guess I wasn’t quite the looker lol, but for me I’ve worked on growing as a musician, my image, physique and my attitude and believe me I’ve come a long way.
WHAT WAS THE LAST GIG YOU PLAYED, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF IT?
The last gig I played was at was some blues bar on Charlotte street with a lot of old people, I’m only 20 so old is anything from 21. Apparently there was a ‘please do not respond if the performer attempts to connect with you’ policy lol.
I had a great time, actually think I’ve had my possibly my best performance ever there. I did a 30 minute set which included acoustic versions of Take That ‘Rule The World’, my tear drop causer ‘Gravity’, my electrifying ‘Sergeant Smash’, the Ladies favourite and my second single ‘Make You Mine’ and a cover of one of my favourite songs ever – John Mayer’s – Say.
HAVE YOU ANY FORTHCOMING GIGS IN IRELAND OR NORTHERN IRELAND?
YES! I do, but I don’t know when, and if I don’t I will highly recommend to my agent that we go to Ireland and make some noise at a few venues. You can find out where I’m next playing on my website www.talayriley.com.
IF SO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR WARD TO THEM AND WHY?
I love going on the road, my daddy was a rolling stone and his daddy was a rolling stone and I’m a rolling stone I love being on the go, and the fact that I get to do what I love whilst rolling is so much fun. Ireland and anywhere that isn’t london is my favourite place to perform.
Not that I don’t love performing in london, I thought I’d just throw that in there lol.
WHAT’S THE MOST SUCCESSFUL THING YOU HAVE DONE TO DATE?
The most successful thing I have done to date, was fly out to LA using money thatn’t was quite mine just yet, book a hotel that didn’t exist, loose contact with my only point of contact in the S at the time, have the worst experiences abroad a broke aspiring musician could have and turn them into positives, come back to london and go number 1 with a song I wrote when I was 17- 18 get signed a month later as a song writer, and then 2 weeks after that get signed as an artist and 8 months later have an amazing album where every song on there is a single! And in stance to take te workd by storm.
WHO HAS HELPED YOU THE MOST GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
I’d say my two friends that I’ve been singing with for like the past 6 years. We would have been like the ultimate boy band – but we all have our own things going for us, we all taught each other a lot about music about singing and performing and we’re still learning.
I doubt I’d be the artist I am today and the artist I will be tomorrow had I never met those two guys.
IS IT HARD BEING A NEW ARTIST IN TODAY’S INDUSTRY?
Totally, people don’t know your name and people don’t know your face, especially some one like me whose first single has been something out of the ordinary. I didn’t want to play it safe I never do, that’s why my first single ‘Humanoid’ which you can buy now in stores and online if you haven’t heard was so … “Left” and abstract.
I’m really into movies and creative images, I don’t read much, though I plan to, I’ve been saying this for years but movies are like a massive inspiration movies like Avatar, I Robot and stuff where crucial to my single and album.
HOW IMPORTANT IS THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL NETWORK SITES FOR YOUR SUCCESS?
I went to see The Social Network the other day, and it reminded me how the facebook, youtube and twitter and all the online apps we use are enhanced communications that we use in every day life.
We can reach thousands, millions, even those that forgot about us and we forget about them – you’re bound to get that random and weird facebook message from the guy that went to your primary school that you never spoke to who remembers you.
The interview is such a great tool for promotion and just generally connecting with supporters and other artists.
WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH IN THE INDUSTRY?
I’d like to work with pixie lott, I actually have a song on my album that is incomplete without a great female to feature on it now and I think its her. So pixie fans tell pixie for tweet @TalayRiley
Me and pixie actually have the same guitarist who is currently teaching me the guitar might I add and one of the songs just happens to be her, would u look at that (laughs) ill be the next jimi hendrix in no time!
WHAT’S COMING NEXT FOR YOU?
GREATNESS!
Talay Riley is a name to watch and Humanoid is just the start of what is to come from this very exciting new UK artist.
www.myspace.com/talayriley
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