She made history on national television becoming the first female to be crowned on BBC’s The Rap Game, and now she’s ready to become a mainstay. She goes by the name Layyah, and she’s ready for the next 12 months to be her most memorable yet.
Her talents have been evident since childhood, and combining her ability to sing and rap has landed her in an industry which is populated with heavy hitters. She is now the latest to be added to the list.
After consistently dropping singles this calendar year, we caught up with Layyah to discuss her journey so far, working with Krept and Konan, MOBO aspirations and much more.
Layyah, your new single Feel Like is out now! What can your listeners expect from the latest release?
“Feel Like is definitely a vibe! It’s going to get you up, dancing, and there’s some hard-hitting lyrics in there.”
You’ve consistently been releasing this year. Can we expect a debut project to drop before the year closes?
“To close the year out, I’m going to be doing a Hardest Bars with Joey Clipstar. It will be a different vibe to what everyone’s been hearing. I’m also working on an E.P with some of your favourite female artists! I’m excited for people to hear this.”
We also want to congratulate you in becoming the first female to win The Rap Game! How was that experience for yourself, and did you feel any pressure performing in front of Krept, Konan and Target?
“Do you know what? They’re such nice people that they just made us feel comfortable. The pressure was more from outside and thinking people are going to be watching me worldwide! The whole experience was amazing. I was just amongst people that love to make music and for any artist or musician, it’s nice to be in that space where everybody wants to succeed. I applied twice before for the show and didn’t get in and the third time it was face-to-face auditions. If you meet me, you’re more likely to understand me and I feel like that’s when I thrive.”
What would you say has been the biggest change for yourself since winning The Rap Game?
“People know who I am! I get stopped in the street and people want to take pictures with me. That wasn’t happening before! To get recognised as well by musicians in the space is nice. I did a track with Scorcher which was something I never thought was going to happen. He’s one of my favourite Grime artists and for that to happen was amazing.”
If you could collaborate with another contestant from the show, who would you choose?
“From my season, I would collab with Haydog, CBliminal and Cam Keddy. In other seasons, I’ve been speaking to Lady Ice. She’s been killing it since coming off the show. Definitely Lady Ice.”
Let’s go back now, can you recall your first memory of music?
“I’d say my first ever freestyle which was a diss track! It was my first Instagram post of me rapping and people didn’t know I could rap so it was a good introduction. In terms of singing, I remember singing in assembly. That was special to me and that’s where I got my confidence from in terms of performing.”
When did you discover that you had a talent for rapping and singing, and which came first out of the two?
“I’m a singer first! Growing up, I had a lot of misplaced anger so when I started rapping, I was able to express myself without being physical. My rapping voice and my singing voice are completely different. It allowed me to place my anger in a more positive way.”
When it comes to creating music, what is your process? Are you constantly writing or do you have to hear a sound first before getting creative?
“It could be a mixture of both. Lately in the studio, I’ve just been freestyling. Sometimes when you’re doing that, there’s words that you already come up with that create the theme of the song. On the show, I had a lot of briefs. I work well with briefs because it’s specific and ideas can come from there.”
Who were your musical inspirations growing up?
“I listened to NoLay, Ms Banks and Little Simz. In terms of U.S artists, Lauryn Hill is my absolute favourite. She sings, she raps and her storytelling is amazing. You also have to throw in Tupac and Biggie! I know Dear Mama and Hail Mary word for word!
What’s been the best musical advice you’ve received?
“To keep doing you and to believe on yourself. In this climate of music, there’s so much music coming out. Some sound the same, some sound different. If you’re true to yourself and what you’re doing, then you can so gar. Keep releasing music, don’t stop releasing!”
What are three goals you have for next year?
“For next year, I want to win a MOBO award, solidify my numbers in terms of streams with my releases and to collaborate with more artists!”
Who are three artists currently at the top of your playlist?
“Scorcher, he’s killing it. Jorja Smith and Dave. I love his new album! If you really like music and listen to music, he’s given us an autobiography on this project.”
Finally, what advice can you give to the next generation of artists coming through?
“I would say keep being yourself. No matter what people say, as long as you’re authentic to yourself and your fans believe in you, never stop. This thing is far from easy; there’s always someone who’s going to tell you what to do but as long as you’re true to yourself, you can go far. Even for me, you can get discouraged sometimes. Look at the heavy hitters and everyone that is in the game, the music industry is heavily populated. So stand out, be different and keep being you. Period!”