Reya is a London-based dark pop artist whose music speaks from the depths of her heart. With Chilean heritage, Reya is originally from Norway but grew up in Spain, resulting in her rich, multicultural upbringing being a key ingredient to her unique style and sound. Her roots play a huge role in her story, with the artist having recently rebranded after previously creating music under a different name.
Reya’s journey to where she is today has been a rollercoaster. Over the last year, the singer, songwriter and producer found herself in the midst of studying final bachelor year in Music production, releasing 6 singles, played on Norwegian national radio and BBC introducing, several shows in London – with the highlight of supporting the Norwegian treasure DAGNY at her London show, and her following show in Norway. Only to have the music taken down… As a result of all this, REYA without the AND returns.
Starting a new chapter under a new name, the artist is finally creating music that she has complete control over, with people that she loves. She explains, “The underlying theme in my new music is essentially taking back control. Step by step, and one way of doing so, was by saying no thank you to certain behaviours and taking charge. This change can be so difficult, however living for someone else and not yourself is even more difficult in the long run. Choosing yourself is always worth the growing pains.” The new sound is much more raw and real, expressing strength over oneself and being reminded of the fact that endings also simultaneously mean new beginnings.
Following the release of her unapologetic track “attention” which narrates owning who you are, Reya now unveils the dark and fiery “Kinda Like It”. The single sees the artist fighting back, as she puts herself in the villains shoes after being disrespected for too long and realising she actually kinda likes it. Sonically, the track emits a shadowy and eerie energy, as a menacing beat and mischievous lyrics transport listeners to the dark side of Reya.
Reya confides, “It was written during a time when I felt like I constantly got wronged by a person, and I put up with it for too long. I wanted to envision myself doing the same bad things to them as they did to other people. However, my mom raised me well enough to only imagine giving out such bad karma through a song, which was good enough for me. Essentially, it’s a way of taking the power back from, and giving it to yourself, and kinda liking the control that comes with it.”
Having garnered acclaim from the likes of Earmilk, Wonderland Magazine and Atwood Magazine, to name a few, this new chapter for Reya is already proving to be an explosive one.
