Tidal’s upcoming new star, Ivy Layne, is about to make her stamp on the U.S. music market. Born in the Ukraine and raised in France, Ivy was a world away from home when she left for New York to pursue her singing career. It is clear her experiences and upbringing prepared her for the music on which she’s set her sights. Her call for our interview came right on time.
“Hello Kyle, this is Ivy! How are you?”
Her European accent beams through the phone and the appeal of it registers immediately. It is exotic,friendly, flirty, and fun! She begins by telling us about the first time she knew that singing was something she wanted to do.
“It’s been in me since I was a little girl! I’ve been in dancing and singing competitions most of my life, so the next logical step was to make a career out of it.”
Layne just released her first visual collaboration with famous dancehall artist Popcaan, for her lead single “One You Love”.
“We shot the video in Portland, Jamaica. So beautiful! I have prior acting skills that helped me play the role, so I wasn’t nervous at all. Plus, Popcaan was super professional and told me to keep doing what I’m doing; staying focused and making sure I ’ m always growing as an artist and an individual. He wants to collaborate again in the future, so we’ll see!”
Fresh off that collaboration,we wondered with whom, given the opportunity, she’d love to collaborate?
“Bob Marley if he was still alive, definitely. with Sean Paul, with Shaggy; and even big Eurodance Dj’s like Calvin Harris and David Guetta.”
If you haven’t yet heard Ivy’s music, think of Caribbean influenced tracks produced by Boi-1da. Ivy’s in the process of fine-tuning her own signature sound, and her team is right behind her every step of the way.
“The Majority of my team is Caribbean, so a lot of my sounds come from the influence they bring, fused with my European heritage as well. It makes for an interesting mix and we feel like we’re on to something.”
Her EP, In Time, is the product of that blending of cultures. Every song and sound brings together feel-good elements of dancehall and Eurofunk. The lyrics are direct and need no decoding. It’s an EP that gets straight to the point with it’s mission: to put you on the dance floor and get lost in the sound. The inspiration for it?
“Life experiences. Moving to New York and trying to navigate the industry and discover more of who I am and the sound I want to bring to the world. I just feel like everything happened ‘in the time’ it was supposed to and that became the inspiration for the title.”
Here, she also shared a little bit of the hardships she’s encountered since beginning her career.
“The hardest thing is staying disciplined and focused when there’s so much going on around you. You know, this is all a new experience for me, so getting adjusted and trying to understand how everything works is a learning process and even a bit of a culture shock at times. But regardless, I stay positive and remember why I’m here.”
Being away for such an extended period of time is also hard because she does miss being home.
“Ooh—I miss home absolutely! Every second of the day. There are so many family, friends and comforts that I can’t get anywhere else in the world but I know I’ll see them a g a i n soon!”
Of her family, she says:
“They’re so supportive of me. Especially my mom! I just want to make them so happy and proud. Luckily, my life hasn’t become so turbulent that it affects them or the relationships I have with them. Everything is still pretty calm.”
Last, but not least, where does Ivy Layne see herself in 5 years?
“I see myself doing what I’m doing now! Developing into the artist I visualize myself becoming and making people dance and feel good. Only in time though…”
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Kyle E. Preston
- Photography
- Geoff Barrenger
