Iyaz
Island Pop sensation Iyaz looks set to complete a hat-trick of the year’s biggest hits with the September 13th release of the single ‘So Big’ on Time is Money / Beluga Heights / Reprise Records. The single follows Iyaz’s recent hits ‘Replay’ (#1) and ‘Solo’ (#3) that have already sold over 600,000 copies in the UK alone.
Produced by Beluga Heights founder J.R. Rotem (Rihanna, Britney Spears, Leona Lewis, Jason Derülo), ‘So Big’ captures the upbeat, Caribbean atmosphere that made Iyaz’s previous hits so popular while also presenting his most infectious hook to date. The result is a glowing pop classic perfect for soundtracking the summer months.
‘So Big’, ‘Replay’ and ‘Solo’ all feature on Iyaz’s recently released album, also titled ‘Replay’ which is full of the blissful melodies and summery grooves that define the Island Pop sound with Iyaz’s joyous vocals brimming with exuberance throughout. The album’s other highlights also include ‘OK’ which references ‘No Woman, No Cry’ during its soulful pop positivity, the rich vocal harmonies that dominate ‘Breathe’ and the marching drumbeat of ‘Heartbeat.’ In amidst the album’s feel-good glow, Iyaz also embraces more melancholy emotions with the piano-led ballad ‘There You Are.’
Currently on tour in the States with Justin Bieber and recently nominated for Best International Act at the UK Urban Music Awards, Iyaz will also hit the charts for the fourth time this year with a guest performance on Charice’s debut single ‘Pyramid’ that will be released on September 20th.
Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands but raised in the British Virgin Islands, Iyaz’s self-produced track ‘Island Girls’ became a huge hit across the Caribbean. As he recalls, “I recorded it on my laptop, using a headset mic from Walmart. Because I studied engineering in college, I can make any mic sound like it was placed in a million-dollar studio.”
The track earned the attention of Sean Kingston who subsequently got in touch with Iyaz through MySpace. Iyaz, however, initially ignored them, doubting that they were really from the famous ‘Beautiful Girls’ singer.
Eventually, Kingston signed Iyaz to his production company Time is Money Entertainment and recommended him to Rotem who subsequently signed Iyaz through the label to his own Beluga Heights. Now near neighbours and regular collaborators, Iyaz and Kingston are both firm friends and musical partners. “Sean is my 'little' big brother,” says Iyaz. “When you put us in the studio together, it’s like magic.” Kingston executive produced the album alongside Steve Lobel.
Iyaz became the biggest artist to break out of the burgeoning Island Pop scene when ‘Replay’ first hit the Billboard charts, where it peaked at #2 and has since sold 3.8 million copies. Iyaz’s success was replicated in the UK when ‘Replay’ knocked Lady Gaga from the top of the charts to spend the first two weeks of the year at #1. The single has since sold almost 500,000 copies.