Larayne

Jersey City representative Larayne may be talking about holding back on her new single “Shell Shocked (Remix),” but she holds nothing back for the release, dropping both the updated audio and a lyric video and adding two more artists, Jordan Cleare and Divine Thomas, into the mix.

- Advertisement -
While bubbling underground on the tri-state indie performance circuit, Larayne waited almost two years to create this follow up to her acoustic release “Shell Shocked” featuring IamChelseaIam. However, she felt the time was right for a sequel after the recent loss of featured rising star Cleare to COVID-19 complications.

The track, produced by Savion Studios and Larayne herself (using a foundation laid by rapper/producer-turned fitness guru Brandon “King Keto” Carter), gives early aughts Toni Braxton vibes. The petite powerhouse chooses to flutter through the verses, matching the hesitance described by the lyrics with metaphorical lines. “I, I, wanna be, wanna be us / I think I put you through enough / But in this war of the roses, got nipped in the bud / It’s this thing they call love that I’m a prisoner of,” she sings. Ironically, her confidence shines the most when singing the hook, comparing approaching new love to active duty PTSD. That confidence is matched refreshingly by the late Jordan Cleare, whose presence is a nod to ’90s male crooners with his velvety tone. Meanwhile, the rap feature by fashion vlogger Divine Thomas pulls us into the early-2000s with a repetitive Cam’ron-like flow.

Dedicating the “Shell Shocked (Remix)” to the memory of Jordan Cleare, Larayne seems poised to hit the scene even harder this time around. - Soul Bounce

For the top of the new year, I thought it was befitting that we here at ChicPea HQ share some new artists whose music you can definitely to catch a vibe to. These handpicked musicians have some content totally worth supporting and we will be sharing them with you for the months to come! So whether you need some tunes to hype you up for your workout or soothe you after ending your “situationship” …we have got you covered. Our first artist for 2020 is none other than Ms. Larayne. A big haired, petite mover and shaker who is ready to to show you what she is made of.

Who is Larayne?

I am spitting image of my Grandma, I have my Auntie’s sass, and a more contemporary voice of my Mother’s…cause she can blow.

So would you say that she is your biggest influence?

Well, my family as a whole is my influence. They are very artistic, and all create in some form.

My Uncle (I love him), my Mom and Sister have helped me develop my musical ear. I am well rounded because of them.

So where are you from?

Jersey City, reside and rep.

Do find much support for local artists here?

The scene for me here in Jersey has fluctuated. I’ve definitely experienced some good times for my career, and I will say the scene has definitely evolved. But for me, as an artist, I’ve developed more of a following and done more of my shows in New York. I find I get more love out there. Unfortunately, it’s harder here in Jersey.

Why do you think that is?

I don’t know the real answer to that. But I will say that there are a lot of New York based artists who aren’t really from New York, but they understand the hustle and know what it takes.

Are you currently working on any projects?

Besides my EP still rockin, I am currently doing showcases and allowing myself to be in a creative space to create more.

What was the inspiration for your EP?

It wasn’t one specific thing. I wanted to put out music and I felt I had a collection of tracks that was a good introduction to me as an artist. Most of the songs are about love…that’s where I got “Love and Rayne.”

Was this a passion project?

Yes, in some ways. The first song I released, “Move,” it was not only sung by me but it was written and produced by me, as well. It was a good feeling to get that out.

What is your favorite part about being an artist?

Performing, connecting with someone and having them relate to what you’re saying. It’s a dope thing to see and a dope thing to feel.

What impact do you want to leave on the world via your music?

I want my music to make people feel good, make people feel important. I want women and black men to feel safe. These are all the things that directly affect me. I want to pump a little more positivity and light into the world. There isn’t enough of that.

If you weren’t a singer, what would you be doing?

That’s hard to say because I love music so much. But I also love fashion and educating people on things like financial literacy. So I’d probably write a book to teach basic financial tools.

So whether your 2020 is off to a good start or you need to press the reset button, we hope we are helping you create that soundtrack to your life. If you want to connect with LARAYNE and hear more from her, we posted some links below. Happy New Year and happy listening! -Starr

https://laraynemusic.com/instagram-links - LYNN HAZAN/ ChickPea JC

Meet upcoming artist, Larayne! This New Jersey-bred singer is a multi-talented creative that also writes and produces music. Her original music is an electric mix of Pop, R&B/Soul, and Hip-Hop. Being a triple threat only adds spice to her unique seasoning.

Her writing talent has enhanced over the years as she continues to elevate as an independent artist. Larayrne has performed with several live bands at venues such as SOBs, Chelsea Music Hall, Nema’s Boom Boom Room, Drom and more. Last August Larayne released Love & Rayne, her debut EP, that is available for download on all streaming platforms.

The debut video to her self-produced and co-written remix of her single “Move” showcases her expansive talent. She openly tells us the inspiration behind this song and what her creative process is like.

“I was working on something and I just had a crazy amount of interruptions while I was focused. It was like nagging how annoying it was and I reached a boiling point where I noticed it wasn’t just the immediate interruption, I was getting pulled in so many directions in life and felt a little stick. I just literally said, ‘if they don’t ‘get out my face.’ And I said it with such force and authority and conviction, it stung me and I was like there is something to that. If I were to make that a song, what would it sound like?

I went to try to work with one producer recommended to me to do the song. I was listening to some throwback Dr. Dre & Snoop (“Kush”) and wanted the bass and drum to knock like that and I wanted dancers to feel inspired. Drum and bass give music a beautiful foundation and I love movement and dance. Everything wasn’t coming together that day so I took the basic drum, guitar, and bass and sat with it at home.

It literally started with the line ‘get up out the way.’ And I thought of everything I’ve ever vented to my friends, my sis, my big bro/ co-writer and I told him about it. I started beatboxing and banging on my desk how I wanted the full drums to feel. I hummed and sang all the instruments, backgrounds and just really started putting the beat together super analog. Knocked out the hook and let bro hear it. Then we went to work on the first verse.

He had me write the 2nd verse myself and I took it to the producer to finish and it still didn’t click so I outsourced. I asked my cousin for horns, I worked with my vocal coach to perfect some of the lines that were supposed to be instruments, I added guitar on my computer. Then I wanted to have a rap version but I wanted it to be a female to body it but scheduling wasn’t working. So my bro said – you do it. Knocked it out and got to work on the video.”

Larayne describes her sound to be similar to Aaliyah, Kelly Rowland, Lauryn Hill, and Mary J. Blige. She wants her music to encourage and bring people together. Larayne uses music as an outlet to be expressive and spread positivity. She wants people to feel like they don’t have to wait or depend on anyone or anything to excel in life. To be motivated to be a go-getter and strive to be the best.

“My music is soft and fun but can be raw, real and rugged. It’s like an audio interpretation of the meme’s ‘Get you someone who could do both.’ We all have something we are individually called to do – do it! And don’t worry about if other people like you. Don’t worry about naysayers. Don’t dwell on negatives that might be around you. If it’s positive, it doesn’t matter what anyone says. You have everything you need to succeed. It’s not going to be easy but that’s growth. Grow, smash your goals and get your money! Be your own motivation and wish well on others while you’re getting it.

Watch the new visuals for “Move” below! - KAZI