Artists can be labelled as ‘promising’ or ‘one to watch’ overly-liberally at times. However, in the case of 22-year-old Londoner, Deyaz, such a prediction is merely a sensible observation rather than a grandiose claim. Latest single “Bitter”, a case in point, exhibits the multi-disciplinary artist’s musical command in full effect, with the Londoner’s experiences of addiction told compellingly via gliding melodies and robust production.
The genre-fluid, multi-hyphenate earned his stripes as a musician drumming in Camden’s punk scene, however, as he tells us below, it was picking up his brother’s classical guitar that proved his musical genesis in childhood. “[My brother] had gone to university and on my summer holidays from school I had decided to pick it up one day and it began from there,” he explains. The self-taught musician subsequently grafted as a sound engineer in UK rap, allowing him to master the art of sound and production design, contributing to his 360-degree approach to the work he makes today. And whilst he did earn a musical scholarship to the prestigious Goldsmiths University, the free-spirited Deyaz traded it in for a more autonomous, unrestricted approach to musical creation.
Struggles with mental health, a period of homeless, and addiction also form part of the musical maestro’s odyssey – the latter he unpacks on “Bitter” with blistering effect. The single follows May project “WHY NOT”, which garnered over 10 million streams, and saw an appearance on the career-defining Later… With Jools Holland. Not one to rest, however, there are already rumours of another project on the way from Deyaz in the near future.
Head below to read our chat with Deyaz on finding therapy in music making, his vast social media following, and latest single “BITTER”…
Hi Deyaz! How are you doing? Where are we chatting to you from today?
Hey, doing great! Currently at home in North London getting ready to attend my last rehearsal before my first headline show tomorrow for my European tour.
You’re a multidisciplinary artist, but despite having many different strings to your bow, what came first for you?
A classical guitar was the first instrument I had access to. My older brother had purchased it from his friend at the time for literally £10. He had gone to university and on my summer holidays from school I had decided to pick it up one day and it began from there.
We read that music, to you, is a source of therapy. How is it when something you once just utilised for emotional support becomes your full-time occupation?
The transition hasn’t been difficult, luckily, as I’ve never forgotten about myself throughout the process. I still create for the same reasons I did prior to being able to do music full-time, the only difference now is I have a great team around me that helps push my vision on a larger scale which I’m extremely grateful for.
You earned your stripes as a drummer in Camden’s punk scene before focussing all your attention on your solo work. How did those days shape the artist you’ve become?
It allowed me to meet incredible musicians from all different backgrounds which really opened my mind up to various styles of playing. My passion for performing live definitely stemmed around this time as well, being able to play on stage, even if it was to 10 people or less, was a privilege and always my most looked forward to experience when school was out the way.
Now you have a vast social media audience across social media (500k+). How does it feel to have so many people following your life?
Very surreal to be honest! From being quite anxious and reserved when I was younger, I was very happy at the prospect of being able to do anything in music as a career, even teaching guitar, so to have people following my art directly is a dream for me.
Congratulations on your new single “BITTER”! You shared on Instagram that you wrote it on overcoming addiction. Did you make a conscious choice to explore that topic in your work?
The song was made late at night in my living room and I was in a very reflective state of mind. I intentionally decided to confront the subject of addiction in the song, for me personally it allowed me to feel acceptance within it and stray away from my perception of shame which I had for a long time, in hopes that the message could maybe motivate other people with similar issues to relate/not feel alone. I feel now it’s my responsibility as an artist with a following to be as real as I can with my fans and to guide them through my experiences if possible.
Your 2022, professionally, has been amazing, with your ‘Jools Holland debut, supporting Jessie Reyes, bagging plays on Radio 1, plus much more. What has been the highlight?
One of the main highlights this year for me was supporting Keshi on his European tour. He has such dedicated fans and they showed nothing but love throughout all of the shows! Honestly, everything that has happened has felt monumental and of equal value. I can’t wait to see what next year holds.
