BAYLI: The Future Star Already In Her Own Lane

That’s an amazing intro. Thank you. I started out in the industry in the US in a rock back, in a classic rock band called The Skins when I was a teenager. So that’s how I got introduced to music and wanting to go towards the pop scene. And one of my mentors was Rick Rubin, who’s an amazing producer, a multifaceted producer. So that was kind of how I emerged into the scene. 

My dad is a super funny, amazing personality New York guy. And my mum is a very cool, artsy, punk rock mix girl from London. I don’t know, but growing up, I always called my parents’ city hippies. I always called them city hippies, and they always allowed me and my siblings to. I come from a big family. There’s four of us just running around New York City. So, my parents always let us choose our own destiny. And they were never like you must go into ballet, you have to go into art class, they kind of, let us show them and tell them. They were always free people. And then my mum was always into punk rock such as The Stranglers and cool London music and punk 70s and then my dad’s hip hop house. So, I don’t know aha, then there’s me. And Brooklyn is a very eclectic place itself. I feel this amalgamation of worldly experience that I’ve been dropped in. 

It’s so funny. I was an old soul kind of girl. I was into Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and old jazz singers. And I think it was because I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and falling in love with that type of music. And then I got into rock. It’s always been older stuff, such as the 60s and 70s. That’s the music I’ve always been inspired by, oddly enough. 

I think so. I think there’s a lot of incredible artists. Like for new artists, I do find myself being in love with innovative people. I love Bree Runway, Arca, Iglooghost, Thai Boy Digital and all these transcendental musical artists. But it literally skips from liking Ella Fitzgerald to Grimes. But I kind of love everything, and I take inspiration from everything. Like if you knew me, the sentence I’m about to say is insane. Even someone like Taylor Swift, I love Taylor Swift. Though it’s not my style of music, I appreciate that writing and her being able to capture something. 

Oh my gosh, I will never be over The Skins. I was thinking about our music and those times right before we even hopped on. It’s super different. I feel more enlightened as a person and as a collaborator than I was. We started so young, and it was around ten years ago, so there are so many lessons that I take from The Skins creatively and personally.  

I feel there’s more freedom, and I can lean into my own interest within my solo work, but I’m a very collaborative person. And it’s always a huge part of my process to work with multiple producers or bring in writers, even though I’m a writer myself. I think being in a band was where I learned how to create with others. 

Oh my god, this is one of the hardest questions. When people say, what genre of music are you? It’s the hardest thing for me to identify. And I’ve always been a person who’s like, labels. What are those? Like? Sometimes I feel labelling or identifying something can be limiting. And I’m such an art freak that I like to leave it open to everyone’s interpretation. I do know that I’m super pop-leaning in my production. It’s always clean and polished. But there’s so much inspiration in my music. R&B, hip-hop, folk, you know, so I guess I would say alternative pop. 

I’m so excited to share this. I’m also super nervous. We lead with “sushi for breakfast” and “boys lie”, both conceptual singles. But the rest of the project is super intimate. For example, my next single, “16” is about my mum of her journey. I’m excited to let people in a bit more because I am a bit mysterious, and I’m happy to let people in via my music as a shy person. 

I wrote most of the project in Montreal, Canada, which is where half my management team is based. And working with those creatives, producers, and in Montreal, I felt the freedom of meeting new people. Like, here’s my story. So, bringing ‘stories from new york’ to Canada allowed me to be vulnerable in front of them. And “boys lie” and “sushi for breakfast” are fun and playful, but if you really lean in and listen to the lyrics, they are snapshots into a night in New York. So, I hope people take that away when they’re listening to the project. 

Yes, totally. Also, thank you for acknowledging it like it’s something that I’m still healing through, and it is difficult to talk about. But I wrote this song before my mother passed, so it was a huge team decision within my team as they should be like, do this. Am I ready to share this and actually, I feel it is a part of my healing process to share with others. I hope that people take “16”, and I hope it resonates with people. It’s just about a strong independent girl who survives the city. I think “16” is a stepping stone even in my artistry. I’m also a believer that it’s the artist’s job to be vulnerable, be there for the terrifying moments and share our own scary stories in the hopes that someone else in the world feels that and resonates. “16” is that song, and I hope people take that away from it. 

Oh my gosh, I’m such a weirdo. I don’t listen to my music – I don’t even think Mark knows this. I lean so much onto my team. We are like a production house just for my music and my project. I write so much, and I do write a lot for other artists, so I think it’s hard for me to know my thing sometimes. I am so vulnerable in my music, but at the same time, I’m like, is this good? Is this great? To choose a fave is hard, and I haven’t listened to it in a while. Like I honestly listened when we released them. So, I mean, off rip, I think “not safe” is one my favourite. It’s such a mood. 

It’s amazing to work behind the scenes. And it’s amazing to see everyone’s process and help create things together. I love being a writer. I think I am a little intrinsically demure and shy, and it is ironic as I’m a performer myself. So, I love writing, I love connecting with other artists and other people that way. I have to tap into an alter ego when I’m on stage and when I’m performing my own music, but I don’t find it hard. I think because I’ve been doing it for such a long time, it comes naturally to me. I am here to serve this audience and turn up, but it’s so funny because I am shy within my life. 

Dream collab? Oh, my goodness. This is so weird to say. Like Paul McCartney, just dropped, which lol guys, mate all these decades later. I think being an old soul, I love a lot of new artists. I love Grimes. I love Young Thug. I think these are icons, like modern-day icons. But someone like Paul McCartney would be a treat, like fucking Bono from U2 or something. That’s my skill and level. I know it’s so weird, but growing up, they were icons to me. That would be a dream. 

Yeah. Oh, my goodness. Am I guys? Am I even the chosen representative? I don’t know. I guess we’ll go with it for now. The thing about me is that I’m very transparent, and I’ve always been vulnerable and try and be honest when I am here when I do show up, whether it’s creating or doing interviews. So yes, I do take it very seriously, but it’s also terrifying. Like, am I the best representative? The best thing I can do, you know, is I’m such a person still ingrained in the community that I grew up in that’s allowing representation of real voices and real stories just like “stories from new york” is about. And I don’t feel like the best role model, but I do take that representation. And I do try and talk about how I present myself and my existence as much as I can. Even though I’m a reserved, private person, it is still important.

I think we are in an incredible cultural moment right now, where there’s been a shift. I’ve been working in the industry since I was a young teenager, going on ten years. And I have never felt more creatively free. It’s actually cool to try things and be underground again. And since I’ve been working, that hasn’t been a thing. So, I would say, you know, there’s all this DIY culture and technology, with computers and logic and being able to record yourself anywhere, I would say, if you’re a creative soul, this is the time to go for it. And I think the quarantine for me, I don’t know how it impacted other people and other artists, but it allowed me to elevate my art, my fan base and connect with people. It helped me to get to know my audience more and question, how can I serve you these bangers? It’s been interesting, and I’m still so inspired. As hard as last year was in so many ways for myself and many people, I’m inspired by the resilience and coming out on the other side.

Everything feels cooler and open creatively again. So, I’m excited to be part of that and be an artist in the mix. 

Well, Notion. I’ve been thinking about coming to London and writing for my next project, because of my mum and that side of history. There are possibilities there. I try to stay super present. I cannot tell you about the next drop, but I have been speaking with my creative director and very close friend, and we’re really pumped. We are thinking about a close drop even after this EP, but who knows? Who knows? I’m also excited to go back in and develop for the next project. But we’re living in crazy times, and I’m just excited, to hopefully capture it.