OH! Magazine - Australian Version November 2018 | Page 4

( OH WOW )
NEO-SOUL HAS A NEW NAME.
HER NAME IS REYA
Introducing REYA, the debut project of
Melbourne-based neo-soul artist Rebecca Matthews.
reamy and deep, ethereal and
expansive, REYA’s music conveys a
worldliness beyond her 23 years. Taking
queue from influences such as Erykah Badu,
Solange and Anderson .Paak, REYA fuses
soul, RnB and electronic pop to craft a sound
that is both progressive and retrospective.
D
First single Forward / Back is REYA’s debut
offering, and the first taste of her work with
producer and mix engineer Haxx (Kult Kyss,
Aeora, King IV). Melding sampled breaks,
floating synths and REYA’s silky vocals,
Forward / Back poignantly captures the
bittersweet aftershock felt at the end of a
relationship:
‘The song is about a breakup, when the
initial shock and heartbreak has somewhat
passed, but you haven’t completely moved
on and feel disheartened, melancholy and
pensive. Forward / Back is about knowing
that you can’t return to how things were, but
don’t really know where you as a person can
go next.’
From it’s delicate and minimal opening,
Forward / Back blooms into a colourful and
cinematic journey, crescendoing into a
lush soundscape filled with rolling
hats, smooth brass and
chiming
flutes.
Harnessing the vivid
apex of the
song, REYA
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OH! MAGAZINE ( NOVEMBER 2018 )
delivers her message with heartfelt
simplicity: ‘Can’t go forward, can’t go back.’
REYA’s second single Wet Paint, is due for
release in the lead up to Christmas, and
her debut EP is on the horizon, ensuring
her unique sound is set to leave REYA’s
mark on the world of electronic neo-soul.
Check out Forward / Back at Triple J
Unearthed,
iTunes,
Spotify,
and
Futuremag Music.
Words by Luke Byatt.
Photo by Nicole Corbett.
CONNECT WITH REYA VIA:
Web: www.reyamusic.com
Facebook: reyaofficial
Twitter: @reyamusic
Instagram: @reyamusic