In the space of a little over a year, Deyaz has found himself in an unfamiliar place: a grounded, happy place. The UK singer/songwriter has a one-year-old daughter, and “she’s changed everything.” Parenthood has revitalized his life, career, and art. “I’ve realized now, having a child a lot of the weight I used to carry previously doesn’t need to hold the same significance,” he says. “I know that I need to be in the best frame of mind possible for her.” 

Raised in the East Ham neighborhood of London, Deyaz first became engrossed with music around 13, when his older brother left him an acoustic guitar before leaving for university. After teaching himself to play Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam albums by ear, he moved on to the piano, bass, and drums, expanding into genres like classical and jazz, which earned him a scholarship to the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Deyaz first gained traction online around 2020 with a series of TikToks featuring his gift for bittersweet falsettos and soulful acoustic guitar riffs. This led to his debut EP, Why Not. 

Today, Deyaz releases much-anticipated single, "LONGS4U," following previous single this April, “Therapy.” These singles follow a series of EPs and albums released since his 2020 debut. Produced by Deyaz, Travis Barker, Frank Rio, Orion Meshorer, and Noel Zancanella, "Therapy" is a hip-shaking, infectious ode to needing a mental health professional with soulful vocals over a funky, 80s-inspired instrumentation. The single builds on the sonic groundwork laid by the singer’s 2023 album, TRANSPARENCY, which featured soulful, catchy ballads like “Home” and “I’ll Scream (All the Words) [feat. Jessie Reyez].” Last year’s EP, The Ghosts of Our Past, highlights Deyaz’s knack for emotional songwriting on tracks like “Fallen Angel” and “Silicone Heart.” Lyrically, his past projects express difficult, emotional experiences, like losing people but holding onto their memory with “Let You Go.” 

Much of Deyaz’s past music has massaged emotional pain points, but recently, the singer has been working on a new, more upbeat sound that better reflects his present point of view. He says, “Lyrically, it’s definitely in a happier place. There’s just been a lot of movement in my personal life, many things that have grounded me recently—the first being fatherhood—and I think the music’s really corresponding with it at the moment.” He explains, “I’m transparent through my music, and I don’t premeditate too many things. It’s almost a diary entry for me on where I’m at in my life.” 

“Therapy” offers a taste of the new songwriting process. Deyaz shares, “It was one of the last days I had in the studio before I flew back, and we were just jamming—pulling from different worlds I haven’t made before, towards an almost Motown sort of influence. It was really natural how it was made. The song was pretty much done in a day. It was one of those that really flowed freely in the room.” Despite the lyrics to the track’s infectious hook, Deyaz no longer goes to therapy. He explains, “It was hard for me to be really premeditated and intentional about growth. I believe it happens with life, hand in hand.” 

As of late, the UK native has been camped out in LA, working with producer Travis Barker. “LA is a mixed one for me,” Deyaz admits of his tenure on the West Coast. “I definitely miss home. It’s quite different from the UK. But, work-wise, I find it so inspiring to be out here. There’s so many more collaborators I’ve met out here, and some songs I’ve made here have definitely been some of my favorites.” While raised in London, he now makes his home in the South England countryside—he misses the woodlands there, he says, and his “two dogs back at home...It’s more like sentimental stuff I miss than anything.” 

Nostalgia clearly has iterative power for the singer—along with a slew of new singles set for release, Deyaz also recently featured on Jessie Reyez’s latest album, PAID IN MEMORIES, collaborating on the track “**BROTHER**.” The two have been friends for the last couple of years, after he opened for Reyez on a previous European tour. He speaks glowingly of her, saying, “She’s been a massive supporter of what I’ve done, and she’s been amazing with advice and just navigating through the industry.”

Navigating the industry—especially in the absurd, parasocial era ushered in by the pandemic—has undoubtedly been challenging, but Deyaz finds himself inspired by the ways he’s been able to connect with fans in the years following his debut. “I’ve had encounters with people where they’ve said that the music’s been able to help them navigate through certain problems or have been able to just help their day. And I think those, for me, definitely feel the most sentimental. You can be in your head a lot when you’re creating all the time, and to see it actually have an effect, even onto one person’s life, and in a positive way, is definitely reaffirming what I’m doing.” 

At present, Deyaz finds himself in the neverending process of letting go. “[There are a] lot of old habits that I used to have–a lot of negative habits, with addiction and drinking, [that I talk about letting go of], but I’m in a place where I’ve sort of overcome this stuff. Right now, I’m finding my balance between personal and music. I think I struggle to not be so 150% consumed in it all the time.”

Fatherhood has given him a new perspective on that balance: “From the age of 15, I’ve been doing this all day long, every single day,” Deyaz reflects. “I’m so obsessed with music. You’re always on the chase for something. You’re always trying to chase the sound. You’re always trying to chase the better song from the last. So, having more purpose outside of it has been nice.”

Such is always the slippery question: purpose. When the goalposts shift and habits fade, what is the engine of change? How does one look to the past to find meaning in the future? Deyaz ponders his own childhood, and cites his mother as the inspiration for his new chapter of fatherhood; of musicianship; of selfdom. “Now, I think all you need is someone to look to who’s extremely loving towards you. Just giving the care you’ve wanted, and you hope to replicate that as best as you can.”

Photographer: Max Montgomery

Stylist: Maurice Diallo

Grooming: Carolina Pizarro

‍