Embracing music and fashion as forms of self-expression, ambitious London-based newcomer DEYAZ is stepping up and breaking out.

Words: Martyn Young.
Photos: Frank Fieber.

Deyaz's debut mixtape 'WHY NOT' was the kind of seismic success that instantly catapults an artist to another level. After 10 years of grafting in everything from hardcore punk bands to academic classical instrumentation, the East Londoner with a masterful music approach was being feted everywhere with high-profile shows, a massive tour with Jesse Reyez and a stunning debut telly appearance on Later With Jools Holland. The whole thing garnered a mind-bending 10 million plus streams, and it was clear to everyone that Deyaz was a serious musical talent. So, how do you follow up on this huge success? Well, it's by building on the foundations and values that got Deyaz there as he explores and reflects on his inner self and seeks to enrich and soothe the lives of all the people who have fallen so deeply for his expansive and deeply emotional music.

He starts by explaining how the importance of family underpins everything he does. "I'm a pretty simple person," he says. "Outside of music, a thing that I like is animals. I'm obsessed with my French bulldogs. I have three. Mum, dad and daughter. They're a big grounding point for me. Family is a massive one for me. Music and family, that's my world. Rocky is the dad, Moon is the mum, and Sachi is their daughter. Sachi is a Japanese name for miracle, as Moon had to have a c-section to get the pup out. She wasn't breathing, but they did this acupuncture on her nose, and she came back to life."

In a similarly restorative way, Deyaz's music has the quality of bringing something back to life. Sometimes, he can sound wounded and vulnerable, like on this summer's striking single 'Numb', but more often than not, his music is filtered through a vivid prism of hope and catharsis. In the wake of 'WHY NOT', he has received numerous enriching messages from people explaining how his music has touched them and shaped their lives.

"I shared with my management a band that reached out on a fake account and were basically explaining how they also struggled with addiction and homelessness in the past, and the music was able to navigate them into a better space," he reveals.

In some ways, it takes a level of emotional toll as Deyaz puts so much of his inner feelings into his music and really puts himself out there sometimes in the stakest and most bare musical form, but ultimately, it makes everything even more rewarding.

"There are days when I feel really exposed and vulnerable right now, especially because I'm such an introverted person," he admits. "I do believe, though, that when I see messages like that, there's a higher purpose to this, and I shouldn't be so selfish. If I'm able to be in a position to influence even one or two people's mental health, then I feel an obligation with what I've been through to try and help them. "

As he moves onto a new project due later this year, the goal for Deyaz is to continue and expand on his artistry and explore different ways to use his voice. This time around, he's really challenging himself. "I started my second EP this year. It's been a crazy process. It's something I didn't expect," he says excitedly. "Because music is in my life constantly 24/7, I can predict what sort of route I can go down sonically with an EP, but with this one, I'm just really surprised how it went down routes that I don't expect. I'm really excited to see the fan reaction to it."

Deyaz's whole musical life has been about exploring and trying out new sounds and styles. "I started off with rock music, but I found a massive love for jazz and classical music once I started with keyboards," he explains. "I started with Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, and then you get on piano, and you pretend to be Mozart. Once I started branching out into more left-field genres, it opened my eyes that there were no limitations. That's why it's so hard to explain. Music to me feels very much like trial and error with educated guesses."

The next EP is a significant step forward for Deyaz in its scope and breadth of sound. "It feels like an evolution. It's making more sense to me," he proclaims. "'WHY NOT' was just making music, and when you feel you have a nice set of songs, just put them out into the world and hope for the best. As my confidence grew, there was a bit more intent with it. My confidence grew in the studio, and I had a bit more of a game plan with pushing boundaries. On the first EP, it was mainly just down to confidence and anxiety."

With his next project, there are no boundaries and no limits. "I intentionally try to incorporate as much as I can; with 'Numb', it's the first time I've fused garage and acoustic folk elements together," he says. "Still, to this day, there's so many exciting combinations that I haven't attempted. It's like this never-ending chase. Chasing the dragon. You have this goal, and you're like, once you get there, that's it, and then you get there, and it's on to the next thing."

It's not just music that Deyaz is focused on. He also wants to expand his vision into fashion. "I'd love to incorporate more fashion elements into things," he says. "I'm really into fashion. I love the whole fashion world. Maybe a clothing line would be really cool?" Is there anything this man cannot do? "From a young age, anything that involved self-expression I was really keen on, especially growing up in an area that wasn't very allowing for being expressive," he says. "I always pushed towards it, and fashion was always an outlet for me alongside music, and it's always gone hand in hand."

While he dreams of his fashion empire, the music is swiftly ramping up. "Next year is going to be the first album. I want to go somewhere really inspiring and try to create something sonically challenging," he says resolutely. "On the album, I've been in talks with Mr Hudson, who's a massive inspiration for me; we just want to lock in and create it from scratch." Always looking forward and expanding his worldview and sonic palate at a dazzling rate, Deyaz's star continues to ascend.