An Interview With Sunrayz
The spanking new single release from Sunrayz takes you away to a place you want to be with a fresh and breezy acoustic pop song with reggae flowing through its veins, smooth vocal harmonies, and the sounds of the beach infiltrating your brain in all the best ways.
"Back To The Island" is the closest you'll get to laying on the sand under palm trees and watching the ocean waves crash.
The single showcases the young artist's ability to write songs with colorful hooks, some killer lyrical phrasing, and it all creates such a beautiful vibe that you don;t want to end.
Sunrayz has a real love for giving us some gorgeous reggae music and crossing with a contemporary pop undertone that feels so good to listen to you crave more once it's over.
"Back To the Island" follows a few other outstanding singles like "One And Only" which keeps to that staple feel the artist has nailed so well.
These songs are amazing to start your day with and they all have a way of getting you to start planning a beachy vacation.
With such a vibrant new single, we wanted to have a talk with Sunrayz about how this all came to be for him.
TSWS: Okay so let's start off with "Back To The Island". This track had such a breezy freeing feel to it. Where did this song come from?
Sunrayz: Glad you noticed that because I always feel free and breezy when I visit the islands and I really tried to bottle up that feeling with this song. The past year has been tough on everyone and a lot of people have been stuck inside and unable to travel so I wanted to take the listener to the islands for a bit no matter where they are at. Kind of give them a moment to get away from the stresses and chaos of the day. I am a big fan of Jamaica and the island lifestyle so on a chilly December day in Atlanta, GA in 2020 I grabbed my ukulele and wrote the warmest weather song I could and boom here we are!
TSWS: I love the style of your music. Who are some of your biggest actual musical influences?
Sunrayz: Bob Marley is for sure the biggest influence. He is the reason I got into reggae and music production. His music is a huge part of my life and it keeps me energized and inspired to create. I would say other influences would be Peter Tosh, The Eagles, Jimmy Buffett and Jason Mraz.
TSWS: How did all of this start for you?
Sunrayz: I have played guitar and been singing for 12 years now. Throughout the years I have taught myself a lot of what I know about music (guitar, ukulele, piano, singing) but at the same time I have also collaborated and learned from very talented musicians who have helped me learn and grow my career. The last couple years I really dove deep into music production and I am amazed by the endless possibilities there are in creating music. Since I have a singer/songwriter background, it has been a lot of fun making my own songs and watching ideas come to life. I feel like this is just the start of a great journey and I look forward to continuing to create music and share it with the world.
TSWS: You sound like you'd be a great live band. Will you be putting any focus on live performances when the time comes?
Sunrayz: Thanks. I definitely want to play some live music in 2021. I plan on putting a band together in the near future and bringing these jams to more people for sure.
TSWS: What are you all doing when you're NOT working on music?
Sunrayz: Most of the time just hanging out with my family and or close friends. My wife, daughter and I love to travel and we try to get in as much nature time as we can. I do my best to stay very active so I keep a solid work-out regimen and play sports whenever I get the chance. I am also a co-host of a music podcast called Beyond The Mix Podcast with three good friends of mine where we talk about the music business and joke around and we have an absolute blast!
TSWS: You've accomplished a lot with these releases! What kind of advice would you have for up and coming artists trying to be heard?
Sunrayz: Appreciate that. I would say try your best to keep it simple and have realistic expectations. Focus on your music and your mission and try to not let unnecessary distractions knock you off of your path. Just keep going.
TSWS: What's next for you?
Sunrayz: In the near future I see myself working towards a live shows as I keep releasing music as frequently as I can. Maybe some collabs who knows?
TSWS: Who are you listening to right now?
Sunrayz: I have been in an old school roots reggae vibe lately. So I have been jammin' on Marley, Bunny Wailer, Marcia Griffiths and Peter Tosh a lot. That and I do mix in a lot of up and coming artists that I have met on Instagram and other places. And of course whatever Top 40 song my daughter is belting out in the car.
TSWS: Okay you wake up in the middle of the night starving. What's your go to midnight snack? (this is a question of character!)
Sunrayz: Ha ha. You know I would have to say a spoonful or two or three of peanut butter always does the trick!
TSWS: Can we expect any music videos on the way?
Sunrayz: Yes, I am currently working on coming up with a music video for Back to the Island. I am also regularly posting videos of covers and snippets of original songs on social media.
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Sunrayz: Thanks for listening and for your support it is so much appreciated! And to get ready because there are some super dope tracks on the way. Let's keep shining!