Our Top 10 Musical influences

By Laya Laya.

“THESE are the things that influence and inspire us. They’re not in any particular order, mind you…”

London: We are both born and raised in London, which is the best city in the world in our view, and unique for its integration and mix of cultures. We’ve both lived in other parts of the UK and abroad, Freya has lived in Brazil, but we’re massively influenced by the arts, vibe and sounds of London.

UK Garage: The beats, bass lines, big hooks and rhythms, what’s not to love? In its heyday it was pretty much a complete genre with both songs and bangers combining in a neverbefore-heard way. The first track we wrote together used a 2-Step beat style and we still have Garage influences in pretty much every track we make, especially in our upcoming EP.

Alternative pop/r’n’b: Pop music can be so formulaic and clichéd, but if you scratch under the surface there is a wealth of songs and artists who make great music with more depth and nuance. Artists who speak to your soul, but who do not necessarily play or fit the traditional corporate game. Artists like FKA Twigs, Banks, Sohn, Kali Uchis, Christine & The Queens and MIA are among those we admire.

Hindi film music: We were in Mumbai last year and got to hang out at the Yash Raj Films music studio. It was amazing seeing where some of the biggest hits were created. Growing

up with Indian parents it’s hard not to be influenced by Bollywood. There are way too many music directors and singers to mention, but the key thing is melody. Melody rules in

Bollywood and that’s what we focus on in our songwriting. We wish the whole world could appreciate the rich lyricism from greats like Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Prasoon Joshi.

World music: Aside from being a crap title for a genre, the sounds of different artists from around the world are amazing – they include tracks from Latin music, Black Coffee

(South African house), reggae artists like Chronixx and so many more. We are students as much as artists and hearing new and different music drives us forward.

Little Dragon: This Swedish band manages to combine r’n’b melodies with an alternative unformulaic sound, but still manages to keep it fun and unpretentious. We love singer Yukimi’s tone, which is absolutely unique.

Frank Ocean: The American r’n’b singer-songwriter, who wowed the world with his album Channel Orange, has collaborated many times with the likes of Kanye West and Jay Z. We like him for his commentary on the world around him, plus his amazing melodies and original production. He’s also not afraid to be different, which is something that resonates deeply with us.

Avatar: The film is usually mentioned at least once in each songwriting session. We love it for its pure escapism. Everything exists in harmony – colours, creatures and the environment. We would love to play at a rave on Pandora.

Electronic music: For us, electronic music is such a vast umbrella. It covers everything from Disclosure, Prodigy, Mura Masa, Kaytranada, drum ’n’ bass, house to everything that subtly defies genre boundaries. The synthetic and the organic not only co-exist, but thrive in a constantly evolving way. This pushes us to be better writers and producers all the time.

Freddie Mercury: He had a virtuoso vocal talent and epic original songs. On top of this, he is one of the most famous (Parsi) Indians in the world. He’s basically the Parsi Gurdas Maan. Awesome talent and Indian, what’s not to love?

• Both, the debut release from London-based songwriting-production duo Laya Laya, is out now. Visit Instagram, Twitter & Soundcloud: @layalayaworld for more.