Gorgeous Summer track from rising queer South African star
Queer South Africa-born, Los Angeles-based independent recording artist Kaien Cruz (they/them) unveils stunning upbeat summer AfroPop anthem “I Lay”.
“I Lay” is available to stream on all digital platforms via The Orchard. Listen here.
The track is accompanied by a breathtaking cinematic video – directed by Hunter So with production by Anna Dickson that was shot on location in Costa Rica and features an appearance by Kai’s partner.
Co-produced by Glass Animal’s Edmund Irwin-Singer alongside Alli Valenzuela and Joshua Choo, “I Lay” is an anthem about the power of intuitive love and cosmic energy. Through potent vocals and the universal language of musical expression, the infectious song takes you on an upward spiral journey of curiosity, expansion, pure joy and ecstasy. “I Lay” follows on from the heartfelt “Black Ice” released earlier this yearsetting the tone for what’s to come from their forthcoming project.
On the release of their new single, Kaien shares, “I wrote this song in an hour and honestly it just flowed straight out of me. I wanted to portray the feeling of total ease in love and life. ‘I Lay’ is my pure expression of what it means to be in love and connection without the toxicity of ego.”
Kaien Cruz (they/them) is an independent artist hailing from South Africa and now based in Los Angeles. With a voice that encompasses elements of R&B and AfroPop, the proud Queer and non-binary singer-songwriter hit the ground running when their debut single “Love Me In The Dark” rose to the top of the South African charts and earned a prestigious nomination for Song of the Year at the South African Music Awards, which resulted in Justin Bieber hand-picking Cruz to open his sold out Purpose Tour for their first major performance in front of a crowd of 90,000. Inspired, Cruz released two EP’s independently and made their way to LA in 2022 for their first U.S. tour including appearances at SXSW and Governor’s Ball.
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