Last year, Jayla Darden took the music industry by storm. This year, she’s riding the waves to untold success.
These days, when a singer takes the industry by storm, it’s usually because they have a large following, influence on Instagram or command the respect of a particular audience. Talent, then, can often be an afterthought, a virtue less important in a digitally controlled world. Like with all things, though, there are exceptions to the rule. In this case, Jayla Darden is that exception – and a very good one, too.
She’s a Detriot-born R&B singer, with so much more to her than meets the eye. At 22, you might take her for a young, starry-eyed musician unaware of the pitfalls brought about by early success. But given she’s been on this road since the age of 15, she’s a lot more clued up about potential roadblocks than you might think.
And as for her music, there’s isn’t much to else to say bar this: it’s brilliant, soulful, and, of course, different. With influences including Frank Ocean and Aliyah, it’s no surprise that Jayla Darden’s tracks gravitate towards a similar sense of calm, perfect for long drives and summer evenings, but she adds so much more to her sound that it’s difficult to place her in a shoebox of genre.
And unlike many other artists, she can actually play a melody, strum a chord and drum up a beat – making her a musician’s musician, the real deal in an ever-changing industry. In recent times, she’s released a fair few projects, including Ideas Vol.1 and Ideas Vol. 2. But – and we’ll bet there’ll be widespread agreement on this – her best work yet is Onto Something, the seven track debut album released last November.
It’s with Onto Something that Jayla Darden really began making her name, building a steady audience and, by extension, a loyal fanbase. Given she’s been singing for a long time, her success might come as little surprise to those closest to her – but as her Darden herself admits, there’s little indication that she’s being swept up by the wave of fame or the pressures of the spotlight.
That, in part, might stem from her childhood, where singing in choirs and discovering new music – from the likes of Destiny’s Child, Aaliyah and Brandy – were the norm. What she wants to do, as she said in an interview with Mefeater, is “inspire people… I want to be able to write songs more personal so that when people hear them, they feel a connection.”
With immeasurable talent and a personality to match, her fans will be feeling plenty of connection, alright.
While you’re here, check out the other artists we’ve profiled as part of our Discover Weekly series.