Made.Allayne is an artist whose lyrics reflect both where he’s been and where he’s inspired to be headed. The sound created around this fundamental foundation is polished and brimming with personality and intention. His key influences are the titans of the 90s and 00s — Dilla, Jay-Z, Pharrell, all the while expressing words of ambition, faith, love and doubt.
Born in Aurora, Illinois, to Jamaican parents, Allayne is the only American-born of his siblings, and has spent time living in New York, London, LA and Chicago, each move less a reinvention, more a step towards an incomparable understanding of scenes and cultures.
In amongst this intricate tapestry of diversity, meditation and authenticity, Made.Allayne’s career arises with a perfectionism, a self-fulfilment and an independence; aside from the music itself, he stands out through sheer dedication.
With backstory aside, there’s room to talk about his latest single, ‘Bounce Back’, arriving during a period of change and tracking a moment of uncertainty into an energising defiance. “I had just moved into a new creative space and was feeling outside of myself-relearning my environment. This song was the first song that I recorded, and it was the offspring of all that I was overcoming. I was reaching new heights and accomplishments, but it came with new challenges. I had to remind myself of who I was and that I always bounce back even stronger.
From the opening moments, you can note the Latin feel of the guitar and a soulful female vocal sparkling with R&B sultriness. The drum production is subtle and natural, but it packs a punch deep into the mix as 808s back up each kick. Slick verses are broken up with infectious, nostalgic hooks, leaning back into the beat with a relaxed, swaying flair.
Lyrically, there’s always a storyteller sense with Allayne. Each line delivered transcends the music, pulling you into a broader performance, a theatricality that is bestowed upon only the best writers in this scene. The confidence is far from arrogance; it is backed up by a conclusive set of evidence that Allayne is exactly who he portrays himself to be. A multi-faceted creative, with talents that ooze from the sonic portrait.
Like the music, that self-belief is infectious. For ‘Bounce Back’, it’s said best by the artist himself: “This song is an anthem for anybody who is facing an obstacle that they are meant to overcome.”