Shay Lia ‘Takutá’ | Exclusive BTS

Feeling triumphant, multi-faceted artist Shay Lia explores newfound freedom with her new commanding single, ‘Takutá,’ which emerged from pure euphoria between two like-minded artists, Shay Lia and producer/composer, Andrés Rebellón.

‘Takutá’ showcases Lia’s mantra-like playful flows and Rebellón’s fully-charged energetic beats. The musical symbiosis between the pair acts as the Djiboutian-French star’s return and a first taster from her upcoming project, a pop proposition that the artist conceptualised during a time of personal reclamation.

Alongside the release of ‘Takutá,’ Shay Lia drops a slick music video inspired by one of her role models Janet Jackson and her references to dancehall, vogue, and afro-pop.

On top of Noctis’exclusive pass to the behind-the-scenes experience of the ‘Takutá’ video shoot, Shay Lia speaks about stepping into a new era.

What does this new phase of Shay Lia represent to you?

I’m in my Saturn Return. It’s a whole examination of self and I’m entering an era of reclamation, one that brings me back to my truth. I want this phase to be about a joyful expression of my singularity. I know that I’m a multi-faceted creator because of my lived experiences.

How do you feel about this return, explain the energy surrounding Takutá’s release as it feels intentionally transformative in that it sits in a different space to the Solaris EP?

I feel triumphant. Like I cleared a path to transformation, something that is key to newfound freedom! My next project is ready – it is something that will sit naturally in my repertoire after SOLARIS but it’s a pop proposition all the way through.

How did the song come to be, what inspired you?

I was in LA in 2021 working on the upcoming project. I met Andrés Rebellón, a producer/composer from Colombia. Our sessions together were so playful and the session when we made Takutá is one of my best memories of creating music because it was pure euphoria. It was just the two of us and we were so connected. Ideas were flowing one after the other – I felt like I was unlocking a new way to communicate sides of me I hadn’t shared before and I couldn’t believe how good it was making me feel. We had so much fun and we were laughing and I was feeling free, bold and aligned.

Andrés understood the assignment – we knew the first offering for my comeback had to be something that people all over the world could connect with and that’s why you can hear so many cultures in the production. The words just came out of me naturally – the French lyrics especially since it’s my first language.

Was there anything that influenced the direction you went in for the music video?

So many people know and recognize me from the infamous Boiler Room video with Kaytra. I get tagged in clips again and again. I was a dancer before I was a songwriter – it’s an intrinsic part of my process when I create music. I always ask myself if the song will move me in some way. I knew this song itself had enough energy to get people on their feet so I wanted another chance to leave it all on the dance floor. I worked with Wade Hudson, a respected portrait and fashion photographer/director to get the look and feel just right – we wanted every frame to look like a photo and every moment to make people feel like they could dance with me.