Exclusive Q&A with Iyaz! - J-14

Publish date: 2024-06-07

Iyaz may have originally written his hit single "Replay" about a girl that he can't get out of his head, but ever since he stopped by the J-14 offices, we haven't been able to get "Replay" out of our heads! The hitmaker dished with us about how he met Sean Kingston, the inspiration for his music, and what to expect from his debut album!

J-14: How did you get hooked up with Sean Kingston?
Iyaz:
He sent me a MySpace message! He was like, "I love your stuff, man. Let's work together, man!" But I never replied. I ignored him for three days, then I gave him a fake number! He got upset, so I gave him my number. After he called me, he flew me out — I was supposed to go to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a day, but I stayed for a whole week during Memorial Day. And now I'm on his label, it's crazy!

J-14: What kind of music did you have up on MySpace?
Iyaz:
I had music that I did on a little Dell laptop with a cheap headset from Wal-Mart! I made it sound like studio though, because I went to school for engineering.

J-14: What was your inspiration for "Replay?"
Iyaz:
I was writing it for my girl — everywhere I go I see her! Everywhere I go she's like a song stuck in my head! You know that song: "Lamb Chop's play along?" That song that grows on you! There are songs that you just can't get out of your head that won't go away. That's "Replay."

J-14: What happened when you first played "Replay" for your girlfriend?
Iyaz:
She was screaming on the phone! I don't normally let her hear all of the songs so I played it through the phone first. I won some brownie points, yup!

J-14: Who has been the biggest crush of your life?
Iyaz:
I had a crush on Beyonce, but Jay-Z went and put a ring on it so I had to put a lid on it! My new crush is Megan Fox. She. Looks. Good. She was actually sitting in front of us at the VMAs but I was too scared.

J-14: Was your girlfriend jealous?
Iyaz:
She texted me and said, "I see you're sitting behind your girlfriend."

J-14: Are girls more of an inspiration or a distraction for you?
Iyaz:
Both! I like making songs for the ladies. Ladies are the ones who are going to buy the album. Dudes are not going to buy the album. Dudes are going to be like, "hey my lady's listening to you more than me!" He's trying to talk to her but she's just listening to me! There will be a lot of of love songs, a lot of relationship songs on the album.

Spill with us in the comments below: Are you loving Iyaz's single "Replay?" What song do you get stuck in your head?

Photo: Courtesy of Reprise Records

Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7q3mQbWWcp51kvbC%2F06xmnrCTocK0tdWeZKplkWLEqsDHZqCymapifnV8lmg%3D