Life & Work with Layke of West Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Layke

Hi Layke, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Dallas, Texas in a conservative world. My Father was from Italy so there was always a presence of very strong Italian Catholic roots. Catholic school the whole 9 yards. I never felt I fit in and honestly I didnt want to. I always knew I was different I just wasn’t sure how that looked because there wasn’t a lot of inspiration around me as a queer artist coming into their own. I did however have an amazing father, my biggest inspiration, and my best friend and he loved me fiercely and always believed in me and my vision.
I grew up writing, doing dance and musical theater my entire life and after high school I knew I had to get to California to cultivate my passion for music further so I saved up and made it out here at 19 almost 20. Went to music school in Hollywood and was signed with a modeling agency for a while while I got my footing to make some money. And I was in countless bands and played all over California and surrounding states. Was a total punk rocker in high school so when I came out here, my focus was on rock music and I loved everything about it. In 2014 I just decided to go completely solo which was scary because I always thought I was gonna be in a band. I was putting out music independently and playing all over LA from the Viper Room to Dim Mak to Lucky Strike to everywhere. I was introduced to a producer that gave me an opportunity to sign to an independent label and moved into the dream pop/alternative pop world where I am now. It was really exciting because I started incorporating all kinds of drum machines and synthesizers and awesome sounds into my music so it was like a whole new world for me. My first single release off my first official EP Layke Pt. 1 was in October 2018 called “Beautiful War”. We filmed this awesome video in the California desert and it was just so incredible and it really kicked everything off. And then after that, I worked with Snoop Dogg on a cover of the song “Happier” By Marshmello & Bastille and that was just an amazing experience and then everything just kept going and really evolved into eventually putting out my second EP Layke Pt. 2 with some subsequent singles through the pandemic and then into the Frequency EP, which is my most current body of work and is really a testament to my personal experience as a bisexual/pansexual LGBTQIA+ individual.
With my music I really want to create a space where people can truly let go without worrying about being judged or feeling like they’re not enough. A safe space to be freely themselves. We all deserve to live freely and openly without judgment unapologetically exactly as who we are.
My music definitely shows the dichotomy of who I am as a person, where there’s one side of me that loves to go out and dance and be a part of this vibrant community, and another side that tends to retreat into those shadow spaces that we don’t usually like to see in ourselves. I hope my music gives people the freedom to go through a whole spectrum of emotions because at the end of the day we’re all human, and we need to allow ourselves the grace to truly be who we are.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think any individual in the entertainment industry would say it has not been a smooth road at some point.
There’s been times like anyone else where the rejection and the slamming of doors in your face is enough to just give up and I thought about doing that, but I never did and I never would.
I’ve dealt with blatant homophobia from people on the Internet from people at shows from people in the studio from people on photo shoots. I’ve also dealt with sexual harassment and sexism in all of the areas I just mentioned.
I’ve been called talentless. I’ve been called the F word. I’ve had people say sexually inappropriate things and smack me on the ass in a meeting. There are so many inappropriate things that happen in this industry and it’s really unfortunate that today in current times we are still dealing with these kinds of things running rampantly, but this is the honest reality.
That’s why I’ve decided to take back my power and fulfill my wants and needs and not let anybody else get in the way of that. And do it utterly and completely on my terms.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a singer, songwriter and recording artist. I’m known for my music and I love every part of the process of making music. I love writing songs, I love being in the studio, I love creating the world for the music to visually live in, but above all else I love being on stage. I love performing and I love giving energy to individuals, and feeling that energy coming back and having that reciprocation and that flow and it’s just such an amazing experience. I just wanna give people an amazing experience and make them feel loved and let them know they can be whoever they wanna be at my shows.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I love things like bungee jumping and skydiving and stuff like that. I don’t do it that often but I do have an adventurous side to me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/laykeofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laykeofficial
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/laykeofficial
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/layke
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/laykeofficial

Image Credits
All of the performance photos plus the one in the silver top with my hands toward the camera are Arely Davis @arelydavis (insta)

The other photos are by Quinn Tucker @quasarmedia (insta)