Words by Jesse Serwer, Photos by Gary James—
Remember Brick & Lace? Kingston-raised, Miami-based sisters Nyla (formerly Nailah) and Nyanda Thorbourne broke out in 2007 with “Love is Wicked,” a pop/reggae/R&B hit on the Diwali riddim, and went on to drop an album of the same name on Akon’s Kon Live label that same year.
With Brick & Lace on hiatus, Nyla (who along with Nyanda and her sisters Tasha and Candace has also written hits for J. Lo and Christina Aguilera) is stepping out with her first solo release—and a new, foolproof spelling of her name. The first release under Ky-mani Marley’s new label, Konfrontation Music, Nyla’s debut single “Stand Up” is a frank, sensual plea to her man to “stand up” in more ways than one—double entendres abound. Musically, the track (produced by Miami’s Corey Chase and Mucka Hill) straddles the line between reggae, R&B and pop, previewing the diversity to come on her upcoming debut EP while showcasing Nyla’s impressive vocal range. Stream “Stand Up” below, then check out a brief Q+A—and some smoldering pics—with the sexy siren below.
LargeUp: Now that you’re doing your own thing, what are you influenced by?
Nyla: I’m totally in love with the Major Lazer sound. I’m loving the new roots sound coming out of Jamaica, with Chronixx and Protoje. I love Skrillex and that fresh, dubstep/electronic sound that’s coming out also. I’m feeling that fusion. I love how it’s making reggae evolve. I’m also in love with Miguel’s R&B/pop vibe.
LU: Is Brick & Lace still a group?
Nyla: We’re on a hiatus right now. Nyanda’s doing her thing. We could come back and do an album in the future, but right now I’m trying to find my sound and grow individually as a solo artist. That’s where we are right now in our lives. We were in a group for so long, it just felt like the right time.
LU: What did you learn working with Akon, and being on a major label like Geffen?
Nyla: We were the first artists signed on [Akon’s label] KonLive. That was an honor for us. It was a blessing and a curse. It was a good thing to be on Geffen but I learned when there are too many cooks in the kitchen, it tends to spoil the process. It’s harder to move forward. Everybody overthinks until you get nothing. A big obstacle at Geffen was fighting for us to be ourselves. They wanted us to be so many things other than who we really are. We had to fight to be who we are as artists, to be Jamaican. They signed us on that basis, but they didn’t want to put us out on that basis.
LU: You were making music well before Brick & Lace, right?
Nyla: I grew up singing in Jamaica, in church, and then I did JMTC, Jamaica Musical Theater, for years. That was a great experience, being exposed to the arts. It was not just singing but dancing and acting. After high school, we moved to Miami, and that’s where the journey for us began. We had a couple records out in Jamaica but our break was here in the States. We used to do background singing for Beres Hammond and Diana King who, at the time, was a big influence. Our first tour was a European tour with Marcia Griffiths, who is a good friend of the family.
LU: You seem to be able to work in a lot of different genres. How does being Jamaican influence your music?
Nyla: I could do pop songs and R&B songs but, at the end of the day, people see me as an island girl. Whatever energy I bring, I’m always Jamaican. When I speak, I have a Jamaican accent. I can’t run from who I am. And reggae is a big part of who I am. I’m a fan of reggae music, and what we bring to the world. I feel like I would be doing myself a disservice by not incorporating that in my music. That’s something special that we bring to the world, and everybody can’t pull off. So I embrace it.
LU: What can people expect from your new project?
Nyla: I’ve been in a free spirit kind of vibe. I’ve been going with the waves and working with young producer and writers who are giving me energies and excited about working with me. I want to work with young musicians and writers, and I have been. I’m working with these new guys in Jamaica called Jus Eazy Productions, also C and C Productions in Miami. It’s been a little scary for me because I’ve always worked with my other sisters. But it’s freeing to just say what I want to say, and express my voice however I want. I have an uptempo, very electronic influenced record, called “Selector.” There is another one I did in Jamaica, taking it back to that late 90s, Tanto Metro and Devonte sound, with an old school sweet melody on a dancehall riddim.
LU: Why the name change?
Nyla: People could never figure out how to spell my name, I would tell them just write “NYLA.” They could never catch on. I thought it would be a cool solo name.
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