Iyaz Tops UK Charts For Debut Single "Replay"

The 22-year-old singer-rapper Iyaz, otherwise known as Virgin Islands born Keidran Jones, who claims he writes tunes in the dark, went straight in at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his debut single "Replay" last week after selling more than 106,000 copies up to Saturday night, and has topped the UK singles chart and UK R&B Chart for the second week in a row, a healthy total for the opening part of the sales year.
Newcomer Iyaz has become increasingly popular because of his profile on MySpace which was discovered by singer Sean Kingston. "Replay" was produced by J.R. Rotem, who helmed most of Iyaz's reggae-infused, R&B heavy debut album, "My Life" (will be released in March 2010,) says he saw the star power in Iyaz from the start. "I was impressed with what he did with the writing and his vocals himself." The single was released in the UK on January 4, 2010 and charted No.1 on the UK Singles Chart on January 10, making it the first No.1 single of the new decade. Through the success of his first hit single, "Replay," the artist already feels like a star. Rotem was right -- Iyaz seems to have what it takes and the reception he's receiving these days when he performs is a testament to that.
Beaches are definitely the It Locale for music videos this week, but at least Iyaz, who has an excuse to frolic on the coast in the middle of winter. He's just released his bright, cheery sand-strewn video for the hit song by Warner Bros, in which he flips through photos all Minority Report-style while coincidentally sounding almost exactly like fellow tenor and label patron, Sean Kingston.
Nick Levine of Digital Spy Chart Blog gave the song a positive review stating: "'Replay' doesn't feature anything as quirky as Derulo's Imogen Heap sample or indeed anything new at all, but it is a surprisingly likeable slice of radio-friendly R&B. The lyrics are sweeter than the average Song 4 Shawty, the reggae-tinged beats bring a bit of Caribbean sunshine to the crisp British winter, and, well, the chorus certainly does its job. In fact, once heard, it's roughly as easy to remove from your brain..."