IYAZ Cranks Out Catchy Tunes With "So Big"

Beluga Heights' island-pop sensation IYAZ is back with the video for his newest single, "So Big," the third single taken from his debut LP "Replay." The JR Rotem produced new catchy little tune has the British Virgin Islands artist declaring his love for his girl. Watch as the dude showers his lady as only a Top 40 recording artist knows how.
The Caribbean singer and rapper makes lilting reggae-infused R&B melodies inspired by island shorties, wireless romance, and the anguish of unrequited love. This wouldn't be the first time IYAZ has crooned about love: His previous hit, "Solo," shows him struggling to make it on his own, sans girlfriend, whereas his 2009 hit "Replay" has the R&B singer failing to get a girl off his mind. Despite two successful singles, Virgin Islands-bred pop star IYAZ' freshman set still has yet to arrive. At this point, of course, there's only one thing to do: drop another single, one "So Big" that the album will take on a life of its own. Over bass beats and a mild keyboard melody, the single "So Big" should be another hit off his dance-driven debut album, "Replay," expected to drop later this year, possibly as late as December.
IYAZ was born into a musical family and grew up in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. IYAZ's rise to the top of the Billboard charts happened not to long after being discovered by reggae-fusion singer and rapper Sean Kingston on MySpace. With inventive re-imaginings of the reggae-splashed hook-heavy soul popularized by acts like Sean Paul and Sean Kingston in the early half of the 21st century's first decade, Virgin Island-born singer IYAZ swiftly built up a hearty cult following on MySpace. Kingston, in the process of forming his own Time Is Money label, stumbled upon IYAZ's site and snapped up the 23-year-old singer as the maiden signee of his new imprint. IYAZ's debut single, "Replay," which was co-written by Jason Derülo, an iPod name-checking musical stew adding splashes of classical and electronica to his usual island pop, soared on the charts and reached #1Top 40.
In an interview with HitQuarters, his producer J.R. Rotem described IYAZ's creative perfectionism: "Whereas others might work on several songs in one day, he might sit there and work on one song for days. The end result that he gets is usually an absolute gem, so heartfelt and genuine." IYAZ understands that struggle firsthand, because the music business has been challenging for his love life. Instead of cultivating a relationship, he's busy in the studio or touring. But when things get to be too much, IYAZ can always return to his other great love: motorcycles. He just hops on one of his dirt bikes and rides off into the Floridian sunset!

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..."