REYKO – No Shame

By starrymag | July 21, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

Soleil: Electropop.

Igor: “Pop” because we are all about catchy songs and melodies and “electronic” because we produce all our music ourselves with a computer.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

Soleil: Billie Holiday, Moloko, Goldfrapp

Igor: Bill Withers, Manu Chao, The Weeknd, Kraftwerk.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “No Shame.”

Igor: One day in a rehearsal room Soleil was singing this really cool melody while checking the mic and warming up, which is actually the melody line of the verses of the song. I thought it sounded great so the next day we recorded it and put some beats and sounds around it. As soon as the beat was there, the lyrics started coming out.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

Soleil: We feel like there is a certain light and positive energy about it.

 

Q) What made you decide to release a lyric video and not a full produced one?

Igor: In the beginning the decision had more to do with the world being in lockdown!! [smiles] But then we realized that we didn’t have any lyric videos anyway, so we decided it was refreshing to have one.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

Soleil: The process changes quite a bit from song to song. Many times, we start with a melody and work the beat and lyrics around it, like with No shame, although many other times Igor shows me a cool beat or sound and we try to come up with a melody on top of it.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

Igor: We produce and record all of our music ourselves in our home studio in West London.

 

Q) What does it mean to you that so many of your songs have gone viral to the point of being featured in commercials, TV shows, etc.?

Soleil: It’s great! It’s very humbling. It’s like a song has a life of its own as soon. As it’s out there, it kind of finds in its own way somehow, even if sometimes takes two years! [smile]

Igor: It’s very reassuring for us because it tells us that sometimes we do write songs that someone likes. [smiles]

 

Q) What are some themes you explore on this debut album?

Soleil: We tried digging deep into personal stuff like self-doubt and vulnerability and also some personal experiences and putting them in songs. Being our debut album, we really wanted to be transparent and bold in a way that, when people listen to the album, can easily relate to it and feel like they know us.

 

Q) What songs on the album hold a special place or significance to you and why?

Igor: “Lose Myself.” The song sums up the vulnerability Soleil mentioned earlier.

Soleil: “Hierba Mala.” I can still remember the moment we came up with the hook. It actually represents some real people that were in our lives in that moment.

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to this album as a whole?

Soleil: We hope the listeners can connect to the stories and feelings we describe and hopefully relate to them and carry those songs with them for a long time.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

Igor: Barcelona, I guess, because it’s my hometown. Although we’re not that picky really. As long as people enjoy having us and listening to our music, we will play anywhere. [smiles]

Soleil: Same here. Madrid because it’s my hometown, but anywhere really!

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

Igor: There’s some really cool artists in the UK such as Young T & Bugsey or Not3s

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

Soleil: I’ve recently discovered 070 Shake. She’s great! I really like how melodic she is but also edgy at the same time.

Igor: I’ve been digging deep into the roots of electronic music with Kraftwerk. The sounds that we’re into in 2020, these guys were making them in the 70’s!!

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

Soleil: On our part it really gives us a platform to expand our music into pictures, videos, words, etc… We really feel like it completes our message in many ways.

Igor: It also gives us the opportunity to connect and speak directly to people who dig our music.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

Igor: Keep checking in on us on our platforms because there’s some news coming very soon. [smiles]