written by Teyquil Skelton
Los Angeles native, Iyla Blue, paid a visit to Philadelphia and left a memorable performance in the room as her fans took in all that she had to give. The offer from Blue was well-received musically, as the audience jumped in with both feet to support her by singing and shouting back lyrics to her songs. Blue has been in the music industry for quite some time and around 2010 she first got her start with R&B trio, Fine Chynah, which lasted until 2012. As Blue continued to search for her sound, she encountered interest in the world of electronic music as she collaborated with various artists in creating dance anthems as a session vocalist and soon breaking off to guest appear as a featured artist.
Blue scored a hit single when she paired with Anise.K for the song “Walking On Air.” Soon after, Blue hit the ground running with other memorable electro hits with artists like James Sky (“Catch The World”) M-Flo (“Devotion,” & “Own The Sky”) and Tony Igy (“Run Away”) just to name a few.
In 2018, Blue released her EP War + Raindrops. Over a period of four months, with her singles, “Shampoo” and “Juice,” her YouTube channel acquired over 60,000 subscribers. Blue performed both songs along with others at The Foundry and Philly ate it up with no regrets.
Blue’s fan base is full of diversity, which to me, speaks volumes. Cultures from all over are into Blue and, for a few moments, it was a special thing to witness as unity was more of a factor than the color of someone’s skin or gender for that matter. It was all about music and music only. Everyone shared the same language throughout the duration of the show.
Blue is highly influenced by her heroes musically, such as Patti Labelle, Adele, and Diana Ross. Through her music, the elements of all three women that Blue is inspired by is detected with each approach in her creative process.
It’s inspiring to see a progression of feminine strength and power emerge in this business, especially in a predominantly male-populated circuit. Blue breaks those stereotypes by knocking down the barriers and showing the world she doesn’t require assistance from the so-called heroic male figures of the world. Blue has it all, she can easily be the closest thing to perfection as she possesses class, sensuality, seductiveness, beauty, and style. Philly loved every minute they spent with Blue and so did she. Every song was welcomed, old and new and the vibes were infectious as she executed each tune with grace and excellence.
Though Blue has been around for a while as mentioned above, her presence now in the current moment feels like she’s finally arrived for the first time. The music is right, image is on point and seems more like the artist she wants to be, she’s wiser, more in control of her journey, fiery, fierce, beautiful, powerful and sure of who she is and what she’s here to do. Everything I just mentioned was proposed in her performance and the confidence was through the roof as she articulated her lyrics to a supportive crowd who had her back no matter what.
Iyla Blue is her name and if you haven’t heard of her, you will eventually. No good talent stays silenced forever and no good talent is easily set aside or shelved either. Blue is here to stay and whether you agree or not, one thing you can’t deny is her “IT” Factor that has fans raving over what she brings to the stage as well as she what she brings to the world of music and entertainment.
Be sure to check out Iyla Blue on tour right now and the available videos on YouTube that has fans going bananas! “Flowers,” “Juice,” “Shampoo,” and “Bad Side.” Get into it and let it all hang out.
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