Breakout R&B Star Laya Releases 'Bet That' EP

After turning up the heat all summer, Staten Island R&B sensation LAYA presents her anxiously awaited new EP, BET THAT, out today. 

The seven-track body of work finds the genre-smashing siren in the zone. She flexes confidently and runs her own world unapologetically. 

Among many standouts, the single “Ain’t Playin’” layers breathy vocals above a laid back beat. Her delivery barely cracks a whisper as she declares, “I ain’t playin’ wit you,” only for DJ airhorns to wail across a danceable bridge. She sets the tone with the opener and title track “Bet That.”

Ominous orchestration gives way to the sound of an engine revving in the distance and an otherworldly beat laced tight with guitar. Meanwhile, this boss proceeds to lay down the rules from the get-go, “We don’t discuss s at the function.”

On other end of the spectrum, “Left, Right GO!” moves in lockstep on a dreamy march. Then, there’s “Psycho Bitch.” A slinky bassline and head-nodding beat can’t contain her manic energy or soulful delivery. She wonders, “Can we be alone? I feel a stroke of luck coming on.” 

She initially paved the way for the project with “F’d Up” and, most recently, “Need 2 Know.” Of the latter, SoulBounce wrote, “The creative singer-songwriter catches her man slipping and has questions that need truthful answers in her new single ‘Need 2 Know’,” and Rated R&B observed, “While something about its vigorous production recalls Rihanna’s “Kiss It Better,” its lyrics differ. Regarding her romantic relationships, LAYA insists on honesty even if it may cause discomfort.” 

“Need 2 Know” stands bold alongside LAYA’s 2022 viral hit “Sailor Moon 2.0” with Baby Tate and her sultry cover of Missy Elliott’s “Sock It 2 Me” for Amazon Music’s Women’s History Month campaign. After a breakthrough 2022, which included her debut EP Um, Hello, LAYA proves she’s here to stay.

Photo Credit - Brian Ziff

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