Premiere: Allysha Joy - 'Stay'
Naarm/Melbourne singer, producer, musician and poet returns with an absolutely gorgeous new cut of soulful, harmony-filled contemporary r&b
Image credit: Daniel Adhami
As iconic for her work as frontwoman of acclaimed Melbourne neo-soul and bruk lords 30/70 as her solo work, the marvellous Allysha Joy returns with her first new solo music since 2022’s Torn:Tonic LP (that she took us through here) in the form of stunning new single Stay, out April 24 but premiering on Pilerats today!
Armed with her trusty Fender Rhodes, Stay opens with warm keys chords, funky guitar interjections and a deep, groovy bassline before Allysha’s entrancing and tender vocals enter the mix, soon joined for some soulful backing harmonies courtesy of Annalisa Fernandez and Jace XL. Sweeping swings and subtle percussion take things to the next level, raising the energy in an uplifting and joyous manner, with some subtle disco siren samples rounding things out tastily.
In her own words "Stay is about drawing a kind of love into your life that is wanting and willing for you to do right by you, to say yes and really mean it, to say no when you need to and ‘still here I am, asking you to stay’. It's about true love existing in the acceptance of, and yet still forever longing, for you.”
Almost as busy in the air as she is in the studio, Allysha recently made a name for herself in the USA with a string of successful shows before returning to Australia and supporting the likes of Snarky Puppy and PJ Morton. Now back in the UK and having just sold out two nights at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club and with two solo LPs and an EP under her belt so far, here’s hoping news of her next full-length record isn’t too far away. In the meantime, dive into Stay a day ahead of release: