Breakout R&B Star Laya Releases Hard-Hitting New Single “Need 2 Know”

Staten Island soul sensation LAYA shares her pleading new single “Need 2 Know.” Listen HERE via Warner Records. Unfiltered and unapologetic as ever, the songstress spikes her vulnerability with some hard-hitting honesty on this heartfelt follow-up to the defiant kiss-off anthem “F’d Up.”

Sliding in over sharp beats, a spiky synth, and her signature wallop of bass, LAYA sets up her attack with grit and grace. “Gettin’ pussy twice a night must be nice,” she sneers, her silvery voice touched with pain. “I ain’t telling you to wear some shoes you can’t fit in, but I’m gonna need the truth so come with it,” she adds before diving into a silky chorus that evokes the best of ‘90s R&B. In typical LAYA style, it’s raw, real, and utterly irresistible.

LISTEN TO “NEED 2 KNOW” HERE

Like “F’d Up,” “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 is set to level up again with the sweet and salty “Need 2 Know” and her forthcoming EP BET THAT on September 1.

Credit – Brian Ziff

ABOUT LAYA:

LAYA’s boundless creativity is born from a desire to push herself. The Staten Island-born artist has worked as a singer, songwriter, producer, creative director, and visual artist—constantly shifting forms and acquiring skills, because, for her, that’s what growth looks like. Her vibrant yet vulnerable take on R&B and pop offers up a unique perspective on life and love, powered by a need for newness. Her debut EP, EP, Um Hello, showcased her slinky 90s-indebted vocals, echoing gently as she flexes what she’s accomplished so far. Growing up around musical theater and visual art, LAYA’s love of performance began in her childhood. But over time her musical energies focused and crystallized, leading her to the nostalgic, yet forward-looking sound resonating with fans today. Her 2020 breakout, “Sailor Moon,” showcased that visionary approach and broadcast her auteur status, and was later remixed into “Sailor Moon 2.0” feat. Baby Tate. In addition to writing the song, LAYA also shot, directed, and edited the visuals, on top of doing her own hair, makeup, and wardrobe—all skill sets that remain core to her work today, culminating in her new single “F’d Up” and forthcoming project, Bet That. A permutation but not a departure from her R&B soul, the highly anticipated Bet That presents a thrilling explosion of her artistry. The inclination to constantly create has given her a leg up, in terms of achieving her past, present, and future ambitions. “Everything that I’ve gotten to this point, I’ve worked for and made happen,” LAYA says. “It didn’t exist yesterday, but it exists today.” And clearly, tomorrow.