Talay Riley

East London's Talay Riley has made quite a start to his music career. Having co-written Chipmunk's No.1 hit 'Oopsy Daisy', and enjoyed his first taste of chart success alongside Chippers on 'Look For Me', he's now about to release his own stormer of a single, 'Humanoid'. More than a little intrigued, we called up the man himself to find out more.

What's the story behind 'Humanoid'?
"Well, I'm a big movies fan and 'Humanoid' was inspired by movies. I was watching Avatar - I went to see it eight times - and I, Robot, and I was really obsessed with the whole robotic, futuristic creativity in the films I was seeing. That was the main inspiration for 'Humanoid'."

You can see the robotic influence coming through in the video.
"Oh yeah! You can see the whole mechanical skeleton thing going on and I'm topless to show the purity of being from another planet - I'm not trying to say I'm an alien! 'Me and you are not the same / I'm from outer space' is a quote from the song and it basically means I'm trying to be unique and come up with a whole different sound. I want to be really daring and creative. I worked really hard on the video so I'm really glad people like it."

What's the reaction to the track been like?
"It's been great! Even today it got played by Fearne Cotton on Radio 1 which was wicked. Everyone's been going crazy for the video too. I'm over the moon. I couldn't ask for anything else."

Do you have any expectations for the chart performance?
"Do you know what, I just want the song to do as well as it can. I'm not trying to do anything too major like have a No.1, though that would be amazing! I'd be comfortable with a top 20 or top 30, and top ten would be amazing. The main aim of the single is to establish me as a new artist. I'm not going to be a one-hit wonder. I've got a lot of songs in the lineup ready for people to hear."

You promoted 'Look For Me' with Chip - are you nervous about doing promo alone now?
"Not at all! I've been performing a lot by myself and I did the N-Dubz tour recently which was really cool. I'm excited about doing the promo rounds actually!"

For someone who hasn't heard of Talay Riley, how would you describe your sound?
"I'm very eclectic and weird, but still fun and listenable. My album's got songs inspired by country, indie, R&B, electro, pop and soul - it's really a big squash of everything that I love. I love loads of different styles of music and the album's a crazy blend of it all."

Who did you work with on the album?
"I mainly worked with two producers: a producer from Darkchild who's worked with Rodney Jerkins (Lady GaGa's 'Telephone', Pussycat Dolls' 'When I Grow Up') and another guy called Inflo."

Is 'Humanoid' a good indicator of what to expect from the album?
"I think it's a perfect indicator of what to expect, because very few people expected it to be honest. That's my whole aim for the album - to come up with songs that no one really expects and styles that no one expects. I think 'Humanoid' is quirky enough to make people pay attention and see what I'm trying to achieve with the album."

Will the album follow after another single?
"The plan's to release three singles and then the album. Hopefully by then people will know who I am, know the type of music I make and want to buy the album! I think they'll be surprised but pleasantly surprised!"

Is 'Make You Mine' a potential single?
"Yes, hopefully! It's one of my favourite songs on the album so I'll definitely say 'yes' to that question."

The Guardian branded you 'The New Taio Cruz' - how do you feel about that?
"You know what, just to be in The Guardian was amazing, but 'The New Taio Cruz'? I don't think so. Once people see me and hear the songs I'm coming out with, they'll understand why I don't really agree with that. I'm actually quite humbled by the comparison because Taio's doing great and 'Dynamite' is amazing, but I think we're very different artists."

Taio's topped the charts in America of course - is that something you're aiming for?
"Definitely! One of the biggest goals with this album and maybe the next album as well is to go international. Once people listen to the album, I think they'll see that the songs aren't just for the UK. I very much plan to branch out to other countries in Europe and to the United States."

You already have an impressive CV behind you, but what's been your highlight so far?
"I think 'Oopsy Daisy'. It was the first song I'd written that got released and it went to No.1, which was amazing. Also singing on 'Look For Me' - because it really got people's eyes and ears on me."

Do you have plans to work with Chipmunk again?
"I don't know if I'm supposed to say, but I actually have worked with Chipmunk again on his album, as well as on the mixtape I have coming out. So, yeah, we've already done it!"

Is it true that you've been writing for Justin Bieber?
"I'm writing for Justin Bieber, but whether or not he's actually going to sing it is another question! I'm writing for a lot of people from Justin Bieber to Nicole Scherzinger, Beyoncé and Rihanna."

What's your favourite track that you've written?
"My favourite is probably a song called 'Homicide' that I wrote for Rihanna. It's so dark and lyrically it's one of the greatest songs I've put together. I can't wait for someone to take the song and I think it will be a really big hit."

Is there anyone else that you would like to work with that you haven't already?
"Taylor Swift! I'm trying to get her on my album! I've also been speaking about writing for Leona's next album - her cousin Inflo basically did half my album, so there's a connection there."

Talay Riley releases 'Humanoid' this Sunday, October 10.