We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Layla Rosandich a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Layla, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My dad is a big reason as to why I am trying to make a career for myself through Drum & Bass. He absolutely loves it and has been playing it since before I was born. It is a great way for us to connect and spend time together and I know it makes him super proud. He fully supports me and is always talking good about me to random people, he loves to go around the crowd at my shows and tell people that his daughter is on stage. There are often times where people will come up to me saying “Hey I met your dad! He told me all about you!”. The driving factor behind this project is definitely him. As much as I love the music personally, what I love more is being able to experience it with him. We have played/gone to many shows together and have been able to meet some of our idols.

Layla, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is MAYLAY and I am a Jump Up Drum & Bass DJ/Producer from Tampa, FL.

My project all started because of Ritual Kava Lounge. After a really rough patch in my life in 2021 I spent a lot of time there and met many creatives including artists, business owners, DJs, producers, and more. Many of the core people who went there were DJs whom I became close with and inspired me to learn. I got myself a board for Christmas that year and the following year I started learning production. I am grateful to have many friends and mentors from Ritual that supported me from the beginning.

I started off as a dubstep/riddim DJ but this year I switched my project to DNB because I enjoy playing it and producing it the most. I am mainly a Drum & Bass DJ but I love and will occasionally play many other genres such as hardstyle, jersey club, ukg, donk, and riddim. I am still pretty new to producing but I have dropped some DNB, jersey club, bass house, and dubstep tracks.

I think what sets me apart from others is my energy and stage presence. I love what I play and anybody who has seen me preform would know that.

There are many things I have accomplished as an artist that I am proud of. This year I was able to play at The Ritz Ybor and Kemistry Nightclub which were two venues I dreamed of performing at. I have played support for countless artists that I look up to and became friends with some of them. I played my first international show in Colombia this year which was an amazing experience. I am also proud of myself for getting better at producing, although I still have so so much to learn, I am much better than I was when I started.

The main thing that I would want potential fans to know about me is that I truly love getting to share the music I enjoy with others and I really do value my supporters, they don’t go unseen and I always do my best to give back to them. As for my brand, I would want potential fans to know that very silly music is a big part of my project, which is not for everyone, but I hope to convert them all one by one.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There is a lot of rewarding aspects of being an artist, but for me, the biggest one is inspiring others. It is such a great feeling to receive so many kind messages from people who tell me that i’ve inspired them to start DJing, producing, or listening to more Drum & Bass. A couple weeks ago I received a message from another DJ telling me how I am a good representation and role model of what they want their career to look like, and that if they could be like me it would be a dream come true. This was a very surreal message to receive because I don’t always give myself the credit I should, I’m my biggest critic so it’s refreshing to know that others are inspired by what I do. I am always very appreciative of everyone who supports me and will always take time to make that known.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

So many. There are unlimited resources for DJs/Producers out there and I have discovered very helpful ones along my journey. If I could give some advice to beginner DJs/Producers it would be to before spending money on lessons, really try to teach yourself the basics on youtube or from friends. I wasted so much money when I started producing because I had no idea what to do and bought a lot of lessons that I didn’t really benefit from because I didn’t know what they were talking about most of the time. I think lessons can be super helpful and teach you a lot, but it is important to try to learn at least the basics before you do that. There is so much free information online, you can learn anything.

Another resource I wish I knew about earlier was discord. Discord is very helpful to connect you with other artists with similar interests. I have made some great friends through Discord and learned so much. It is a great platform that with the right servers you can benefit from greatly and connect with like minded people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/maylaymusic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maylaymusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/layla.roasandich/?_rdr
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MAYLAYMUSICC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MAYLAYMUSICC
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/maylayy
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/13RXh8qSl4tCe64cux2fQ2?si=_PgNTRmgQ7CeffT5iwT6pg
  Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/maylay/1705517850