Latest / The Scene Projects / Layna Lae: Navigating Music, Growth, and Positivity in the DC Scene

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Layna Lae: Navigating Music, Growth, and Positivity in the DC Scene · The Scene Projects

• 0:04
  Welcome into a very exciting episode of the scene.
• 0:06
  I'm your host, Bubba Starts, and with me today is Laina Lay.
• 0:09
  Welcome to the show.
• 0:11
  How are you?
• 0:12
  I am fantastic.
• 0:13
  I'm so happy to have you on.
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  I know you just had a big weekend.
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  I saw, pictures on your on your social media from some it looked like a gala event or or
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  something of that sort.
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  So, I know you've been having a big year already.
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  Why don't you go ahead and kinda introduce yourself and, yeah, tell our listeners kinda
• 0:33
  what you're about?
• 0:35
  Alright.
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  So hey, everyone.
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  My name is Laina Lay.
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  I'm a singer songwriter, urban pop artist from the DMV.
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  I kinda got into doing music on a whim.
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  This is really a crazy story, but I've transitioned a lot.
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  I used to do, like, hip hop and rap and all that stuff, and I just settled on, like, urban
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  pop, which is, like, a mix of the two.
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  So yeah.
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  And I just like to spread positivity.
• 1:00
  I like to spread love in my music.
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  I like to, know, connect with people about you know, with my music.
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  And, yeah, it's kinda one of those things I'm just riding away to see where it goes.
• 1:10
  That's funny.
• 1:10
  That kind of explains my podcast journey.
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  I am a songwriter myself.
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  And, last year about this time, I quit my welding job in the factory.
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  I thought I was gonna be a rock star, Lena.
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  And I fell into podcasting, have absolutely fallen in love with it, and and now we're just
• 1:27
  kinda riding that wave the same way.
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  Yes.
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  You already know how it is.
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  Yep.
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  Yeah.
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  So DMV, you're from the Washington DC area.
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  I I live out here in South Dakota, so a little bit of culture shock for me.
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  What's the scene like in DC for an urban pop artist like?
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  I will say it's it's kinda new.
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  There's a big hip hop r and b scene around here, so I'm kinda just, you know, stepping in
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  with something a little different.
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  But I will say everybody has been really welcoming, has been really open to it.
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  So that's that's been really good, and it's just nice to just bring something a little
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  different, you know, to my area.
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  Right.
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  Well and that's that's what we all kinda seek to do is to to show up and to be ourselves.
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  I think that you you do that in spades from the little bit that I have seen online, a a
• 2:24
  magnificent stage presence to you, a big powerful voice as well.
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  So I've I've become a really big fan in the last week or so that I've been digging into
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  what it is that you do.
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  Well, yeah, what what to talk about now?
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  I mean, for me, I'm a country country rock artist.
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  So, you know, our challenges out here in the Midwest are mostly distance.
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  Right?
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  I'm an hour and a half from any major metro area.
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  The town I live in is a thousand people, Lena.
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  How many people live on your block?
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  Oh, man.
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  More than that, probably.
• 3:03
  Yeah.
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  Probably a little more.
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  So is there like, what is it like finding gigs in a in a big metro area like that?
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  Are you doing all of your own booking and kind of you know, are are you staying busy playing
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  every weekend, or is it more, like, kind of or bigger shows that that you're doing?
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  So I'm really blessed to have a manager to help me with all of these things.
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  And she's just really good at making connections and, you know, and and seeking out
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  those, opportunities and stuff, and I'm really grateful for her.
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  Shout out to Camille, Adrianne.
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  That's my manager.
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  And she's just been absolutely amazing with with guiding me and sticking with me during
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  this time.
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  I will say around certain times of the year, probably, you know, obviously, around summer
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  stuff when the weather isn't so bad.
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  There's definitely a lot more gigs.
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  There's a lot more opportunities in this area than people think.
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  You know?
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  It's a small area, but we're really connected around here.
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  So it is you know, it's it's been pretty cool.
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  It's been really humbling and and really nice to just meet and connect with new people and
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  stuff who are like minded and who want the same things you do.
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  So it's it's it's been cool.
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  It's been really cool.
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  Well and, obviously, like, in South Dakota, we didn't even shut down during COVID.
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  We so and and and when we talk to I talked to a lot of Midwest Artists.
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  Minneapolis had a totally different experience than we did.
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  And I'm sure DC, obviously, because of the political climate and just the nature of the
• 4:29
  city itself that, you know, you were probably shut down for a good period of time.
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  Are you just coming into, you know, an artist career after COVID and kinda getting out and
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  playing gigs now, or has this always been something, that you've done?
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  Well, it is one of those things that, you know, it can get a little overwhelming.
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  Right?
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  So it it it can be off and on sometimes.
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  During COVID, I just tried to, you know, stay, you know, active online and, you know, stay
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  active with my writing and stuff, trying to stay engaged.
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  I will say what really hit me the hardest is when my grandparents passed away.
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  They passed away within a year of each other, and that that definitely you know, it
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  definitely hit me pretty hard.
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  So I will say I took a little break from it and kinda had to regroup.
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  But at the same time, I wanted to, you know, I wanted to make the I wanted to make a tribute
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  to them.
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  I wanted to you know?
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  And that's kinda what really got me back into it because I was like, I have to honor them
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  somehow.
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  And how do I honor them?
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  The only way I know how is, you know, by writing a song, by making music, the way I
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  express myself.
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  So I kinda feel like, you know, I was able to find strength in that pain, and that kinda
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  just, you know, pulled me out of the quote, unquote funk I was in, and it kinda just was
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  like, yeah.
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  You know, like doing this.
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  I like, you know, expressing myself this way.
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  So it just it kinda helped me get back into it at the same time.
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  And I was good for a little while, and then my grandma passed away.
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  So it it's kinda definitely been like a up and down roller coaster.
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  But I've been trying to hold on, and I know they're watching over me.
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  They're watching over my family, and I kinda just, you know, hold on to that.
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  And my grandma and they were so supportive of my music, so it made it hurt even worse.
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  Because I'm like, you guys aren't even here and, you know, doing all these things that I
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  really wanna share with you guys that I want you guys to witness.
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  So but I know they're watching over us.
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  I know they're they're protecting us and, you know, I'm just, you know, just grateful.
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  I I lost my granny two years ago.
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  Just it it would have just been two weeks ago and two years to the day.
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  And she had had cancer twenty five years ago.
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  Right?
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  And had beat it, but we knew that when it if it came back, it was gonna come back aggressive.
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  And I kind of, I had written a song when we found out that the cancer had come back called
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  everlasting, and kind of the the key phrase out of it was, time's everlasting, but time never
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  lasts.
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  And I had written that before I even lost her.
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  You know?
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  I was kinda, like, grieving her even even while she was still here.
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  So I I definitely feel you in the, you know, the expression.
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  Like, this is how I've always expressed myself.
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  Whether it's joy or pain or or whatever it is, this this form, songwriting especially, is how
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  I've gotten what's inside of me out.
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  So I'm so happy that, you know, through those hard times that you found inspiration again to
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  to continue writing and to write some new stuff and, yeah, that you carry them with you.
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  I I think that honoring our ancestors is so important in, you know, especially in this day
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  and age.
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  I think because of the way that information travels and it's so fast and it seems like time
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  is just slipping away from us that we have to honor those that came before us and that
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  supported us and and laid a foundation for us to do what we're doing now.
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  So, yeah, very proud of you and very, happy that you carry both of your grandparents with
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  you and that you feel that energy surrounding you still.
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  And and, yeah, I feel you.
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  I'm right I'm right there with you.
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  I appreciate that.
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  Thank you.
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  Definitely.
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  Excuse me.
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  No.
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  You're okay.
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  I I know it's still early in the morning too, so I apologize for that.
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  Yesterday, I did a podcast at, like, 6AM.
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  I was like, I'm never booking this early again.
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  Myself?
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  So so what's next?
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  I mean, you you've already had quite a few big shows, at least from what I've seen, starting
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  out 2025.
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  We're only six, seven weeks in here.
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  So what what's coming up that you have in the next, you know, few months and then obviously
• 8:37
  leading into a busy summer?
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  So I I'd have a plan to to release a lot of music.
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  I just have so much I wanna share with the world.
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  I just dropped my latest single promise, and a little bit about that is just about, you know,
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  keeping making good on your promise.
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  You know, a lot of people say things and don't follow-up on it.
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  It sounds good at that moment, but, you know, that really means something to people, and it
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  means something to me.
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  So, you know, that's what that song just like, know, I wanted to put it on a bouncy club vibe
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  where you can still turn up, so it's still fun.
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  It's not so, oh, you gotta get in your feels, listen to the song.
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  I know it it's still a lot of fun, you know, but it's still talking about something.
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  You know what I'm saying?
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  Like, I always want to make positive music and and music that, you know, that people can
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  listen to around their kids, around their grandparents, how you know, what have you and
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  not have to run to turn it off because, oh my gosh.
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  You're about to say this part, and everyone's gonna be offended.
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  Like, no.
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  You know, I wanna I wanna be a little more positive.
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  I kinda wanna branch out from what's kind of being put out around this genre and just, you
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  know, just do something different.
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  And yeah.
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  So I just released that recently.
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  That just came out on twenty fourth.
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  I'm working on the music video for that, so that is dropping very, very soon.
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  I have another song, another video, you know, a lot of things that I'm working on that I just
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  I'm trying to get out there.
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  Definitely more shows.
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  We're definitely always working on that and always working on ways to connect and to
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  network and to get out here.
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  So, yeah, definitely a lot more coming.
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  You know, if you wanna follow me, check me out.
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  You know, you'll definitely have a lot to see, and I'll be so grateful to, you know, to share
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  it with you.
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  And I think that positivity is something that's just permeating everything.
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  We have a show called get better together, and that's really just about putting our putting
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  our stuff out there.
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  Right?
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  Whether it be trauma from our families or it's, personal choices.
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  Right?
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  I did two years in prison for selling pot.
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  Oh god.
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  It's been ten years ago since I got charged for that, but, you know, I I've been through a lot,
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  and I don't I don't see any good in kinda hiding that because I'm not that man anymore.
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  I I'm no longer the person that I used to be.
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  So a a lot of what my songwriting is is that kind of, you know, that positive message of you
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  can come through this, and it's kind of bled into the podcasting world as well.
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  And I think you hit on something that, you know, especially with urban music, it it's not
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  always centered around that.
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  It it is centered around the club or or things like that, but I think you're part of a a much
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  larger movement.
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  Man, we've all been through some stuff.
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  Right?
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  Like, the last the last ten years usually.
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  The last ten years alone, just like on a global scale, have been a lot, and and artists these
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  days, are tapping into something that I think we're all just kinda tired of the BS.
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  Right?
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  We're tired of the lies.
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  We're tired of being, you know, told that things are a certain way when we have eyes to
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  see that they are not that way.
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  And the the disrespect that comes along with that, right, to to have someone just boldface
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  lie to you every single day for, you know, thirty eight years I've been on this planet, it
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  seems like.
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  But, yeah, I think that music and culture and especially podcast and these conversations like
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  we're having this morning are are so important to, changing the culture, changing the tide.
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  Like, I I think, like, politics kind of follow culture, and our culture has shifted, has
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  shifted dramatically, and that's why you're seeing a lot of, you know, the political
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  change.
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  I don't have to tell you, you're in DC, but, that I I feel it feels like the change is for
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  the better.
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  It feels like truth is kind of coming to the forefront.
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  People aren't afraid.
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  We're not trying to be fake on our online profiles.
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  We're not afraid to share.
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  Hey.
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  You know, we've been through this.
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  I'm not afraid to cry.
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  I've cried on this show plenty of times already this year, and it it's it's okay.
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  And I think bringing that through the culture with our music, with our songs, and it doesn't
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  necessarily like you said, it doesn't have to mean that it's a sad song.
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  It it doesn't have to mean that you gotta get in your feels, right, to listen to this, but
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  that you can express these feelings and you can you can experience these things and come out
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  stronger, and you're gonna come out stronger.
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  So I I really appreciate that.
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  I can't wait to see all the new music and the videos coming out.
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  And, yes, see if I can make it to DC to catch a show this year.
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  How fun would that be?
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  Absolutely.
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  Yes.
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  That would be so much fun.
• 13:16
  Lena, why don't you go ahead and plug everything that you got going on your website
• 13:20
  and where everyone can find you, and I'll let you get out of here.
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  Of course.
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  So thank you so much, guys.
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  Once again, my name is Layna Lay.
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  That's l a y n a l a e.
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  You can catch me on all social media platforms at the real layna lay.
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  So just t h e r e a l, and once again, l a y n a l a e.
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  To check my my music, I'm on all streaming platforms.
• 13:43
  Excuse me.
• 13:44
  Tongue tied.
• 13:45
  At Lana Lay, l a y n a l a e.
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  And, yeah, like I said, my latest single promise is out now.
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  Please go check that out with some cool vibes, some positive vibes, and, you know, just
• 13:55
  connect with me on social media.
• 13:56
  I would love to hear from you.
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  I love you know, I appreciate you following my journey, and, yeah, thank you so much.
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  I really appreciate being on here.
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  Well,
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  Laina Lay, thank you for being part of the scene.
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  Alright.
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  And thank you for having me.
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  Catch you later.