Adayla

Emerging Artist: Adayla Submitted by Mick I first heard Adayla perform at a Studio 13 open mic in Cornelius. Her partner, Rico, played a soft melodic guitar while she belted out the words to her song Whiskey River. It was such a captivating performance it had everyone nearly silent when the song was over. I was struck by the message in the lyrics. And it a commonality in most of her songs that really leaves the listener feeling fulfilled. She not only sings songs of lament and struggle, but there is a simultaneous message of hope and possibility. For every word of darkness in a verse, there is a rebutting message of light in the chorus. Her voice is just as powerful as her lyrics. Classically trained at a young age, Adayla spent time travelling the globe with the Charlotte's Children's Choir. She is a very articulate singer which she attributes to her learning to perform songs in Japanese, French, as well as an African dialect.  And on top of all of that, she is a sweet and engaging person.   Adayla shares a Charlotte home with her partners Rico and Chris, as well as their son Emillio…who is an enthusiastic young man who took time to introduce me to all of the family dogs. In a converted room in the house they have created a space to create and share their love and their art. They have what I called an Art Mafia. Not only do you have Adayla singing and Rico playing guitar, but Rico is an amazing creative who does these amazing illustrations using spray paint, and to round out the trifecta Chris is an accomplished photographer in her own right. You can find them peddling their wares at art festivals and events all over the greater Charlotte area.   Staying constantly busy Adayla is currently working on an EP for, hopefully, a fall release. And on top of that she's taping two music videos in the coming weeks, and she is fresh off a performance on the Tiny Stage Concert YouTube series. Tiny Stage is the product of local singer songwriter Louis Beeler.   Louis brings artists from the Charlotte area into his home, where he has, as the name implies, a tiny stage. I haven't actually see it…but someday I shall make it to a taping. Anyway, Louis is a man on a similar mission as me, and that is the spreading local music as it should be. So definitely check out his YouTube channel here, and you can also find Tiny Stage on Facebook         You can follow Adayla on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM as well as her website here And you can also check out Rico Nye's work here