Halcyon Gray laments a love that was Built 2 Break in her latest video — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
A dark pop ballad built around ringing keyboards, propelled by an understated hip-hip groove and flecked with electronic textures and ambience, the stylishly understated instrumental track serves as a rich canvas for Gray’s openhearted lyrics and vulnerable yet powerful vocals.
If her voice sounds familiar, no wonder: Gray is the alter-ego of Alberta singer-songwriter Taylor Hambly. Although barely out of her teens, she’s already got a decade of experience under her belt. Beginning at age 9, travelling from talent show to community event seemed to be a weekend routine for the young musician and her parents. “There is something special about performing at community events; I would always get little girls dancing in front and it would remind me of how music has shaped my own life,” she says.
Influenced by Dua Lipa, Anne Marie, Carly Rae Jepsen and Mable, she began writing her own songs, releasing singles such as Friend Zone, Always Come Back and Broken beginning in 2016. Having connected with Vancouver producer Ryan Stewart in 2019, Gray began work on her full-length debut. “This album is everything I have inside me,” she says, describing the forthcoming disc as both fun and vulnerable — like going to a party where you end up in the backyard on a swing, pouring your heart out to a stranger. “The main goal is that my music speaks to somebody — even if it’s just one person, it’s enough.”
Watch Built 2 Break above, hear more from her below, and follow Halcyon Gray on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
