Tay Iwar

Tay Iwar is a man of contradictions. Simultaneously on the forefront and the cutting edge of a self-titled genre, but also pulling inspiration from the past. Someone who appreciates novel, ground breaking production choices and technology, while finding beauty in the handmade, the analog, and the retro. Iwar’s unique sound, drawing influence from jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and the alté scene of his home country, purposefully defies genre or categorization. Self-titling it “Afro-fusion”, Iwar thrives in the spaces in between resolutes. The contradictions are his inspiration, his home, his strength. These contradictions between person and music are readily apparent as well. Iwar is a deeply private person, and yet his lyrics are incredibly intimate and bursting with evocative rhymes and emotion. Iwar is largely uninterested in producing something that doesn’t interest him on a spiritual, emotional, unspoken level. An incredibly in-demand producer and collaborator, Iwar could work on multiple projects every day if he wanted to, but instead carefully chooses collaborators and projects, making sure that if he’s going to pour himself into a track, it’s the most fertile, emotionally-rewarding ones. Every musician strives to be unique: Iwar is among a handful who truly are.

This week, we feature his 2021 single “PEAKING”. A romantic, personal, and introspective look at the fiery passion of new love. Iwar’s lyrics are like a meditation on the hazy line between infatuation and romance. Taking a magnifying glass to the moment of crossing over from something fun and carefree to something more important and delicate. With a perfectly produced, vibe-drenched beat as it’s foundation, “PEAKING” is exactly the track for the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Just like Iwar himself; an evolution.