Scarlet Ayliz: More to the Story
Taylor Harrington 5/20/2021 7:17pm EST
Scarlet Ayliz is a name that will soon be known in every household. This Puerto-Rican & Black pop artist is transcending the music world and even though she made it to the Top 24 on American Idol, the seventeen-year-old chose to leave due to all the major label offers coming in. Scarlet is working with producer Aaron Pearce on her current project, who has worked with artists like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Fifth Harmony, and Camilla Cabello. The writers for this project are Stephen Kirk, Nikki Williams & YNG1NCE. (BTS, Justin Bieber, Demi Lavotto, Ariana Grande, Marren Morris, Jonas Brothers) The project, which Scarlet is keeping tight-lipped about, is slated to come out later this year! This young artist is wise beyond her years and is the role model our children all need. Music is a gift that Scarlet will never take for granted, and she is changing hearts for the better, one melody at a time.
Hi Scarlet! Where are you I talking to me from?
This is my music room. I like to play a lot of different instruments, so there’s a piano right here. Of course I sing, so there’s a microphone right here. I have my guitar, my bass, and my drum set. I also I don’t really play the drums, but I have a band and we rehearse here sometimes, so this is just a cheap set we found for sale a few years back. It doesn’t hurt to invest.
Even if you just have friends over for the night, you’re probably down there just jamming, and that’s the spot.
Definitely before the pandemic and all that.
I am so excited to hear about how you first got introduced into the music world because you can play all these different instruments, which is incredible.
My mom was a singer when she was younger, but she didn’t like it anymore because she kind of got nervous on stage. When she had me she would always talk about it and I don’t know if this is the reason why I’m into music, but I’m guessing it is. She said she used to play music for me and talk to me about music and pray that I would be interested in music and I practically came out of the womb tap dancing. So now I’m here and I’ve dabbled in pretty much any type of musical form of self expression there is. It’s just– it’s awesome. My thing. I didn’t have a defining moment, but I just liked it a lot from the beginning.
Who were your musical influences growing up?
I grew up listening to punk rock music because my grandpa was a part of that underground punk scene when he was in college, and he’s a very reminiscent person. He doesn’t attach to it, but he will extend it on to anybody who will listen. So I was listening to a lot of Rancid growing up. There were no artists that he really focused on except for Rancid, so that really sticks out in my mind. Of course there were other bands like The Fratellis, but it wasn’t like their whole discography. It was just a lot of rock and roll, but my mom would just listen to Spanish music. Marc Anthony is definitely one of her favorites, and my mom was really into 90s hip hop and R&B.
What’s the most recent project that you’ve been working on?
The most recent? Well, I’m working on something every day, but if we’re really speaking in terms of things that were professionally produced, it would be the song “Waiting”, which is very heavily influenced by Aaliyah. Even my manager said if she were still with us, Rest in Peace Queen, this would probably be the vibe that she’d be into. So as soon as I got that , I knew, oh, okay, so this is this is the direction I have to go into. We have to up the ante because it doesn’t matter who you are, when someone says Aaliyah and they attach it to your name, you need to take it seriously. You need to be 100% because it is not a joke. So my recent project is very reminiscent of the low kind of sultry type of thing. It’s called “Waiting” and I just can’t say too much about it because I want to keep this interesting.
So, when you’re writing this music, what’s your process? Do you write with other people?
There are multiple ways that I’ve written, but primarily I’ve always written by myself because I didn’t get into a band until I was in 10th grade and I had already been running with writing, writing, writing, writing. When it comes to projects with my band, yes, I have full control over the lyrics. I’m pretty hands on in regards to melody, but because I’m not an advanced guitar, bassist, or drummer, I normally leave that type of stuff up to them, especially when I’m working in a more high-stakes environment with producers who have been in the industry. It started off before they really knew what I was able to do, it was just me, Steven, and AP. Steven, I’m gonna brag on him a little bit. He wrote BTS’ new single. He wrote BTS’ new song butter. That had me doing backflips, and I have back issues.
Doesn’t it make you realize that in this world of music is so much smaller than you might think?
You never know. You go into these things and everybody knows everybody. I had an experience with American Idol where I got scouted for and I was telling my manager about it and he’s like, Oh, yeah, I know that guy. How do you know everybody? This industry is really small.
What’s was your journey on American Idol like?
It was very rewarding. I was able to learn a lot from it, but I saw a lot of people that were so nervous, and that made me kind of sad. It’s not like, yo, my heart’s going now like: boom, boom, boom, boom. It’s more like, hey, when I say it’s a small industry, it’s a small industry. If you don’t have the right people around you, it’s so nerve racking. The experieance just made me feel very appreciative of the support system that I had. It was great to be in front of the judges and to have them give me real feedback. It actually boosted my confidence a bit.
What was the response of the judges when you were up there?
Katy Perry said I was spicy and that I was competitive. I was like, wow, because I’m low-key scared of competition. Everyone’s really competitive and I just don’t like it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s hidden somewhere in me, but I wasn’t expecting to hear it. Luke Bryan kinda just stared at me, and then he was like, I’m trying to wrap my head around it. You’re 16 years old and this is a this is a tough industry. He was very, very concerned for me being so young. Lionel Richie just came out there like, if I threw you out of a window, you would fly, which really sent me so far over the edge, because I had to try not to laugh because it’s Lionel Richie, who is saying he is going to throw you out of a window. It was something that I would ever expect to happen. He said I would fly and that I was oozing with talent. He said all this stuff and then Katy Perry was saying one thing, he was saying another thing, and then he was like, he really came up to bat for me. I got my three yeses, but it was just so unreal. Everyone’s like, Oh, American Idol is fake. No, it’s so real and it’s so fun. These are real people doing real things.
As such a young artist, where do you see yourself in the next like five years?
Ideally, I would very much like to have at least three albums out. I would like three albums. Oh, and I would like to have collaborated with a lot of my favorite artists. I would like to be more established. I want to start performing. I’m ready to tour. I’m ready to get up and sing and interact and be with people and show different sides to entertainment that I feel is generally lacking nowadays. Yeah, in the next five years I just want people to know me. I want you to see this space, I want you to know it. I want this to be on a poster somewhere, you know? We’re going to get there. I think I can do it if I keep putting in good work.
You absolutely you can. You’re young enough and you have a good head on your shoulders too. The best thing that you can hold on to is your passion for it.
I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a person. I’ve gone from being one way and completely doing a 180 and am able to see things for what they really are. I’m hoping that I can use my experiences and if I do get the platform that I’m working for, I hope to be a role model. As much as current entertainment is really fun, a lot of them are saying I don’t want to be a role model, I’m not your role model, blah, blah, blah, which is fine, but I feel like we need more people who are gonna actually step up to the plate, because children watch television and listen to music too. I can still entertain people that are my age and older, but it’s having a healthy balance on things that everyone can listen to. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t going out of my way to make content for kids, but our content, I could still watch as a kid and I could feel confident about being a role model. It was very important for me, especially because I grew up in a town where no one looks like me, and no one accepted me, so seeing someone like Beyonce on stage in contrast to what everybody else was looking up to and who everyone else was listening to, that was really beneficial for me. I just keep that in mind when I think about where I want to be.
Where is the town that you grew up in? You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.
I’m not going to give them that satisfaction. Unfortunately, it’s not the nicest town to people of color, specifically Black and Hispanic people, which is what I am. I transferred out the school systems. I don’t know the people there now, but yeah, it was definitely learned behavior from the parents.
People need to wake up and realize that the stuff they’re saying, they’re feeding to their children. What do you want to put on the table your children are eating from?
Yeah, it seems like everything’s very consumed with this negativity. Every day my grandpa has to remind me that it’s like half the stuff isn’t even really real. There are some people that will just get on the internet and lie just to feel their own hateful rhetoric, and it’s weird.
How can people find you and your music?
You can find me on TikTok and on Instagram at Scarlet with one T Ayliz. (@ScarletAyliz}
What is the next project we can be looking out for?
We’re looking to drop some heat this summer. There’s no name yet, but I have an idea for a name and cover. I can’t share yet because I want it to be a surprise, but we’re looking forward to this summer.
We’re going to stay tuned for the next drop from Scarlet Ayliz. Her journey is amazing and her backstory is incredible. She stands up for what’s right in the community, and we are so excited to hear more from her.
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