“If I had to describe my artistry, I would categorize it as ‘Combining the smooth tones and grooves of R&B/Soul, with the lyrical freedom and wit of Hip-Hop to evoke an emotional experience.’” Born and raised in South San Francisco, the Bay Area singer-songwriter, rapper and producer, iraya started his journey into music through his mother. “When I was a kid, my mom on her days off would invite me to sing along with her for her karaoke sessions. We would have competitions to see who can get the highest score.” From then on, iraya’s love for the art grew and proceeded to teach himself several instruments and eventually how to produce his own music. Some of his biggest influences include Frank Ocean, Anderson .Paak, Childish Gambino and especially D’Angelo. The Filipino artist is known for his playful demeanor, smooth, velvety voice and being able to weave an emotional narrative through his music. Iraya has played at the Google in SF, the 626 Night Market, the Cornerstone in Berkeley and is set to play at this year’s Davis Cherry Blossom Festival. Incidentally, he was a lead singer in an acapella group that qualified in the ICCA’s and competed in the Reno Jazz Festival. Concurrently, iraya has amassed over 200,000 views on YouTube, 780,000 plays on SoundCloud and over 35,000 streams on Spotify, Eve being his most popular song at 20,000 plays.