Tony Kay: ‘Just be who you truly are as an artist’

In this insightful interview, Tony Kay delves into his journey as a music producer, tracing the evolution of his career from its humble beginnings in 2018 to his recent triumphs. He discusses his shifting geographical influences, from Orlando to Miami, London, Morocco, and Dubai, and how these diverse locations have shaped his sound and approach to music. He offers a detailed exploration of his creative process, particularly in the development of his standout track ‘Dihya’, revealing how he blends various cultural elements and genres like Afro house and tech house to create his signature sound.

Our chat not only highlights Tony Kay's artistic journey but also offers a glimpse into his personal philosophy. The artist has also recorded a special mix for our Influx series. Stream Tony Kay's Influx mix while you read the rest of this below.

How did everything start at the very beginning as a professional career?

Quite a while. I started in 2018, but it was more or less just having fun with it. First time I came across electronic music was at the age of 12-13. I was always a big fan of music in general, but that's the first time that I actually heard it. And then when I turned 15, I kind of got like my first DJ controller just played around and pulled with it. So when I turned 15, I got my first DJ controller just fooling around with it. I forgot about electronic music. I just turned into, I guess, a fan. And then around late 2018 was when I picked it up again. And I never looked back ever since.

You were living in Morocco right?

I was actually living in Orlando, then moved to Miami, then London and back to Morocco and then Dubai.

You know, we are mainly operating in Morocco as well as Dubai. So what do you think about those two cities? I mean, you know, because I think compared to some of the artists, you have a better visibility and better stream metrics.

Currently Marrakesh right now, the past year, Morocco also has as a whole has been growing in in the electronic music industry. There are so many festivals right now over there. Um, that came from Europe to Morocco. So it's really nice.

I guess you're still in contact with the promoters there?

Yes, of course.

And are you playing there as well?

Next year I will have shows there in Morocco.

How is it compared to Dubai?

Dubai is more commercial, more of the melodic, progressive sounds. It is totally different.

I'm looking at your tracks. They're also like house, Afro house. There are those kind of vibes, right?

At first I started with Afro House and then gravitated towards tech house. It's really nice to be more towards the tech house sound which I have been focussing on for the past 2 or 3 years.

The single ‘Dihya’ you released this autumn has obviously been the most standout track in your career.

I let myself mainly get influenced by my background, my roots, all my experiences, places I get to visit or live in. I got to meet people from different cultures and backgrounds, and I let myself get influenced by all of those, and I use themin my music. There is a Moroccan as well as like an Arabic sound in most of my tracks, but I also incorporate other elements from around the world and specifically for ‘Dihya’, I used some Latin sounds as well.

The story of ‘Dihya’ is an interesting one because at first I was just looking for vocals and acappellas for DJ sets, and I came across this one, it immediately sounded like traditional chants in Morocco, the Berbers, for me, where the male sings and the female responses. It's not in the verbal language, but that's for me how it sounded. I was like, “Oh, this is really nice. I should give it a try.”

I started the project in June 2022. It was more kind of an Afro vibe to it. I wasn't really happy about it. I also tested it out. I wasn't expecting that good reaction. So it just became one of those projects on my computer. And then during Miami Music Week this year, I was just walking around in South Beach and I was hearing people blasting reggaeton music from their car. And that's when I got there. I was like, “Yeah, I should check out the Caribbean and Latin sounds.” When I flew back to Dubai, I opened up the project, I started off from scratch, left just the vocal and a few versions later, this was the final result of ‘Dihya’.

Is it your new style, or do you just kind of merge, mix or blend these different elements together as an experimentation?

It's always a blend of different styles for me. That's my own style. That's my signature sound. Now, a lot of people are starting to recognise.

How were the first feedbacks about the track?

Upon completing ‘Dihya’ in mid-August, I had already given it a trial run at a few parties back in July. The reaction was immediate and electric – you could literally see the astonishment in people's eyes. They were captivated, asking, "What is this?" That moment of surprise, that instant when the crowd began to sway and dance, is precisely the kind of response every music producer yearns for. So that's the reaction that you are looking for as a music producer.

It's really amazing to see that over the release weekend it had over a million streams. And then during that week, it charted around the world, like from Uruguay to Slovakia to Portugal to the UAE. It had a chart success in China, too, which was also amazing, like all around the world. At the end of the day, I’m just making music that I like and that connects us all as the fans of this genre, as everybody just loves it and have fun.

‘Dihya’ is self-released. There is no major label behind it or anything. It's just me and my team. But it's a year in the making, and you can see how Tony evolved on this part on Spotify with the numbers.

What is your typical setup in your studio?

I work with Ableton. It's just a standard laptop setup with an audio interface, good monitors. I use it every now and then, but it's your general standard laptop setup. I don't think I'm a fan of huge studios. It just makes things more complicated. When the less options you have, the more focused you are on creating magic.

What are your goals in 2024? Where do you see yourself?

Making more music definitely. Following my latest single ‘Amegdul’, I have another release planned for February.

Will you stay in Dubai? Or do you have plans to move to some other places?

I think Dubai is still a good place. I love living there. It's amazing and really nice. Dubai is good for now.

In terms of gigs specifically?

In terms of gigs as well as in terms of personal life. I do enjoy living here.

What inspires you is one thing and the other one is who inspires you?

Who inspires me… That's an interesting question. In the DJing part, I actually do enjoy playing marathon sets. I'm not the kind of DJ who plays like the one hour. I really don't like it because my style of mixing and performing, it's not the quick in and out song after song. It's more of a journey, it's more of a storytelling. So I do prefer to play 3 or 4 hours at least. I also prefer to have 3 or 4 decks to keep the vibe going, have some vocals jump in, also add some percussions. I'm a big fan of percussion. That's my kind of style.

You kind of have a good visibility. But there are also artists in the region who are trying to get into that road. Based on your experience or your journey, what would be your key recommendations for the emerging artists from the region?

This is years in the making. Stick to yourself. What I would tell you or anyone else is do not follow trends. Just be who you truly are as an artist and focus on developing your sound and the rest will come. This is the same for me. This came completely unexpected for me considering ‘Dihya’. I remember its release day, September 29 around 9 p.m. Dubai time. I was like, “Yeah, let me check the release on Spotify for Artists.” When I opened it, it's like everything stopped, time frozen, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I remember it was around 280,000 streams with about 9,000 or something people listening to it at that moment. It was a feeling that I cannot describe. Then I just called up my team. I was like, “Yeah, you should see what's going on.” Of course we were celebrating it. We were very happy with that.

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Tony Kay has returned to the forefront of tech house with his latest single ‘Amegdul’, released through his own label, Kay Music. This track showcases his distinctive and dynamic production style, with its pulsating energy and signature sound. Following the success of his previous hit ‘Dihya’, it is set to further cement Tony Kay's growing reputation in the scene.