RYLAI

Seoul-born artist Rylai brings a rare dual perspective to his music, one shaped equally by scientific curiosity and raw creative instinct. After graduating with a physics degree from a top university in South Korea, he found his two worlds colliding in audio engineering and sound design, a discipline that allowed him to engage both sides of his mind at once.

It was not always a foregone conclusion. Though melodies had been bouncing around in his head for as long as he can remember, it was only in his early teenage years, when he stumbled upon an old digital piano that had sat untouched for years, that he truly connected with music. The moment his hands touched the keys, something clicked.

Drawn west by his ambitions, Rylai crossed the Pacific to Los Angeles to pursue his craft full-time. His sound pulls from a wide orbit of influences, including the genre-defying boldness of K-Pop pioneer Seo Taiji, the introspective lyricism of Kendrick Lamar, and the emotional textures of R&B, pop, and indie. Working closely with indie pop artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Skyler Cocco, he has quickly developed a voice that feels entirely his own.

With fan-favorite "Fall For You" already in his catalog, Rylai continues to carve out his space with his latest single "Issues," a melancholic, minimalist R&B meditation on heartbreak and the slow, unsteady work of moving on. Ethereal vocals, gentle acoustic strums, and soaring harmonies converge into something that feels less like a song and more like a page torn from a diary. He is only just getting started.