City Hi-Fi: Projects: Fya

FYA's 'wicked triangle' of Kizzi, Tenza and Emma have come a long way since they first took to the stage in Slough's youth centres, with a major record deal with Def Jam under their belt these three young dancehall queens are currently redefining the way reggae / pop is made in the UK, FYA'S music draws on lessons learned from the time before dancehall was fashionable. Emma hails from Harare, Zimbabwe. Tenza comes from Montego Bay, Jamaica. While Kizzi reps for the U.K.

It's apparent that FYA's bright mix of personalities mark them out as something Fya

special in a dumbed down musical age, so much so that they were the subject of an intense bidding war before finally signing with Def Jam UK. Tenza The DJ - is an excellent lyricist who likes to let on about her ideas. Emma - the singer - has a voice which can switch from steady simmer to crescendo with ease. Kizzi - the singjay - is the most talkative one and on the mic has a unique soulful delivery. When they combine on album tracks like 'Girl Talk', 'Tic Toc' and 'What's Going On' the result is a perfect blend of dancehall pop with entertaining messages that sets it far above the latest wave of conveyer belt pop idol clones that have flooded the charts.

Fya

City Hi-Fi was honoured to produce FYA's debut single for Def Jam, "Boops 03" based on the the 1986 Sly and Robbie (pictured) classic.

"Sean Paul has opened doors," states Tenza. "But really performance wise we'd much rather hear Elephant Man, Bounty Killer (who appears on the FYA album) or Lady Saw. They're energy levels are closer to us."

While most artists these days just open their mouths and make pretty sounds, FYA have a depth and control beyond their years. They may be digging Jamaica's loudest mouths for style on the microphone the slackness and rude lyrics prevalent in most dancehall aren't on their agenda. "(Elephant Man's) 'Log On' was a wicked song," Tenza continues. " Everyone - black, white, Asian - would dance to it in the club, then when they figured out what it was saying, everyone took a step back. Maybe when these artists travel more and experience other cultures more they will become more accepting."

"We don't have time for rude chatting in our lyrics," adds Kizzi demonstrating a maturity that most 16 year olds in her position would struggle for. "FYA show that women can be just as good as man, and we don't need to disrespect ourselves or anyone else. We're strong people, we're a voice of reason reaching out for everyone. And we want to have a good time while we're doing it."

"We enjoy the process of constructing the songs almost as much as performing them," explains Tenza. "One of us will come with a punchline then we all go away and come up with our parts, bring something different to the song, bounce ideas of each other. We usually start the concepts without a riddim (in contrast to the traditional method in dancehall of writing to a rhythm) but if we hear a riddim's hot and pumping then that can sometimes inspire us to find a chorus or topic."

FYA's distinctive voices and dynamic mean that all the tracks mentioned are pure Fya girls moments - engaging, communal and funky - it's not a sound you'll get elsewhere at the moment and a testament to it's wide appeal is the fact that they're going down a storm all over the UK, from Slough to Scotland.

"Glasgow is the best place we've ever performed, for real," beams Tenza. "The crowd was going mad, they were wicked. Trying to follow our dance routines, they may not have understood everything we were saying but the energy was electric. I think we were so different to what they were used to that they really embraced it." "We love performing live and we take really big inspiration from people like Beyonce and Missy - they kill it everytime they step on stage and we want to be the same," Tenza concurs. "It's more immediate than being in the studio.The crowds have been loving us so badly that we sometimes forget ance routines and just vibe with them.""We love all the aspects of live shows, especially the dressing up," adds Kizzi. "We like to look different all the time, same colours but our own styles. There's a lot of customisations of clothing we do. We have to look different all the time."

FYA's forthcoming album features an impressive line up with guest appearances from Jamaican dancehall legend and Grammy award winner Bounty Killer and UK dancehall phenomenon Sun Cycle Crew. Producers include Skatta of the Coolie Dance and Bad Company Rhythms, Jazzwad - Jamaican based producer of Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Wayne Wonder ,City Hi-Fi and JA 13 who wrote and produced the critically acclaimed "Heroes of Kingston".

In their non-Fya life they're just like any other teenage girls, but onstage or in the studio the girls are set to revitalise the pop charts. With so much unremarkable music around at the moment, FYA are peddling something fresh and exciting. Listen up.

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