Saya Gray released a collection of songs that introduced the world to her music in 2022, with 19MASTERS. Preferring to make her music in periods of intense isolation 19MASTERS was the perfect introduction to the Japanese-Canadian artist. Today, she releases a body of work that signifies a new chapter in her journey QWERTY. Saya will make her live debut as a solo artist next week with show’s at Barcelona’s Primavera Ciutat on May 29th and an intimate showcase at London’s MU on May 30th.

QWERTY is a multi-faceted project that will continue further into the year, consisting of recorded music, live shows and visuals. The first part consists of a 7-track EP released today on Dirty Hit (Wolf Alice, Rina Sawayama, beabadoobee) and perfectly encapsulates her genuinely unique method of creation.

Sensing the ever encroaching threat the modern digital world places on her mental health, and following a period of loss and grief, Saya entered another period of isolation to set about sampling and compiling existing snippets she compulsively records with an almost always-on tape machine. Whether it’s voice notes from three years ago, a sample of her drummer playing Jungle rhythms or a ridiculous thrash riff her brother interrupted the sessions to play her – it all gets fed through an MPC to create a body of work far greater than the sum of its parts – as Saya herself describes it, she puts ‘1000 personalities in one song’. It’s this unfiltered, frenzied approach to her art that she feels is necessary to reclaim her sense of self in an ever changing world.

To mark the release of QWERTY, Saya has also shared a live recording of opening tracks ‘DIZZY PPL BECOME BLURRY’ and ‘;)’ featuring a host of musicians she’s carefully selected, some of which she’s known since early childhood, to bring her compositions to life. Conceived alongside her creative partner Jennifer Cheng, the visual is further evidence of Saya’s longstanding commitment to a life in music – having played professionally since the age of 14. “There’s no ego because everyone is such a fan of each other.”

Saya Gray
QWERTY
trackListing
Dirty Hit Records

DIZZY PPL BECOME BLURRY
😉
;(
PREYING MANTIS !
ANNIE, I SING FOR..
..2 2 CENTIPEDES
ok FURIKAKE

order QWERTY by Saya Gray HERE