Back again this year though with fewer dates, Iyaz says not much is different in terms of the energy and excitement. “It’s the same exact thing,” he says. “If you’re a Iyaz fan, no matter what the venue is, you’re going to come and support and I’m going to give it my all.
“I get to come back to certain cities and do ones I didn’t get to do last year. I’m feeling a lot more complete this time around, so I’m really enjoying it.”
Since the release of his debut album Replay in 2009, Iyaz has shared the stage with everybody from Miley Cyrus to Jay Z, P Diddy to Sean Kingston. But none of that matters to Iyaz when he’s performing his work for his fans. “I was born by myself – when I’m on stage, no matter who’s going after or before me, whatever it is I’m going to go out there and do what I do.
“I don’t care if it’s Jay Z on the bill, at the end of the day I can’t account for them, I can only account for me. I go out there and give 120% of me – it doesn’t really matter what else is going on, it’s my connection with my fans. When I’m singing my songs, they’re singing it back to me – the energy that they give me, I’m not thinking about anything else that’s going on around me.”
Iyaz’s approach to greatness is remarkably humble. He understands the work required and the sacrifices necessary to achieve his dreams. “Everything takes time, everything takes certain sacrifices,” he says. “Some people can make those sacrifices now, some make those sacrifices later on. It all depends on the artist and what they want to do at this point in time.
“I’m just taking my time. I didn’t get into this to be famous, I got in to this because I love making music. I got in to this because I want everybody to hear my songs. Then I achieved that. Everything after that is like cruise control,” he continues. “Enjoy it while you’re on it and take everybody along for the ride.”
For Iyaz, he knows everything will come to him in time. “I try to enjoy the best of both worlds, where it’s not crazy like being on the Bieber or the Miley or the Jay Z status – I can be around and enjoy my family and my downtime without taking away from the fans who want to hear the music and want to see the shows.
“Once you find that medium and you can make it work, then it’s like you can do everything you want. Otherwise you, might have everything in the world and still be miserable,” he says.
With family values and the love of his fans always in mind, Iyaz has new material in the works which carries that focus of balance. Drawing upon his heritage, Iyaz looks to amplify the island influences already featured in music today. “I’ve got new music coming – all this island culture you see in music nowadays, it’s nothing new. The island twang has been something we’ve been doing for a long time.
About his current tour and his new material, Iyaz has a direct message for his fans. “Let them know I’m here. I ain’t going anywhere.”
