Reyko

Reyko (stylized "REYKO") are a Spanish musical duo based in London, consisting of vocalist Soleil and producer and multi-instrumentalist Igor.

REYKO
REYKO performing on Spanish TV in 2020
REYKO performing on Spanish TV in 2020
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active2015–present
Labels
MembersSoleil
Igor
Websitereykomusic.com

History

Origins and formation

The two members of Reyko, Soleil and Igor, are from Spain but are currently based in London, England.[1][2] Before forming the duo, Soleil worked as an osteopath, and Igor was a professional tennis player before deciding to pursue a music career.[3][4] They started writing music together as part of Igor's music production course at the University of West London.[5] Soon after, they began regularly posting songs on the Soundcloud platform.[6]

They encountered success quite early when one their songs "Spinning Over You", was chosen to be the official song for a major 2018 ad campaign by El Corte Ingles. The song became a radio hit in Spain, peaking at #13 nationally.[7][8][9] In 2018, Reyko were nominated for best new artist in LOS40 Music Awards.[10]

In mid 2019, the duo broke ties with their then label Mushroom Pillow after they found out the label was licensing their unreleased music without their knowledge. The dispute lasted a year, during which the band was prevented from releasing any music and making any live performances.[11]

In April 2019, Reyko contributed a version of "El Cine" to a Warner Music tribute album consisting of covers to Mecano's album Descanso Dominical.[12]

2020-2021: REYKO

Between August 2019 and January 2020, the duo released a series of singles: "Lose Myself", followed by "Hierba Mala", "Don't Mention My Name", "Surrender" and "La Verdad".[13][14][15][16] In March 2020, the duo released their self-titled debut album, which includes their previously released singles.[2] It has been described as “a beautiful mixture of genres and influences. The album seamlessly fuses traditional Spanish influences with new age millennial futuristic sounds. Lead singer Soleil’s ability to switch from Spanish to English is masterful Igor’s creative production provides the perfect canvas for Soleil’s soft angelic voice.”[17]

In spring 2020 the duo had to postpone the album presentation tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic[18]

2021-2022: Pulse

From September 2020, the duo released the singles “The Game”, “Saturday” and “She Said” as an advance of their forthcoming album.[19] Reyko's 2nd album “Pulse” was released in October 2021 to positive reviews. "Pulse" showcased Soleil's and Igor's more urgent, immediate and driving musical direction, borrowing from post-punk and electro-clash. Talking about the album, Malvika Pavin from Earmilk wrote: “Designed with a vibe meant to be “urgent, direct, and immediate,” the album sees the pair swerve away from the dreamy stylings of their debut album, with an innovative a nd eccentric blend of genres of their latest foray.” [20]

In the beginning of '21, Reyko released a cover of EMF's classic song Unbelievable. The cover has been featured in one of the trailers of the Freeform (TV channel) Cruel Summer (TV series).

Once the pandemic restrictions were lifted in 2022, the group spent most of the year touring. The duo performed in the UK and in Europe in countries such as France, Germany, Spain and Serbia. REYKO also played in Mexico City for the 1st time in September of the same year, that being the duo's first performance in Latin America.[21]

2021-present: Fantasía

In January 2023, REYKO released their third album Fantasía. In their third LP the duo embraced a variety of sounds and styles merging pop, indie-rock, acoustic, electronica and post-punk. Soleil and Igor also returned to write songs in both English and Spanish languages. Speaking to Noctis Magazine about the inspiration for the album, the pair said: "It has a lot to do with the moment in time when we wrote the album, which was the end of 2021 and 2022. Huge post pandemic euphoria, but at the same time nuclear threats, big crisis scares on the news, but at the same time loads of travelling and playing in new countries, new places, etc…So we wanted to reflect all these extremes and how we were living them with our music."[22]

The album received positive press reviews. Simon Lucas-Hughes from the magazine BackSeat Mafia wrote: "There’s no restrictions over what the band’s sound encompasses, this isn’t an indie album but more of a creative outlet, sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in English – sometimes moody and atmospheric, at others vibrant and energetic. It’s a great thing to hear music like this, where artists feel they are free enough to simply do what they want to, make the music they like whilst also managing to create their own lane, their unique, strikingly modern sound."[23]

A few weeks after the album release, REYKO embarked on a tour in order to present the latest effort.

Musical style

The duo define themselves as “DIY” since they independently write, produce, and record everything they release from their home studio based in London.[24] They cite Billie Holiday, Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd, Lorde, Portishead, and Manu Chao as influences.[25][26] Their music has been described as alt-pop.

In media

Reyko's songs have been included in various soundtracks:

  • "Spinning Over You" was the official song for the El Corte Ingles 2018 winter sales campaign. The song is also included in the Netflix series Elite soundtrack, episode 4 season 2.[27]
  • ”Hierba Mala” is included in the Netflix series House of Flowers soundtrack, episode 6, season 1.
  • "Set You Free" is the theme song for the Netflix series Toy Boy.[28]
  • "Your Game" appears on the closing scene of the last episode of Toy Boy . The duo was asked to write the song specifically for the scene.[26]

Discography

Studio albums
  • REYKO (2020)
  • Pulse (2021)
  • Fantasía (2023)

EPs
  • Midnight Sunshine (2018)

References
  1. "Reyko, autores de "Spinning Over You", vuelven con dos nuevos sencillos" (in Spanish). EFE. September 17, 2019.
  2. "El grupo español REYKO debuta con su primer disco el próximo 6 de marzo". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). EFE. February 28, 2020.
  3. Palao Murcia, Alberto (15 March 2018). "Reyko: "Tenemos en mente desde hace tiempo hacer una mezcla entre español e inglés"" (in Spanish). Los 40. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  4. Hernandez Velasco, Irene (September 15, 2018). "Reyko: "Hacemos música para desconectar de la política"". El Mundo (in Spanish).
  5. "Reyko lanza "Hierba mala"" (in Spanish). Cadena 100. August 30, 2018.
  6. Neira, Fernando (2021-10-18). "Reyko, el fulminante flechazo musical de la enfermera y el tenista". elpais.com (in Spanish).
  7. "La canción del anuncio de El Corte Inglés para las rebajas de verano 2018". Las Provincias. June 30, 2018.
  8. "Spain Singles Top 50". Acharts.co (Promusicae). January 14, 2018.
  9. Ferrero, Clara (July 12, 2017). "Reyko, el dúo español de electrónica pop que se hizo viral en todo el mundo". El País.
  10. "Los 40 Music Awards 2018: artistas nominados". Los 40. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  11. LOS40 (2019-08-21). "REYKO - Lose Myself [2019]". LOS40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  12. Sarria, Belen. "Doble homenaje a 'Descanso Dominical', el disco que consagró a Mecano". 20 minutos (in Spanish). No. May 3, 2019.
  13. Moral, Selene (January 3, 2020). "Justin Bieber, David Bisbal y Ava Max: Escucha las primeras canciones de 2020" (in Spanish). Los 40.
  14. Murray, Robin. "REYKO raise the temperature with lose myself". Clash Music. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  15. Villacanas, Javier (October 25, 2019). "REYKO estrena nueva canción: "Don't Mention My Name" como antesala de su álbum debut" (in Spanish). Los 40.
  16. Moreno, Violeta (October 28, 2019). "Reyko, el dueto español cuya música sale en 'La casa de las flores'". Milenio (in Spanish).
  17. "Creative duo REYKO share Self-titled debut "REYKO" - Music". DapperMobster Magazine - Fashion, Music, Art, Streetwear for Creatives. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  18. "REYKO / REYKO". jenesaispop.com (in Spanish). 2020-03-12. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  19. "REYKO Share New Single "COMING BACK" Before The Release Of Their New Album". Dapper Mobster. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  20. Padin, Malvika (5 October 2021). "London duo REYKO capture the essence of live music on sophomore album 'Pulse'". EARMILK. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  21. DCWS Staff. "London Based Alt-Pop Duo REYKO Unveil Their Third Album "Fantasía"". Dopecausewesaid. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  22. Noctis, Staff. "REYKO | 5 Minutes With". Noctis. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  23. Lucas-Hughes, Simon. "Album Review: REYKO – Fantasía". Backseat mafia. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  24. BUZZMUSIC (2019-09-26). "DIY London-Based Duo REYKO Drop New Music Video For "Hierba Mala"". BuzzMusic. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  25. "REYKO". zapbangmagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  26. "Entrevistamos a Reyko, que acaban de publicar "The Game"". MondoSonoro (in Spanish). 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  27. "Elite season 2 soundtrack: Every song featured on the Netflix drama". PopBuzz. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  28. Moreno, Adriano (September 25, 2019). "Los secretos que esconde 'Set You Free', la sensual sintonia de 'Toy Boy'" (in Spanish). Los 40.
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