Introduced to music before she could walk, the well-rounded artist and singer-songwriter Dina Layzis releases a soothing and sensitive single with "Make it Rain."
Raised by a family of classical musicians, Dina Layzis began studying vocals, piano, and violin at the tender age of four. Also, acquiring traditional training from the Berklee College of Music, Dina Layzis later went on to work with talents like the Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe-nominated songwriter Jud Friedman, Grammy-nominated Marco Marinengeli, world-renowned composer/producer Rick Allison, and pianist/songwriter Jeff Franzel.
Collaborating with Jeff Franzel and producer Yuri Zwadiuk for her latest single, "Make it Rain," Dina Layzis mentioned that this song's creation marked a transition in her life. After taking a couple of years to fine-tune the song and its message, Dina Layzis confidently states that the piece surrounds facing adversity and hardships dead-on while allowing yourself to experience the storm to find a way out.
Listening to the single, "Make it Rain," the piece blissfully opens with Dina Layzis' soothing vocal portray as she sings of losing herself while seeking what she loves. The sonics offer melancholy piano melodies, haunting ghost vocals, elegant strings, and airy drum patterns. We can feel all the pent-up emotion and tragedy merely through Dina Layzis' passionate delivery, as she paints delicate images for us to learn from and take away.
The instrumentation and production swell to be incredibly potent in passion and emotion around the second hook, primarily through the various strings that haunt the background and complement Dina Layzis' classically trained vocal stylings. We feel more than empowered to face our struggles head-on with the release of this single, and we highly appreciate Dina Layzis for taking the time to create such a delicate and compelling piece.
Explore the sonic and lyrical depths of Dina Layzis' latest single, "Make it Rain," available on all digital streaming platforms.
We adore the genuine emotion and vulnerability you've delivered with your single "Make it Rain." What made you feel compelled to create such an emotional yet inspirational single like this?
Thank you so much! I try to lace emotion into all music I write and release. It is such an important part of who I am as a person and as an artist. It also is what fuels my creative process. This song is nuanced with aspects of a very personal journey and denotes a time in my life where I had to find a way to keep moving forward. I began writing it as a way to work through all the thoughts and emotions that I was experiencing at the time - not knowing where it would lead. When it all came together I actually ended up delivering a much-needed message to myself. I hope to connect with the listener by offering them a vulnerable part of my own journey. It is one thing to give sound advice, but another when someone has lived through what they are giving advice on. It is a song and message that helped me and I hope it can do the same for countless others. Could you take us through your sonic creative process for "Make it Rain" when working with Jeff Franzel and Yuri Zwadiuk? How did you all bring ideas and concepts to fruition?
Jeff and I have a very complementary approach to writing. We both bring different experiences, different strengths, and different colors to the table. Jeff has had decades of success in many different genres, and can really sense how to piece a song together to make it shine. “Make it Rain” was the first song we had written together, but our ‘writing process’ was established in the first few minutes of working. We talked about the overall feelings, thoughts, and emotions we wanted to convey and from there we began playing with different chord progressions and melodic ideas. After we came across a phrase that we both liked we built upon it. Jeff - truly guided the direction of song to have a light at the end of the tunnel, which is something I really needed at the time. For a period of time the song lay dormant. But when we began working with Yuri the song came to life again. By bringing in amazing creativity and years of experience Yuri brought all the missing elements to create a production that allowed the message and emotion of the song to live. With a completely unprecedented amount of care - instrument by instrument, sound by sound he shaped it into what it is today. Yuri and I also come from very different musical backgrounds, but in working together and bringing our best to the table we found a way to create something that was unique and fulfilling. We also had the wonderful mastering engineer Evgeniy Kochubey (Gean Koach) onboard whose full attention to detail was the final perfect touch. He made sure the sonic elements of the entire production would be received in their full beauty.Writing/producing is almost like a conversation that occurs between people, but with the layering of melody ideas, chord progressions, and production elements. One of us would bring an idea to the table and another one of us would complete/complement it or vice versa and in time we completed the story. You've mentioned that you wanted your listeners to feel empowered to face their struggles head-on with "Make it Rain." How did you write your lyricism to allow your audience to relate?
I wanted to convey the story in a way that was easily understood/relatable. I took a problem that I was facing and presented it openly, but the main goal was to provide a solution or at least a different way to approach things that would aid in working towards a solution. I wanted to communicate (to myself and the listener) that we are brave enough to allow ourselves to feel when we are scared, to cry when it hurts, and trust in our strength to guide us through any obstacles we may face. It was important to shine a light on the fact that we want to find a way out during the hard times, but usually, the way out isn’t ‘around’ but rather ‘through’. Seeing as you've collaborated with various well-known and renowned producers, musicians, and songwriters, how have these experiences helped your solo career flourish?
Collaborating/writing with talented people is always like a master class for me. I approach each with great respect and care. I pay very close attention and learn as much as possible from these individuals and also from the joint collaborations. Each situation helps me grow as a musician with the new knowledge/experience that I take in, but also it helps me grow as a person. You gain a degree of responsibility to bring your very best to the table and also you gain a great degree of confidence and self-respect when you create something beautiful with someone who has long been a master at their craft. What can we expect to see next from you?
I am very excited for what comes next! I will be releasing multiple singles and an EP over the course of this year. We will also be shooting two music videos in the next couple of months for upcoming releases. I can’t wait to share it all!