KAYLA On the Making Of “FANTASY”
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of "FANTASY?"
We set out to create a love song for Valentine's Day, a celebration of love's beauty and the way it captures every special moment. It all started when Regan played some sweet and cute piano chords, the ones you hear in the track. Almost immediately, I had a melody in my head and began humming the chorus. With his musical genius, Regan quickly knew how to take it further. In about 15 minutes, he had written the lyrics, and within a few hours, he had composed the bass, the charming bell sounds, and the drum section, making the track ready for production.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for "FANTASY?"
Regan Pierce: I’d say the production phase of the song went pretty smoothly. Since I had already composed and planned the track in advance, I knew exactly where I was headed. This preparation allowed me to produce everything in just 2-3 hours, making sure each element fit well together. However, the mixing and mastering process took considerably longer. I spent extra time fine-tuning each detail to ensure every sound was clear, balanced, and captured the euphoric vibe we were aiming for. It was all about making sure the final mix was not only clean but also truly reflected the energy and emotion of the track.
KAYLA: During production, I mostly stayed in the background because we each bring our own talents without interfering in each other's work. I’ve always admired Regan at work! I could watch him for hours as he plays instruments, writes lyrics, and produces tracks. When he’s in that creative zone, his talent really stands out, and I can’t imagine working with anyone else.
For recording my vocals, we broke the song down section by section. I wanted every line to be perfect, so I redid a few parts to get the emphasis just right. I believe my vocal style is pretty unique compared to many R&B/Soul artists today. I love blending different genres into my music and draw inspiration from artists like SZA, Kevin Abstract, Kendrick Lamar, Brent Faiyaz, GIVĒON, and Khalid.
What impact do you hope "FANTASY" will have on your audience?
We hope our audience finds the track both compelling and relatable. We strive to keep our lyrics simple and accessible, allowing everyone to connect with the message easily while making the song enjoyable to listen to. The result is a naturally appealing sound, effortlessly inviting listeners to dance, relax, cook their favorite meal or do everyday chores while listening.
Can you tell us more about you as a duo?
This duo consists of the music producer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and musical artist Lean Petersen, who is professionally known as "Regan Pierce" and the singer Kayla. We work very closely together and have a great relationship to each other, so it's not strictly professional.
Regan Pierce: I have worked with a big variety of musicians throughout my musical journey. I have worked with Ariana Celaeno, Honey-B-Sweet, B. Griff and Yosef Farhan to name a few. Every single one of the artists I have worked with before is truly talented, but I think I have never found someone I understand and who understands me musically as much as Kayla. So I am very honored that she didn't want to make "KAYLA" a solo project, but wanted to become a partnership instead.
I am also currently working on my own album on the side, and it's unlike anything I have done before. The album fuzes 20 different genres of music compiled into 10 beautiful songs so far. It's a very experimental piece of art that I can't wait to share with the world this year!
Kayla: I have worked with a lot of music producers, but ended up scrapping all my former projects because none of them really understood my vision. When I met Regan I knew right away that he could understand my musical visions, because he has a very similar style as I do. I can tell him about a new song idea, and he just naturally comes up with ideas on the spot. He is way more diverse than I am though, I have seen him create tracks for other musicians that productionwise are some of the best I have ever heard. He is way more than just an R&B/Soul artist and producer, he can really create music in every musical style.
How do you continuously grow and evolve as a duo?
Regan Pierce: I would say my number one way of evolving not just as a duo but as a musician in general is to keep experimenting with sound. I'm not afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone, exploring new genres, new production techniques or even learning new instruments. I also like to take a lot of inspiration from the artists that I look up to, seeing what works for them, exploring how their sound evolved throughout the years helps me establish something great on my own. I also like to work with a lot of different artists as well as other fellow producers. Digging into another creatives mind helps me gain a fresh perspective that helps me learn a lot of stuff I wouldn't have learned on my own. Kayla has a very deep and great understanding of melodies, and I have learned a lot about how to make great melodies over chord progressions from working with her.
Kayla: While Regan evolves his production I evolve myself as a singer. I do a lot of breathing exercises to strengthen my control and stamina. I put a lot of work into my vocal tone and inflections as well as my pitch accuracy. I also like to perform stuff that is outside of my comfort zone to expand my versatility as a singer. I like to look back at older recordings and songs I made back in the day to be able to hear how much I've evolved. I worked with a lot of different producers before finally finding the one I see myself working with for the rest of my career.
