Peyton’s life has been filled with music since she began learning violin at five. She grew up singing in church every Sunday and performing in classical ensembles. Her family, particularly her grandmother Theola Booker, a Grammy Award-nominated songwriter and Houston gospel giant, nurtured Peyton’s musical talents.

Peyton says, “Music has always been a solace for me, it’s the only thing that I wanted to do, the only thing that I knew how to do.” Though she performed in classical ensembles at school, persistent social anxiety meant she preferred “hiding” on stage with other musicians. Eager to break out of her comfort zone in her teens, Peyton wrote several compositions and started performing them live. Over time she developed a sense of fearlessness, which is now central to her performance, and an important theme of PSA.

In 2015, Peyton collaborated with Steve Lacy of The Internet for the track ‘Verbs’. She soon after released the song ‘Sweet Honey’, which caught the ear of Peanut Butter Wolf, who signed Peyton to Stones Throw. The track was featured on Issa Rae’s hit HBO series Insecure. In 2019 she released her debut Stones Throw EP Reach Out. Now, she is ready to make her PSA to the world.

Wordplay Magazine: Can you tell me how it all began, what sparked your love for music?

Peyton: It was quite natural, I was just in an environment with a lot of music and art, so I gravitated towards it. I grew up in a family full of music lovers, so it was very easy, It was always part of my life.

WPM: Who are some artists who have influenced you and you’d like to work with in the future?

P: So many, I would love to work with Kanye, La Roux, N.E.R.D, Amy Lee, Freddie Gibbs, I would have loved to work with Sophie, RIP.  It's very interesting because not everyone I’ve been inspired by. Artists I’ve been inspired by, I wouldn't necessarily collaborate with them. Other artists I really want to work with, It's one of those things where I know so many artists my brain is now empty, haha.

WPM: Can you tell me about your new album POA, what can fans expect from it?

P: Something definitely very unique, it's something that hasn’t been done especially this year. You can expect genre bending and it's in tune to what I like in music, because I like lots of different types of music. It was a lot of fun to play around with different genres and I think it sounds like I’m having fun on the record, it feels very free. And a lot of the messages can resonate with everyone. If anything, this is how my sound evolved, I’m not doing anything so different from the artist I present myself as it's just my next evolution, with the same attributes and aspects of my sound that have been there since I started. Day by day I'm a stronger musician and more understanding of who I am, so, it's a reflection of that.

WPM: Has it been hard for you making and releasing music in the past 12 months or so?

P: I wouldn't say it's been hard I’ve been able to take my time. Not only just focus on perfecting what I had but taking time to live my life and slow down. It was very good for me because I was a student whilst working on my album. I couldn't imagine trying to record, tighten up everything and be a student all the time. It allowed me to slow down and enjoy my life and live it.

WPM: What would you say is your proudest moment to date so far as a musician?

P: My proudest moment has been being featured on 2 different HBO series for 3 different songs. I recently had my song ‘Swag’ on the HBO show ‘Generation’ and 2 featured on ‘Insecure’. I really enjoyed ‘Insecure’ and it's done so much for black culture especially for people in my age group. ‘Generation’ is aimed at a younger audience, so I haven’t connected with it as much, but it is still a great show.

WPM: Have you got any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?

P: Just study, whether that be listening or learning, it's all meaningful. It's so important to study and be willing to always learn!

WPM: Are there any artists on your radar at the moment we should be listening to?

P: Yeah, for sure, check out my friends Jourden and Amindi.

WPM: What albums do you have on heavy rotation?

P: For me sometimes I’m just listening to singles, I’ve been listening to ‘It’s a Process’ by ‘Coco-O’ a lot which is super good. Bon Voyage by Melody’s Echo Chamber I’ve been listening to a lot, Pi’erre Bourne’s recent album ‘The Life Of Pier 5’. I always end up gravitating towards ‘Causes of This’ by Toro y Moi.

WPM: What do you like to do when you’re not making music?

P: Recently I’ve been busy, but I do really enjoy playing games on the switch, I like cooking and playing basketball but since the beginning of quarantine I haven’t played it. I really love fashion, I always have time for that.

WPM: What 3 things can’t you live without when you’re in the studio?

P: Water. A really good snack, I really like munchies and wonderful pistachios, the chilli kind. I would say 3rd thing is a bit of a cop out but my tote as it has my money, make up, everything I need. So those are my 3 solid things. My tote has my phone to make notes, or some note paper to write on whilst I'm recording.